I was embarrassed to admit it, but, despite a fair number of worldwide travels, I’ve never been to Washington, D.C. It was time to remedy this gap, so my husband, Gene Woznicki, and I planned a several-day stop there on our way to the Catskills in NY to see family—and our newest grandchild, #14!

We chose to stay at the historic and lovely Willard Hotel, just half a block from the White House grounds and treated ourselves to a suite with a glorious view of the Washington Monument and the surrounding area. Although I didn’t exactly fit the bill, I mugged for the camera at the top of Peacock Alley where wealthy women in the past would parade in their latest designer outfits.

With so many things to see in DC, we knew we could not do it all and decided to focus on a few places where we could go deeper.

We booked tickets online, free but timed, for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, about a ¾ mile walk from the hotel. Now, D.C. like much of the US this summer, has suffered its share of extremely hot days. However, we happened to be there on the loveliest days of the entire season, with the mornings in the upper 60s0 and not ever getting above 85 in the afternoons. We easily walked everywhere.

We decided to head down 15th Street so passed by the Washington Monument and the Ellipse on the way. My mind kept returning to the events of January 6, 2020, when a crowd, some of them armed and prepared for violence, set off from this space to the Capital building.

For me, it was history coming to life again, and in a far more concrete way. On that thoughtful note, we headed into the museum and immersed ourselves in the story of the Holocaust. We moved slowly, reading the materials, gazing at the photos, listening to audio recordings, and watching some videos when the horrors of the concentration/death camps were finally revealed for all to see.

We emerged four hours later, shaken by what we had seen, and sobered by the awareness that unchecked power will always lead to human cruelty and unspeakable atrocities.

This important beginning was followed by a great tour of the Capital, wonderful hours in several of the seventeen Smithsonian Museums and Galleries in the DC area, fabulous meals dining al

And then, all too soon, our time ended. A phone call to the valet and our car was magically waiting for us at the entrance. Of course, the price to park the car at the Willard was equivalent to an extra night at the hotel but it was worth it.