The first major artifact in the Newseum sets the mood for everything that follows: four slabs and a checkpoint from the Berlin Wall. The amazing display details coverage of the graffiti-filled wall's dismantling in 1989.
Another popular stop inside the Newseum is the 4-D movie that chronicles the role of journalism in various events in American history. With seats that move, lifelike visual images and theatrical effects such as water sprays and puffs of air, the 4-D experience is undoubtedly the future of entertainment. It makes HD seem like UHF.
One of the most memorable moments of the short film features journalist Nellie Bly, who admitted herself to an asylum for women to investigate rumors of inhumane treatment there.
As the movie displayed up-close images of rats moving in her dark, dreary room, theatrical effects from the theater floor level -- perhaps puffs of air -- made it feel as if rodents are moving across your feet. After the screams subsided (including the ones from my daughter), some folks raised their feet off the floor and refused to put them down until it was time to leave.
Yet, everyone cheered with delight during the film and some bemoaned that it ended so soon. When the credits rolled, a pre-teen girl seated to my right exclaimed, 'That was [expletive] awesome!'
From there, we took an afternoon ride on the top deck of the sightseeing bus, which was ideal on a sunny day with 80-degree temperatures. It offered picturesque views of the nation's capital, without having to worry about getting around traffic.
The bus's public address system warned repeatedly that we top-deck riders were 14 feet in the air, and that we had to watch out for low hanging branches and power lines (often, we had to duck).
What the announcement failed to say was that the bus sometimes traveled at rapid speed. That coupled with an occasional stiff wind created a gust that could blow a baseball cap right off your head.
I know. I lost mine to a crowd near Georgetown as we sped along.
Later, we took in a bite at a Latin American restaurant on 14th Street called Ceiba, which is named for a large species of tree found in Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
The decor was dark enough to develop film, but the food -- from Spanish Caesar salad with serrano ham to Cuban black bean soup -- was fantastic.
