“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.”
