A Boyhood Dream Fulfilled: Space-Geek Tour of the USA

[drron]

And if you go to the UK then you must visit the place where the British Concordes were made and first took off from. The Concorde here was the last built and the last to fly.

Aerospace Bristol | Supersonic Family Fun

Enjoy a supersonic family day out in Bristol! Step aboard the last Concorde to fly and embark upon a fun hands-on journey through aviation history.

aerospacebristol.org

They have a Concorde hangar and you can walk through the Concorde there. Naturally I did a TR. My visit to the Museum starts at the second post on this page. It is fairly comprehensive so you may not want to read it to maintain the thrill of surprise.

Australian Frequent Flyer

Tips, Tricks & Chat for the Australian Frequent Flyer

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

The site was first used for plane construction in 1910. Cars,trams,helicopters all built here. with standouts like the Harrier Jump jet. here is the history.

Bristol Built — Aerospace Bristol

As an early cradle of UK aviation, aircraft production began at Filton in 1910 with Sir George White’s British & Colonial (later, Bristol) Aeroplane Company. Over one hundred years of succession, mergers and takeovers has seen the creation of the British Aircraft Corporation, Bristol Siddele

aerospacebristol.org

And there is a Space section mainly dealing with things like satellites so very different from what you have seen.Time your visit for the 4-10th of October. Every year at that time they hold "Space week"

World Space Week — Aerospace Bristol

aerospacebristol.org

 

[Human]

And if you go to the UK then you must visit the place where the British Concordes were made and first took off from. The Concorde here was the last built and the last to fly.

Thank you so much for this information! And also thanks for all your amazing trip reports which are wonderful to read.

 

[drron]

Thank you so much for this information! And also thanks for all your amazing trip reports which are wonderful to read.

Don't worry you are paying back with interest. fantastic TR.

 

[maccaisking]

Human, I am in the midst of planning 3-4 weeks in the USA, which ideally will include taking my 12yo son to see something space related. I think you have sold me on KSC and Washington museums, thanks so much for sharing your trip it looks amazing.

 

[newmarket]

Human, I am in the midst of planning 3-4 weeks in the USA, which ideally will include taking my 12yo son to see something space related. I think you have sold me on KSC and Washington museums, thanks so much for sharing your trip it looks amazing.

If you like Military aircraft look at the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio. It is bigger than Udvar-Havy. It includes famous planes like Bockscar and the experimental planes that didn’t get into production like the YF-23 and XB-70 Valkyrie. Atomic bombs, missiles.

Oh and the Memphis Belle!

I know that I mentioned it earlier but it really is good.

Thanks Human on your TR - I’m enjoying it!

 

[VPS]

I awoke to discover that the outside temperature was minus 3. This was the picture of the winter-wonderland-slash-bus-depot from my window.
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I decided to be brave and catch public transport to Udvar-Hazy, given that doing so would probably save me at least a hundred Australian dollars and possibly closer to $200. Maps was advising walk-train-train-bus. More complex than I would have liked, but I’m trying to do this on the cheap. I found the nearest Metro station after a 9-minute walk that nearly resulted in me sprawled in the ice and snow on at least half a dozen occasions. Once I was on the second train, though, things became a lot more pleasant. It is a Truth Univerally Acknowledged, that almost-empty, off-peak trains during the day in semi-rural Virginia are quite nice.
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After the train trip it was an equally pleasant 15-minute bus ride which literally took me to the very entrance of the Udvar-Hazy museum. The bus started out with 2 passengers but for most of the trip I was the only passenger. The total cost of the train and bus together was US$4.75; an Uber would have cost about US$50, not including the almost-mandatory tip.
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Still loving this TR - I went to IWM at Duxford and got in the Concorde which was amazing.

I'd really to get off the train at Foggy Bottom - what a great name.

interesting that Enola Gay is there - it reminded me of OMD version of Enola Gay

 

[RooFlyer]

I'd really to get off the train at Foggy Bottom - what a great name.

That's the CIA, isn't it?

 

[Quickstatus]

@Human Thanks, brings back memories for me on my visit may years ago, and you are one up on me being able to watch an actual rocket launch!

Back when I visited, the place was almost desolate with an empty vibe as the US no longer had launch capability after cessation of the SS program.

 

[Human]

Back when I visited, the place was almost desolate with an empty vibe as the US no longer had launch capability after cessation of the SS program.

Yeah, things were pretty grim for a while there after the Space Shuttle programme ended. Things started to turn around when SpaceX started having success and also the space programme got a lot of great publicity and confidence with New Horizons. The vibe is definitely upbeat now!

 

[VPS]

That's the CIA, isn't it?

used to be

 

[Human]

Today I swapped my “space geek” hat for a “history geek” hat. I have to say that it was, yet again, a really special day. I largely have my wife to thank for it (yes, she still exists and yes, we FaceTime every day!). I had always earmarked one day in Washington for sightseeing, but she encouraged me to do a tour rather than try to DIY. I’m really glad I took her advice, especially given that things are gearing up for the Inauguration and there are a lot of road closures and extra security (and to further complicate matters they had a big rehearsal this morning). So I managed to get a last-minute spot on a six-and-a-half hour tour, from which I returned less than an hour ago.

The tour group was to meet on 8th St, which Maps informed me would take 25 mins by bus or 32 mins on foot. It was a glorious Winter day, and not too cold (it was minus 1 when I set out), so I decided to walk.


I had to be careful, and slow down, because a lot of the footpath was very icy and slippery.



I appreciate how the pedestrian crossings inform you how many seconds of your life you potentially have left…


I found the tour bus. There were 10 other people on the tour (this week is not exactly peak tourist season in DC!).


First stop was the big building where the President lives (I forget its name).




We couldn’t get close – we could see people who were on the grounds for the Inauguration rehearsal, but the guide told us that we couldn’t get closer. I was OK with that; I was just happy to actually set eyes on the building that I’d been seeing on TV for my whole life!

The place was crawling with Police and “Uniformed Secret Service”; this is our tour guide negotiating with a member of the Uniformed Secret Service regarding where we could go and how close we could get.

 

[Pushka]

One of the best things about travel, after the experience, is seeing all those places again on TV and saying 'I've been there!' Especially now Washington DC for the next few weeks.

Any moving vans?

 

[Human]

Any moving vans?

Ah! That solves a mystery: that's what all those black trucks with "ACME Executive Relocations" plastered over them were for!

 

[Human]

Next stop was the World War II Memorial. You’ll see a wall with stars on it: each star represents 100 American lives lost.









The Washington Monument was visible for most of the day. What I didn’t know was that there is not one gram of mortar or cement in the entire structure. It’s held together entirely by gravity.

 

[Human]

Next stop was the Jefferson Memorial. There’s an incredible view of the White House from the Memorial. Seeing the statue of Thomas Jefferson, and reading the words that he helped write from the Declaration of Independence, was genuinely moving. It was interesting to read his pretty strong words against slavery, despite the fact that Jefferson was a slave owner himself. Our tour guide put it this way: “Great ideas are never wrong. Men sometimes are”.

 

[Human]

The next stop was the Martin Luther King Memorial. I had been genuinely moved by the Jefferson Memorial; at the MLK Memorial, exponentially more so. As you approach the Memorial, it looks like you’re walking through a mountain…



And then you walk through and read MLK’s words: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”.


Then as you walk further in you see a sculpture of MLK. It is unfinished, to represent the unfinished work of striving for justice.



On either side of the statue is a walkway which features quotes from MLK carved into stone. There are 14 quotes in all. As I read the quotes I felt incredibly moved and humbled.

 

[Human]

The emotionally moving experiences in the National Mall were just beginning. Our next stop was the Vietnam War Memorial. First, we went to the Ladies’ Memorial. Most of the women who served in the war were nurses. Eight died.








Then the main Memorial itself, which features the names of all 58,000 American men and women who died. This Memorial has actually changed the way that all war memorials are done. It was incredible to see the reflective granite wall and to read some of the names. As the tour guide said, there are 58,000 stories on that wall.

 

[Human]

Next stop was probably the most emotional, inspiring and moving moment of the day for me: the Lincoln Memorial. First, in terms of architectural splendour it’s amazing…



As I climbed the steps, I could get amazing views of the (frozen-over) water and of the Capitol beyond it.


I came to the actual place where MLK had delivered his “I have a dream” speech in 1963. You can stand on the place where the speech was delivered … but I didn’t. I went to stand on it, but baulked. Something in me didn’t feel right. So in the end I stood about 20cm next to where MLK had stood!



Then I went up to see the Lincoln Memorial itself, with its huge statue of Lincoln. To his left, engraved on the wall, is his second Inauguration address. To his right is the Gettysburg address. Both are amazing and historically important speeches. His second Inauguration address, in particular, is amazing for two reasons. First, it explicitly acknowledges that slavery was the cause of, and the reason for, the Civil War. Secondly it urges kindness and forgiveness towards the defeated South. Lincoln was assassinated about a month after he gave that speech.

 

[Human]

After that we walked over to the Korean War Memorial.








Then it as into the bus to the Kennedy Center for lunch. On the way we passed the Watergate complex.

 

[Human]

The lobby of the Kennedy Center (it’s Washington’s major performing arts complex).



After an overpriced lunch, I had a quick (too quick!) look at an exhibition that focused on the cultural legacy, and life and times, of JFK. It was excellent – informative and fascinating.


It was still difficult to believe that I'd been there myself just a couple of hours earlier!