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My Fellow Americans (and others):
This postcard is coming to you straight from Washington, D.C., our great nations capital! When I wrote to you last, I was on my way to Cheverly, Maryland, and made a stop in Louisville, KY, and was hoping to pay a small visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory before continuing on the road to our next venue. We did and it was great! We weren't able to take an official tour of the factory part, but the museum and gift shop were good enough for me. I took a lot of pictures. For any fan of baseball, this is a good site to see. This is where they make the famous Louisville Slugger bats. No, Count, baseball bats. Sorry. And leaning against the outside of the building stands the worlds largest baseball bat (it's part of the architecture.) I don't this the architecture has really changed since the good ol' days because I felt like I was back in time during the reign of greats like Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Inside the museum is a wall of fame with names of some of the greatest ball players of our history, including the names I just mentioned and also Lou Gherig. This was fun because my girlfriends family is real big into baseball, and Gherig happens to be one of her dad's heroes. They also had bats that supposedly belonged to some of those legends and I got to hold Babe Ruth's bat. You could also look into a window that went into the actual factory where they make the bats and you can have one personalized for you for a pretty penny. Actually, several pennies because they were over $50. I didn't buy one, but I probably bought more souveniers from there than I've ever bought on one trip. I can't even imagine what kind of damage New York will do to my wallet. I bought a shirt and a hat for my brother, and a door knob ornament that says "There's no crying in baseball." Classic line from a wonderful film. I had to get it.
If that wasn't American enough, we spent the next few days in Washington, D.C., the most patriotic city. I was really looking forward to going there. I'd only been to D.C. once before but it was on a school trip back in 6th grade. So I think I had a little more appreciation for it this time around as a young adult. We were actually staying in a small town in Maryland where we were doing the show, but the capital is just a quick Metro ride away! It was wonderful! We were there just at the right time of year too because it's the start of spring and the lovely pink cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. We did a lot of walking in one day, but we got to see a lot! We saw the towering Washington Monument. Silly travel tip: when visiting this monument, try lying on your back on one the benches there and stare up at the tower. It will look like it's about to fall over on top of you! Mind-boggling, no?
We also saw the Lincoln Memorial. It's so much bigger than I remember it being. (Did you know that Lincoln was a hero of Walt Disney's? Sorry, just a little funfact for ya!) Other sites were the Ford's Theatre Museum where Lincoln was assasinated, the archives building where they display all the great documents of our nation (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution, etc.), and the Vietnam Memorial. We saw the White House, but didn't get to tour the inside.
Out of all the things in Washington, D.C. that I was most excited about was going to the Smithsonian and seeing Kermit the Frog on display honoring Jim Henson. You don't even know how many attempts I made to get just the right picture without glare or lighting issues. I finally got it though. The other patrons must of thought I was obsessed or something. Well...okay, fine. But hey, that was the highlight of my day. I didn't need to take anymore pictures. I did though. One of Mister Roger's sweaters was also there. My friend Carlos joked to me that I was going to steal it. Hey, it was one of his finer sweaters! Haha! There were a lot of cool things from our American culture in that section of the museum, including one of the original teddy bears which was of course inspired by President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. "Beared" a slight resemlence to Big Bird's Radar. Maybe they're cousins! Other fun items were Archie Bunker's famous chair, one of the first Barbie Dolls, Louis Armstrong's trumpet, Ray Charles suit and glasses, a Star Wars display featuring C-3PO and R2-D2, and an upright piano made especially for the great songwriter Irving Berlin.
We went to the Air and Space Museum, so we also got to see an Apollo exhibit will recreations and displays. No, I didn't see Gonzo's family, but there was a fake monkey in a space suit! It was kinda funny.
Now to take a small turn from that, I will breifly mention our experience in performing in Maryland. The theater was call the Publick Playhouse. (Yes, that is how it's spelled, Ed. So know spelling/grammer critiques, okay.
) The people who work at that theater were some of the coldest and rudest to work with. It was pretty discouraging when you're trying to put on friendly, fun-filled and uplifting show for children, but we forged on. We had two performances and thankfully our first audience was a wonderful breath of fresh air. They were big and lively and very responsive. They loved the show and we had a great time performing for them. The second show was a little different. Well...that was probably due to the fact that we only had 6 people in the audience. Six people! There were less of them than us! And not only that, they were all (SIX) sitting together not center but off to the front right side. It was somewhat awkward to say the least, but I'll tell you one thing...the smiles on the 3 tots faces made it all worth while. I guess the lesson is that it isn't the amount of people in the audience that matters, it's the amount of love you give out to brighten their day. And hey, if we touch one small person's life in some way, that's good enough for me.
Well, that was basically our time in Washington, D.C. in a nutshell. I felt so patriotic. Despite your political preference, there is so much history and beauty in that city, it's hard not to notice it. Sam Eagle would have had a holiday!
God Bless America!
Bryan
P.S. Just quickly want to mention that I don't remember what city it was, but there was a restaraunt called Charlie's. Don't think it was Grover's workplace, but it was still a neat reference to think about.
Upcoming cities:
March 19-24 - Week off in NYC!
March 25 & 27 - Brooklyn, NY
March 28 - Bay Shore, NY
March 31 - Westhampton, NY
This postcard is coming to you straight from Washington, D.C., our great nations capital! When I wrote to you last, I was on my way to Cheverly, Maryland, and made a stop in Louisville, KY, and was hoping to pay a small visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory before continuing on the road to our next venue. We did and it was great! We weren't able to take an official tour of the factory part, but the museum and gift shop were good enough for me. I took a lot of pictures. For any fan of baseball, this is a good site to see. This is where they make the famous Louisville Slugger bats. No, Count, baseball bats. Sorry. And leaning against the outside of the building stands the worlds largest baseball bat (it's part of the architecture.) I don't this the architecture has really changed since the good ol' days because I felt like I was back in time during the reign of greats like Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Inside the museum is a wall of fame with names of some of the greatest ball players of our history, including the names I just mentioned and also Lou Gherig. This was fun because my girlfriends family is real big into baseball, and Gherig happens to be one of her dad's heroes. They also had bats that supposedly belonged to some of those legends and I got to hold Babe Ruth's bat. You could also look into a window that went into the actual factory where they make the bats and you can have one personalized for you for a pretty penny. Actually, several pennies because they were over $50. I didn't buy one, but I probably bought more souveniers from there than I've ever bought on one trip. I can't even imagine what kind of damage New York will do to my wallet. I bought a shirt and a hat for my brother, and a door knob ornament that says "There's no crying in baseball." Classic line from a wonderful film. I had to get it.
If that wasn't American enough, we spent the next few days in Washington, D.C., the most patriotic city. I was really looking forward to going there. I'd only been to D.C. once before but it was on a school trip back in 6th grade. So I think I had a little more appreciation for it this time around as a young adult. We were actually staying in a small town in Maryland where we were doing the show, but the capital is just a quick Metro ride away! It was wonderful! We were there just at the right time of year too because it's the start of spring and the lovely pink cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. We did a lot of walking in one day, but we got to see a lot! We saw the towering Washington Monument. Silly travel tip: when visiting this monument, try lying on your back on one the benches there and stare up at the tower. It will look like it's about to fall over on top of you! Mind-boggling, no?
We also saw the Lincoln Memorial. It's so much bigger than I remember it being. (Did you know that Lincoln was a hero of Walt Disney's? Sorry, just a little funfact for ya!) Other sites were the Ford's Theatre Museum where Lincoln was assasinated, the archives building where they display all the great documents of our nation (Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, Constitution, etc.), and the Vietnam Memorial. We saw the White House, but didn't get to tour the inside.
Out of all the things in Washington, D.C. that I was most excited about was going to the Smithsonian and seeing Kermit the Frog on display honoring Jim Henson. You don't even know how many attempts I made to get just the right picture without glare or lighting issues. I finally got it though. The other patrons must of thought I was obsessed or something. Well...okay, fine. But hey, that was the highlight of my day. I didn't need to take anymore pictures. I did though. One of Mister Roger's sweaters was also there. My friend Carlos joked to me that I was going to steal it. Hey, it was one of his finer sweaters! Haha! There were a lot of cool things from our American culture in that section of the museum, including one of the original teddy bears which was of course inspired by President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. "Beared" a slight resemlence to Big Bird's Radar. Maybe they're cousins! Other fun items were Archie Bunker's famous chair, one of the first Barbie Dolls, Louis Armstrong's trumpet, Ray Charles suit and glasses, a Star Wars display featuring C-3PO and R2-D2, and an upright piano made especially for the great songwriter Irving Berlin.
We went to the Air and Space Museum, so we also got to see an Apollo exhibit will recreations and displays. No, I didn't see Gonzo's family, but there was a fake monkey in a space suit! It was kinda funny.
Now to take a small turn from that, I will breifly mention our experience in performing in Maryland. The theater was call the Publick Playhouse. (Yes, that is how it's spelled, Ed. So know spelling/grammer critiques, okay.
) The people who work at that theater were some of the coldest and rudest to work with. It was pretty discouraging when you're trying to put on friendly, fun-filled and uplifting show for children, but we forged on. We had two performances and thankfully our first audience was a wonderful breath of fresh air. They were big and lively and very responsive. They loved the show and we had a great time performing for them. The second show was a little different. Well...that was probably due to the fact that we only had 6 people in the audience. Six people! There were less of them than us! And not only that, they were all (SIX) sitting together not center but off to the front right side. It was somewhat awkward to say the least, but I'll tell you one thing...the smiles on the 3 tots faces made it all worth while. I guess the lesson is that it isn't the amount of people in the audience that matters, it's the amount of love you give out to brighten their day. And hey, if we touch one small person's life in some way, that's good enough for me. Well, that was basically our time in Washington, D.C. in a nutshell. I felt so patriotic. Despite your political preference, there is so much history and beauty in that city, it's hard not to notice it. Sam Eagle would have had a holiday!
God Bless America!
Bryan
P.S. Just quickly want to mention that I don't remember what city it was, but there was a restaraunt called Charlie's. Don't think it was Grover's workplace, but it was still a neat reference to think about.
Upcoming cities:
March 19-24 - Week off in NYC!
March 25 & 27 - Brooklyn, NY
March 28 - Bay Shore, NY
March 31 - Westhampton, NY
) How great about the audiences for your performance in Maryland, too. It's sweet to think of the smiles on the kids' faces, knowing how much they're loving what you're doing and knowing how happy you're making people... things like that sure do make it worthwhile. Hope to hear from you again soon! 
