December 07, 2006

Christmas in the City

The law firm where I work is across the street from the White House, the Old Executive Office Building, the Treasury Dept. and the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery. Nice neighborhood, although I don't particularly notice it most days. But everything seems extra spiffy for Christmas this year, so I thought I'd share some pictures. It's even nicer at night when I leave, but my little camera doesn't do well with night shots. This first photo is of the Old Executive Office Building (there's a new Exec. Office Bldg., but it's hideous in the way of contemporary government space). My favorite part of the OEOB, which I only caught a slice of, is the pair of enormous magnolias on the lawn. I love the huge wreath and the column wrapping, all of which is lit up at night.

This is the Sun Trust Bank building. I like the building, which reminds me of Glasgow, Scotland, where there is block after block of buildings in this style. Nice wreath.
This is the Renwick Gallery. I'm disappointed with the Smithsonian folks, who I think could have done a better job with the wreaths and swags. They're way too small for the building's scale. All the same, the banners are intriguing; I'll have to check out the exhibit one of these days at lunch, maybe during the quiet time between Christmas and New Year.

The last photo is the Christmas tableau at my desk: Coke's Christmas polar bears and the bright red binding of the SEC Handbook, which spells out all things related to the reporting duties of publicly-held companies.

6 comments:

Anna van Schurman said...

Hey, my best pal works at the Corcoran. You're neighbors!

Vonna Pfeiffer said...

Well thank you for sharing all those lovely photos! I bet it is a beautiful sight at night. Love your Christmassy desk...Those polar bears are the cutest aren't they?! The comercial with them drinking coke is my absolute FAV! Especially since I'm a coke fan...nothing like the burn going down...and NOTHING matches the coke burn! :o)

LivnLaf said...

I love some of the architecture in DC...these two buildings are some of the nicer ones.

Michelle-ozark crafter said...

Pretty pics! Love the desk!

Carol said...

What beautiful photos of the city!!

Anonymous said...

If you'd ever like a tour of the Corcoran (or info on the m.a. programs), just let me know! (mfbjr at verizon.net)