We bundled up and drove to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, and parked in my favorite locale, just outside the entrance to the men's department at Nordstrom's. There are always empty spots near the doors, and there are always empty spots along the outer wall (and away from other cars) for those moms who might need to do a quick nursing session before hitting the shops. I decided to carry Diggory in the Moby Wrap for this outing. I wasn't sure if there was an elevator or ramp up to the Exhibit Hall at the airport (more on that below), but I knew it was up A LOT of stairs. I didn't want to haul the stroller up too far. (And I didn't want to leave it outside the Exhibition Hall at the risk of it being identified by the segway-riding airport police as "unattended baggage." Yikes!) Anyway, carrying around a 25 pound, 10 1/2 month old baby for two hours is sort of like a workout (actually, not "sort of" at all!), so again, two birds, one stone. We made our way to the metro via escalators (vs. elevators, another added benefit of not taking the stroller) and caught the train to the airport (Blue/Yellow lines toward Franconia/Springfield/Huntington). Once you're off the train, follow the signs to Terminals A and B. Exit to your right out of the station entrance and follow the signs to Parking A and Abingdon Plantation.
You'll end up outside in the walkway to Parking A. And then you'll see the big mound of earth between the two parking garages. The entire site is handicap/stroller accessible, and there are several comfortable benches for taking a break.
There are five very well done interpretive panels that describe the history of the Abingdon Plantation site, the families that lived there, and the preservation efforts undertaken over the past century to protect and stabilize the site as the landscape surrounding it continues to change. All that remains now are the outline of the foundations of the main house and one wall and partial chimney of the detached kitchen.
Bear with me, and I will transcribe a passage from the most general and introductory interpretive panel, courtesy of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority:
After we explored the site at ground level, we trekked up four flights of stairs on the north side of Parking Garage A to get an aerial view. I've always thought that you can get a better sense of the layout of historic ruins from seeing them from above. As an extra reward for the climb, you can get some pretty spectacular views of the "new" and "old" airport terminals, the Potomac River, and even the tops of some of D.C.'s most iconic monuments. The blurry panoramic image below does not adequately translate the spectacular scene.
I did my research before heading off to the airport and learned that there is an Exhibit Hall located in the airport's original terminal. If you go back into the main/new terminal building, follow the signs to Terminal A. (Terminal A is the original terminal built between 1938 and 1941.) Turns out that the Exhibit Hall is handicap/stroller accessible after all. You can see the small lift in the image below.
The Exhibit Hall occupies the original dining room, above the grand lobby and observation room in historic Terminal A. The remaining art deco decor is quite striking, and you can almost imagine gloved ladies and dandy gentlemen milling about the terminal in a time when air travel was new and fancy. The display cases contain objects from both Abingdon Plantation's long history and the airport's own transformations and development. The Exhibit Hall is definitely worth the twenty minutes or so it takes to browse the cases and didactic panels. Stop on in the next time you find yourself waiting for a delayed flight! (Or, make a special trip to the airport on a Thursday afternoon like I did. Sigh. Wow.)
The grand and sun-filled lobby has a great view of the runway and lots of seating on tiered levels. If you're looking for a quiet place to take your babe, you can't do much better than this. Yes, it's wide open, but if you're nursing on one of the lower levels, no one can see you. Besides, everyone will be rushing past behind you, probably running late for their flight. The open space is pretty attractive to crawling babies too! If you walk further down toward Terminal A, you'll come across a smaller lobby full of typical airport benches, and (wonder of all wonders!) a handful of wooden rocking chairs! This little nook isn't as quiet as it used to be because Jet Blue set up their new ticket counter just across the hall.
On your way back to the main terminal, take a gander at the display cases between the grand lobby and the "rocking chair nook." The Gallery Walk, as it is called, currently displays the exhibition Pushing Process, organized by DC GlassWorks and Washington Printmakers Gallery. The main terminal (Terminals B and C) was finished in 1997 and designed by architect Cesar Pelli, who called it "a rich sequence of visual experiences." The visual experience of the expansive terminal is enhanced by the inclusion of thirty works of public art. You can view a slideshow of all thirty works here. Below, Diggory and I are posing in front of Kent Bloomer's Foliated Trellis.
Bear with me, and I will transcribe a passage from the most general and introductory interpretive panel, courtesy of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority:
"The land that Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport occupies today was once part of a plantation. This hill and the ruins on it are all that remain of the house that stood here for nearly 190 years. Abingdon, as this tract of land on the Potomac River was called, witnessed sweeping historical changes. The land was owned for many years the by Alexander family, for whom Alexandria, Virginia was named. John Parke Custis, George Washington's adopted stepson, moved his family to Abingdon in 1778. Through the Custis family, Abingdon is associated with families of the Virginia plantations of Mount Vernon, Stratford Hall, Kenmore, Woodlawn, and Arlington. Abingdon survived Union occupation during the Civil War and the end of plantation life. However, the encroachment of industry finally took its toll on Abingdon, which fell into disrepair until it burned in 1930. Eight years later, the land was chosen as the site of an airport designed to serve the Nation's Capital. As National Airport evolved, the ruins of the plantation house remain preserved on the hill as a testament to the rich history of this land."
Below are two historical photographs of the main house at Abingdon, although the dates are unknown. If you'd like to do a bit more reading, I found this entry on Wikipedia interesting. And, if you're up for even more reading, do a quick search on Google Books. You'll find a handful of references to Abingdon Plantation in various free eBooks.
Below are two historical photographs of the main house at Abingdon, although the dates are unknown. If you'd like to do a bit more reading, I found this entry on Wikipedia interesting. And, if you're up for even more reading, do a quick search on Google Books. You'll find a handful of references to Abingdon Plantation in various free eBooks.
After we explored the site at ground level, we trekked up four flights of stairs on the north side of Parking Garage A to get an aerial view. I've always thought that you can get a better sense of the layout of historic ruins from seeing them from above. As an extra reward for the climb, you can get some pretty spectacular views of the "new" and "old" airport terminals, the Potomac River, and even the tops of some of D.C.'s most iconic monuments. The blurry panoramic image below does not adequately translate the spectacular scene.
I did my research before heading off to the airport and learned that there is an Exhibit Hall located in the airport's original terminal. If you go back into the main/new terminal building, follow the signs to Terminal A. (Terminal A is the original terminal built between 1938 and 1941.) Turns out that the Exhibit Hall is handicap/stroller accessible after all. You can see the small lift in the image below.
The Exhibit Hall occupies the original dining room, above the grand lobby and observation room in historic Terminal A. The remaining art deco decor is quite striking, and you can almost imagine gloved ladies and dandy gentlemen milling about the terminal in a time when air travel was new and fancy. The display cases contain objects from both Abingdon Plantation's long history and the airport's own transformations and development. The Exhibit Hall is definitely worth the twenty minutes or so it takes to browse the cases and didactic panels. Stop on in the next time you find yourself waiting for a delayed flight! (Or, make a special trip to the airport on a Thursday afternoon like I did. Sigh. Wow.)
The grand and sun-filled lobby has a great view of the runway and lots of seating on tiered levels. If you're looking for a quiet place to take your babe, you can't do much better than this. Yes, it's wide open, but if you're nursing on one of the lower levels, no one can see you. Besides, everyone will be rushing past behind you, probably running late for their flight. The open space is pretty attractive to crawling babies too! If you walk further down toward Terminal A, you'll come across a smaller lobby full of typical airport benches, and (wonder of all wonders!) a handful of wooden rocking chairs! This little nook isn't as quiet as it used to be because Jet Blue set up their new ticket counter just across the hall.
On your way back to the main terminal, take a gander at the display cases between the grand lobby and the "rocking chair nook." The Gallery Walk, as it is called, currently displays the exhibition Pushing Process, organized by DC GlassWorks and Washington Printmakers Gallery. The main terminal (Terminals B and C) was finished in 1997 and designed by architect Cesar Pelli, who called it "a rich sequence of visual experiences." The visual experience of the expansive terminal is enhanced by the inclusion of thirty works of public art. You can view a slideshow of all thirty works here. Below, Diggory and I are posing in front of Kent Bloomer's Foliated Trellis.
The next time you're in the airport, take a moment to ponder some art or wander through the ruins of a historic plantation. You might be surprised by what you see and what you learn. Embrace your inner explorer and step off the beaten path.
(And, yes, when we got back to the mall, I did use my giftcards. New SMALLER jeans! Woo hoo!)
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