Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"DON'T DELAY THE FUN OF THIS DAY"



“Thanks, Bob, hello all! Thank you for tuning in! My name is Savannah Beats with FOGG45 News, and I am here LIVE reporting from Eastern Market Metro station where our guests of honor will make their appearance any second now. Bob, what do you think these homeschool students have in store for us today concerning their picture scavenger hunt visit to the Library of Congress as well as the Navy Yard?”
  “Well Savannah, you never can tell. They are definitely unpredictable.  I did get an inside interview with worried parents, and the research did start off to a slow start.  Now, they do know where to go, but their planning might be slightly lacking. I do not know if they are ready to meet the requirements before 3:45, which is when they have to meet back at our station’s headquarters for their Metro Journey meeting, but as I said before, they are definitely unpredictable, and I am looking forward to any surprises they have in store for us today.”
“Thanks Bob! Well, like I mentioned before, they are visiting Eastern Market. Yum is all I can think of! For those of you tuning in nationally, let me let you in on this Nation’s Capitol’s little secret! Eastern Market, a public market, is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington DC on 7th street SE.  Pierre L’Enfant, one of the designers of Washington DC, included 3 markets on the city’s floor plan, Central Market, Eastern Market, and Western Market.  In 1805, Thomas Jefferson proclaimed that Eastern Market would be set up on 7th street near the Navy Yard. Well, we all know of the multiple attacks of the British in the 1800s, so in 1814 it received intense fire damage. While it was repaired and remained active until the Civil War, during the war farmers set up their own market on the opposite side of the Anacostia River, and the original market building was literally abandoned.”
“That’s crazy, Savannah! I’ve been to the Eastern Market recently and did not know this history! The building doesn’t look for a second that it had been abandoned. “
“That’s what’s so amazing, Bob! The current market was designed by Adolf Cluss and served as a public market from 1873-2007.  Unfortunately due to local grocery store chains’ competition and a decline in neighborhood investment, the market almost closed in 2007, but local residents fought to keep it open and revitalize the neighborhood, so Eastern Market continues to thrive as a local farmers’ market.”
“Oh, I know about the farmers’ market. That’s the reason I went up five sizes in my pants.  Don’t be shy, Savannah, we all know I was getting a little hefty.  I go there every weekend to eat.  The food is divine! Fresh meats, baked goods, as well as cheeses are sold inside the building but along the streets in little tents, are fresh produce.  This is also where local artisans and antique dealers sell their goods on the weekends.”
“You are correct, Bob! Well, while we are still waiting….wait…what was that? I am getting information that the eagles have landed, I repeat, the eagles have landed. Are you getting this? They are coming up the escalator now. Get the escalators, Bill, come on! There they are! Look at them. Wow! Intelligent, attractive, majestic, and sacred even and I get the chance to interview them! Eliza-Jane! Excuse me, Eliza- Jane!”
“Yes?”
“Hi, my name is Savannah Beats from FOGG45 news, and I will be covering your Metro Journey today, and may I just say that your scarf compliments your jacket beautifully!”
“Why, thank you!”
“I just want to know how you feel about today as a whole? How do you think your research is going? What are your thoughts for your blog? What do you think the meeting at headquarters will be about?”
“Honestly, Savannah, the walking is what I am not excited for. It is entirely too cold for this! My lips are already chapped, and I just exited the station! Where’s my chap stick? Summer, where’d you put it? I’m probably most excited for the bookstore.  While reading isn’t my favorite thing in the entire world, if there is a fantastic book, I can curl up the entire day. My blog will be same old, same old, but I’m sure that method will be reprimanded at tonight’s meeting.  The Lord of Blogs always uses me for her example.”
“Thank you, Eliza-Jane. Victoria, do you have any thoughts?”
“Hi, Savannah, as much as I would love to input, we are running about a half an hour late and can’t afford to waste anymore time. You might be able to catch up to us at lunch.”
“No problem, Victoria. Thanks! They are off! Come on, Bill, let’s catch up to Ser…hello, Ser! It looks like a few people are missing. Not all of you are present today.”
“Yes, we are missing a few faces. Jameel won’t be joining us any longer and Nadia as well as Sade were not able to make it today.”
“Oh, that’s unfortunate, but maybe this is an opportunity for fresh faces to join this class! As for Nadia and Sade, they can hopefully join us next time! What are you all’s plans for today? I understand you all are going on a picture scavenger hunt?”
“That is correct, Savannah! We actually are stopping here at the CVS to get one of the pictures!”
“BILL! WALK FASTER! That’s great, Ser! OOO! They split up in the CVS! Will this affect their ‘Unity is key’ factor?”
“Guys! I found it!”
            “Oh great, there’s Victoria signaling from the aisle across from the cash register! They found the…Bill, are you getting this?...they found the Valentine’s Day aisle, and they just took a picture! Aren’t they perfect?! OH! What’s this?! Jocelyn’s asking a lady to take their picture with the candy! Oooooo, rejected.
“Come on guys, let’s buy our candy somewhere else!”
“Eliza-Jane tries to make her feel bad, and they all walk out. They’re trying to make a statement. Wait, where’s Grant? Looks like he didn’t get the memo, he’s buying juicy fruit. They weren’t all in on the loop, I guess. Where is your next assignment, Summer?”
“Well, we’re going to try to stop a stranger. Jocelyn made a cool sign that says ‘Yay’ so it would accomplish another picture!”
“Okay, so now we wait, I guess, but not without being productive! Ser and Victoria are doing ballet to accomplish another picture on the list!" 


"If we look over here, Jocelyn is in the process of stopping a stranger! Will she be rejected once again? Oh, no, great! They are willing to take the picture! She poses! Weren’t they sweet? The man had beautiful eyes also! That’s always a plus!”  

With a lunch tray! 



a digital display 



charcoal gray 








cafe 










People running away 

“Next we journey to the Capitol Bookstore! You can tell by how they are walking how tired they are. Maybe they should have a team exercise on off Tuesdays. Too bad Ser lives in PA, right? Let’s tune back in with Bob at headquarters to see where The Lord of The Blogs is with the surprise, Bob?”
“Hi, Savannah! I’m here from Beltsville, and boy do these students have a treat waiting for them! They are clueless! It smells gloriously scrumptious! Looks like my pant’s size is going up a few more today!”
“Well, um, that’s, uh….great!  It might go up a few sizes more because treats might not be in these students’ futures. They did not do their research properly, and the Capitol Hill Bookstore is closed, so there will be no exploring today! The Lord of Blogs will definitely not be happy with them. Doesn’t mean viewers can’t get a little history, does it?  Let’s introduce you to a guy named Bill Ker, who worked at Wayward Books.  He would take his pay in books, and then later on used these books to open Capitol Hill Bookstore when Wayward closed down and moved to Maine.  He lived upstairs in his new bookstore and worked downstairs while continuing to maintain a job at The Washington Post.  At 58, he died right in the store of a heart attack, and his sister sold the store to the present owner, Jim Toole, in 1995. This bookstore is a quaint used bookstore located on Capitol Hill. The store expanded to the second floor making it two compact cozy floors, which are filled with used, rare, and first-edition books.  Jocelyn how do you like this bookstore while looking at it from the outside?”
“It really looks super comfy and cozy! They even give away free books outside, so that’s always convenient! I got Devil Wears Prada and Gossip Girl to read in my free time.”
“Free books are great! What about you, Ser? Would you come back?”
“I definitely would. There’s a glass window in the front of the store, and you can’t see inside.  You know why? It’s filled to the top with books. I would without a doubt want to explore inside.”
“Thanks, Ser! Now we’re stopping for lunch at this cute Starbucks located on Capitol Hill with a little nook upstairs! We’ll return in about an hour with live coverage at the Library of Congress. Stay tuned!”
Thomas Jefferson's Library 
“And we’re back! Hello, everyone! Once again, my name is Savannah Beats with FOGG45 News and I am reporting LIVE at the Library of Congress while the children are on a tour. This national library has three buildings located in Washington, DC, and we are in the Jefferson Building.  While we’re waiting for them to return from their tour, we can learn something about this place, right? This Library was established in 1800 when President John Adams signed a bill for the Nation’s Capitol to move from Philadelphia to Washington, DC.  The Library initially only contained books that were only used by Congress, and they were kept in the Capitol building.  Remember the British’s fire party in 1814? Not only did it affect Eastern Market, but it started at the Capitol.  Unfortunately, the British didn’t have any fire starter, so what do you think they used as lumber? The books, of course!  Thankfully, within a month, Thomas Jefferson offered his personal library as a replacement.  At first, Congress was skeptical because his library consisted of books categorized in subjects they didn’t need, but eventually the idea grew on them, and they accepted Jefferson’s 50 year collection of books. Oh, look! Here they come! Summer, excuse me, Summer? After taking the tour, what are you most excited for? Would you come back?”
“I definitely would LOVE to come back. I can’t wait until I turn 16 because I can get a research card, and come back to explore the nooks and crannies of the library! I really enjoyed how the walls covered in books. They not only have research books, but also they have comics! Our tour guide kept mentioning how humongous their baseball section is! She even mentioned private tours I can schedule, so I really want to take advantage of that!”
“You seem very excited about this library, huh, Summer?”
“Very much so, Savannah!”
“Thanks, Summer! Grant, hi! Where are we going next?”
“We are going to head east to 8th street, Barracks Row towards the Navy Yard!”
“I know the history of Barracks Row very well! Located eight blocks east of the US Capitol, it has enhanced historic 8th Street, S.E., and revitalized its commercial business community.  It stretches from Pennsylvania Ave. S.E. to M Street, S.E. (Navy Yard) Thomas Jefferson (he’s very prominent in this Metro Journey, isn’t he?) selected the sight for the Marine Corps to protect the Navy Yard and the Capitol.  After WWII, jobs were lost and neighborhoods around DC began to erode, including Barracks Row.  Also, the assassination of MLKjr. caused several buildings to be damaged causing shop owners to abandon this street, never to return. Although these catastrophes threatened to cause Barracks Row’s shut down, in the 1990s this street was reborn and is now an awesome strip that is worth visiting! As we are nearing the end of this street, we see the Navy Yard, but before we visit there, let’s take a picture with Mr. Tony! Yep, that’s right! We ran into Jocelyn’s dad!”


Now, last but not least, The Navy Yard! The Navy Yard, one of the oldest military installations n the nation, has about 16,000 employees. The workforce includes Navy and Marine Corps uniformed personnel but is predominately made up of civilians, among them Navy contractors, engineers, lawyers and procurement officials.  The land was purchased July 23, 1798, with two additional lots being purchased in 1801. The Washington Navy Yard was established on 2 October 1799, the date the property was transferred to the Navy. The yard was built under the direction of Benjamin Stoddert, the first Secretary of the Navy, under the supervision of the yard's first commandant, Commodore Thomas Tingey, who would serve in that capacity for 29 years.  Today the Navy Yard houses a variety of activities. It serves as headquarters, Naval District Washington, and houses numerous support activities for the fleet and aviation communities. The Navy Museum welcomes visitors to displays of naval art and artifacts which trace the Navy's history from the Revolutionary War to the present day. The Naval Historical Center is housed in a complex of buildings known as the Dudley Knox Center for Naval History. Leutze Park is the scene of colorful ceremonies. And inside the buildings, the Washington Navy Yard continues to serve the Navy and the nation.”


“So much compelling information, which means I’ve got so many notes to take for my blog!”
“I know, Victoria, I know!”
“Well, Savannah, thank you for coming to cover this story for us! We should be getting back to headquarters for our meeting!”

“No problem, Victoria! Thank you all for allowing me to accompany you on this trip! I appreciate your time, and I am sure our viewers did too! Until next time, my name is Savannah Beats with FOGG45 news, and we’re out, back to you, Bobb.”

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