Washington, D.C. Adventure
After living in America for 49 years, I finally visited our nations Capitol. It just happened to be the first week of the national shutdown caused by the Virus from Wuhan, China. Everyone in my life told me to cancel my trip. They all told me it was illegal to travel. They ALL tried to scare me into not going. But my motto this year, FAITH OVER FEAR, kept me from listening to THEIR fears and trusting in MY FAITH.
“I almost didn’t go…but I remembered my motto, FAITH OVER FEAR”
The trip was surreal. Driving from a deserted stormy New York City to a vacant Washington DC in a national shutdown felt like that movie with Will Smith where everyone is gone and not a person exists. It was me, my daughter and a few truckers on the road in our rented car. It took three hours to get to Washington DC from New York City. There was no traffic and I took the toll highway the entire way ($22 dollars each way)
I arrived at the modern and friendly hotel, Canopy by Hilton Washington, The Wharf. Rumor has it this place is usually crowded and rocking until 2-3 in the morning…but on this trip, I believe there were only 3 of us checked in to the hotel. We walked the beautiful wharf and it was desolate. Not a soul in site. Masks weren’t mandatory then so we were walking around without our masks but no one else was out. Due to the wide availability, we got a room with a view.
I set my alarm for 4:00 since I wanted to catch the pink sunrise over the Thomas Jefferson Memorial to match the illustration in my book.
I laid awake having thoughts of getting picked up by the capitol police for violating stay at home orders. I almost didn’t go…but i remembered my motto, FAITH OVER FEAR and I got the shot.
<Download the Artivive app and place your phone over this image to see it come to life.
I had a couple of police cars pass me but no other cars were on the road. When I got to the Memorial, It was so beautiful. The sky was pink, it was calm, peaceful BUT entirely covered in scaffolding. So that was a bummer…no close up shots. I was going to just stay there and not risk being seen but I thought, FAITH OVER FEAR….lets head to the Washington Monument.
It was just me and the Washington Monument that day. NO OTHER PEOPLE WERE out. They were all on national stay at home orders. But for some reason, my flights were never cancelled, my hotel was still available, and I was able to rent a car so all signs said, Washington DC and me for the day. THe monument is incredible. Strong, powerful, structured.
While my daughter was still doing her homework in the hotel room, I decided to head over to the reflecting pools. I saw two other human beings and felt a little angry that they were there during my day…LOL. Seeing the Lincoln Monument for the first time without people was disappointing. this was the first time I wondered how would MLK JR and Abraham Lincoln be thinking about this shutdown. They fought for our freedoms and I did not feel free, Our country was not free. Our country was in the beginning of a lockdown from an unknown virus that nobody knew anything about. My thoughts redirected,,,, I went back to get my girl so we could continue the adventure together. I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
Taryn and I returned to Tidal Basin route and went straight inside the Lincoln Monument to see Abraham Lincoln. OMG how beautiful it was. I said a loud thank you to him, (since I was the only one inside) and stayed in there for at least 30 minutes. We shall overcome started playing in my head and I thanked the millions of people who fought for our freedoms since America was created. Next stop was the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument – “Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope.” It was powerful to be there near the statue. I wish we had a leader like MLK JR during this time. I do think MLK JR would be proud of our country. We have overcome so much since his time.
Download the Artivive app and place your phone over this image of Martin Luther King Jr. You can see the what the monument looks like in real life and hear MLK Jr. Famous Speech
“We shall overcome started playing in my head and I thanked the millions of people who
fought for our freedoms since America was created.”
We walked to the White House. THE WHITE HOUSE where President Trump and the First Lady just spoke in the rose garden hours before. I was perfectly content getting the shot from behind the fence cuz I was letting my fears back in thinking my day was too good to be true. How come I, Tricia Cohn, was able to walk around and enjoy such a beautiful day like this? I definitely have to pay it forward. Taryn said, “Mom, come on, lets get closer.” I replied, “Tare no, we shouldn’t”. She said, “let.s just try.” So we did. And i got some beautiful close shots of the White House for the white house scene of my children’s book.
We were so exhausted and the Capitol was an hour walk from the white house. So because there was no one around, we saw some rentable bikes . We swiped a credit card and rode down Pennsylvania Avenue straight to the Capitol. The sun was setting and the perfect blue skies I had all day were now speckled with clouds. As I took my last shot for the book, the sun came out and shown on the dome in all her glory. OMG I just cry thinking how lucky I was at this moment. Just pure gratitude and freedom that I wish everyone could feel. If I could bottle the moment and share it, Tim Cook and Jeff Bezos would have stiff competition from me.
Taryn and I rode our bikes back to the Hilton and placed a food order with the front desk clerk, who was also the hotel manager, and also acting as a bellman during the shutdown.
We drove back to New York City the next day. It was storming and wet. We were so blessed to get the sun and blue skies for that one day only.
I finished the Arangatanga Museum: Washington, D.C. book two weeks later. If I would have cancelled or postponed my trip until the shutdown was over, my experience would have been so different. Two weeks later, there were BLM protests that turned to riots and the streets and monuments were destroyed with graffiti. As I write this blog, three months later, the shutdown is still going on and I don’t see it going away anytime soon. Im so proud that I used our freedoms when I had the opportunity. Who would have thought our freedoms are been threatened in America. Even though I have put my faith over fear, which is mental freedom, I see millions of people living in fear. I wonder why more people are afraid to die, then they are willing to live.
I hope you will purchase my book for the child in your life. It is educational, colorful and the technology is very cool and interactive. Its a 24 page picture book and when you put your phone over the page, you can see the beautiful footage that I captured on the day it was just Washington, DC and me.
“I wonder why more people are afraid to die, then they are willing to live?”
God Bless You and God Bless America
