Stonington High School - Breeze Yearbook (Stonington, ME)

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ing. This should not be missed by any capital visiicr. Their laboratory and legal library are among the finest in the world. The shooting demonstration by an FBI man emphasized the uselessness of trying to get away from such marksmanship as theirs. Tuesday afternoon we took a four-hour tour of Alexandria, Arlington and Mt. Vernon. This tour never fails to please the senior groups. We crossed the beautiful Arlington Memorial Bridge, drove through the National cemetery and close to the grave of Gen. John Pershing. He rests on a knoll at the head of World War I veterans in a spot that he him- self selected. We were fortunate in reaching the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in time to see the changing of guards, which is done in a brief but very impressive manner every two hours. We visited the pure white marble Amphitheater which is the scene of Memorial Day services. We drove past many historic places-the Lee mansion, Christ Church where both VVashington and Lee worshipped, the first public school founded by George Washington and still being used as a primary school, a cobblestone street on which many houses still bear the plaque which indicated that their owners belonged to a particular fire department and merited help in case of fire. We drove all around the Pentagon build- ing, the world's largest office building, each side of which is U5 mile long. We passed the National Airport and noticed that Tru- manis plane, the ulndependencev, was on the field. Our second stop was at Mt. Vernon, the beloved home of George Washington. Situated on a hill which slopes gently to the Potomac River, this is truly a delightful spot. As one sits on the long front porch and gazes across the fields and lawns, it isnit hard to imagine the scene as Washington himself liked to picture it-Home, prosperous farm, family gatherings, slaves playing and singing after their dayis work-the place where he longed to be. Every foot of ground and every dogwood tree was precious to him. An hour spent there, and we were again on our way, this time for our third and last stop-the Masonic Washington Memorial, in one room of which is the World's largest Persian rug. Its soft, lovely colors are blended perfectly, but as the room lights are changed the reds and the blues seem to rise right out of the rug, making it appear almost as a magic car- pet. This building has no steel in its con- struction, the entire weight being supported by eight huge marble pillars. Capital Theater with its movie and vaude- ville was the attraction of the evening, and it was our pleasure to see and hear Xavier Cugat and his orchestra. On Wednesday morning we visited the Botanic Gardens and discovered that it was just between seasons, and since the spring was late, there were very few flowers in bloom. However, the tropical garden is al- ways a delightful spot and the orchid house boasted quite a few varieties of blooms. Since we didnit want to leave Washington without seeing any of its stores, we spent about three hours after lunch visiting the various shops and five and ten cent stores. The latter part of the afternoon was spent in the Hotel Ambassador swimming pool. That was a great treat and everyone came back refreshed and uraring to gov. So we had dinner and then went to see Van johnson in Battleground',, a very entertaining war movie. We arose at 5 A. M. Thursday and were soon on our way to New York, arriving there at 12:40. We registered at Hotel Dixie. That afternoon some attended a ball game, some a show, and some of us attended two shows! In the evening came Madison Square Garden and that great spectacle, the Barnum Bailey, Ringling Bros. Circus. What a treat! There were trained bears, horses, elephants, ponies, and dogs. There were long distance spring- board leapers over the backs of massed ele- phants, daring aerialists, bareback riders,

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clurmg Hooseveltis administration, is just :cross from the Capitol. The Capitcil itself was next on our itinerary. We joined a tour and were escorted through the building by a very attractive guide who lectured as we went from one section to the next. The old Supreme Court room, Statuary Hall, the Senate and House of Representa- tives, the Dome, the worldis longest corridor, the President's Room, came in for their share of our attention. The Capitol located at the end of Pennsylvania Avenue, surrounded by its plaza and park, is beautiful to behold, especially at night when the dome is beauti- fully illuminated. After a rest period of an hour at the Hotel Stratford and luncheon at the Marlboro, we went to see the White House, which is now undergoing extensive repairs. Although We could not see the interior, we walked around the building so that we might see the exterior from all sides. Opposite the North Portico were two large round beds of bright pink hyacinths in full bloom on the lawn. VVe rode over to the jefferson Memorial, walked around the Tidal Basin to the Lincoln Memo- rial, followed the path by the reflecting pool up to the Washington Monument, the View from which is superb. If you don't like the elevator, you can always climb the stairs, all 898 of them! Most of our group did sol We did a little souvenir hunting there in a near- by shop. By then we were ready to return to the hotel to freshen up because we were going to Baltimore for the evening. We hear much about Southern Hospi- tality . I had never had the pleasure of sam- pling it until we went out to Baltimore to have dinner and spend the evening with Dickie Nash's Aunt Iessie and Uncle Paul. Now if that visit was a fair sample of south- ern hospitality, then I am convinced that it is all that it is said to be. From the moment we enteredthe door, where we were greeted by Dick and Herbert who had gone out earlier in the afternoon, until we boarded the bus to return to Washington, we were made to feel at home and treated royally. And did I say we were invited to dinner? I should have said to a banquet, for that was what we had. just to make your mouths water, I'll give the menu-roast turkey, mashed potato, dressing, gravy, green peas, glazed sweet potatoes, the tastiest cold slaw, cran- berry relish, celery, hot yeast rolls, mince pie, lemon meringue pie, custard pie, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or milk. Sounds good? It surely was, and needless to say we ate until our tummies could hold no more. While the seniors went out to some amusement parks and a race track, Miss Morey stayed to visit with Dickis Aunts fanother having come in to spend the eveningj. The combination of southern drawl and clipped Maine word end- ings made an interesting chat. After a most pleasant evening, we were presented with a box of Martha Washington chocolates to eat on the train and were escorted to the bus terminal by Mr. Campbell and a friend. I believe that we shall always think of that visit to Baltimore with a real sense of appreciation of southern hospitality. Tuesday morning at 8:45 we were out to Smithsonian Institute. A most interesting and educational two hours was spent there. The balcony with its story of the progress in medicine, the cases of models gowned in dresses worn by the Presidents' ladies, the coin collection, the display of Army and Navy uniforms of different wars, the government military medals, the old bicycles, carriages. automobiles, locomotives, steamboats, etc. held us almost spellbound. And guns, what a collection! We also roamed through the building which housed the various types of airplanes. An exciting feature of the morning was the FBI Tour in the Department of justice build-

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trapeze artists, clown pranksters, jugglers ani high Wir: hazardists. The closing display was a combination of pageantry, song and dance features called jungle Drums . Friday we took a combined tour of down- town New York, Chinatown, and the Statue of Liberty. We went from the extremes of Wall Street to the Boweryg passed City Hall and Foley Square where thousands of stu- dents were on strike, visited a Chinatown Mission, a tiny Post Office C only 6' by 8' Q, and finally were taken to Battery Park for our boat ride to Bedloe's Island. An hour there gave everyone an opportunity to climb the stairs into the head of the Statue of Liberty, get refreshments of hot dogs and coke , and watch a big steamer slowly wend- ing her way out of the harbor. That afternoon was devoted to the thrill of riding by elevator to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building! We descended to the eighty-sixth floor, visited the souvenir shop, the restaurant, and the outside observation platform. Then we were on our way again. We walked along Fifth Avenue, stopping here and there to window shop. We had consider- able difficulty in hailing a taxi in the rushing trafhc. Radio City Music Hall with all its beauty and comfort was our evening attraction. The entire show was excellent, but the orchestra and the precision dancers pleased our group above all else. No visitor to New York escapes the feeling of wonder and awe when first he sees the Great White Way , and so it was with those of us who had never before seen Times Square with its myriad electric signs so brilliantly lighting the area. Saturday morning we left New York for Boston where we arrived at 12:50. After registering at Hotel Bradford, we went to O Sole Mio for dinner. The minestromi soup and Italian spaghetti and meat balls were eaten with great relish. Then came 111: choice of desserts. The waiter received Herbert's order for lemon meringue pie with chocolate ice cream with a rather surprisei expresgicn, and when Herbert added and a large coke the poor waiter said nothing al- though he looked rather flabbergasted. Re- turning with the orders, he took the plate containing the lemon pie and chocolate ice cream in one hand and the coke in the other, glanced around the table and asked And who ordered this queer combination? As we ate we reminisced about the many humor- ous incidents of the trip, and Dickie's story of the trip by subway to Yankee Stadium, of their arrival at the bus terminal entrance to our hotel--well, the whole story filled us with such merrirnent that the meal will long be remembered. We decided on a light supper at the Met Snack Bar, but I question how light', it was, for some of those three-tier sandwiches and three-Havor ice cream banana splits didn,t give the appearance of being too lightl But they were goodl After satisfying our appe- tites, we saw Marlene Dietrich in Stage F right at the Metropolitan. We had our Sunday breakfast at the North Station, and three quarters of an hour before train time we line up before the track gate only to find that the 9:10 train to Portland had already left. We had been given infor- mation that the trains left on regular train time. To us that did not mean daylight saving time-but to the trains it did. Our next best bet was to take the 10:58 bus on which we used our train tickets, and we were in Bangor at 7:50 P. M. where Everett and Wendall were waiting to take us home. When asked if they enjoyed the trip as much as they had anticipated, the Seniors agreed that they enjoyed it even more than they had expected. That, Folks, is a resume of the trip that you helped to make possible, and for which the Class of 1950 wishes to express sincere appreciation and thanks.