Washington, DC in the Spring: A Monumental Experience March 26 - 31, 2012

An exciting, interesting tour arranged for The Volunteers' Circle of The National Gallery of Canada

Celebrate the arrival of Spring with Washington’s spectacular cherry blossoms in full bloom! Featuring a tour of the Washington Monuments under the Stars, this trip will show you a side of Washington you may have missed in the past. Visit the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, the Canadian Embassy, the National Gallery of Art, Dumbarton Oaks, the Washington Cathedral, the National Museum of the North American Indian, the Kreeger Museum and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Dinner at the Tabard Inn; lunches at Jaleo Restaurant and #5. Accommodations at the centrally-located Rouge Hotel. A vivid, rich experience you won’t want to miss.

	Your Executive Worldwide Travel Tour Itinerary

	Monday, March 26 Early morning departure for Washington from the National Gallery of Canada. Lunch in Binghamton, New York, at No. 5 Restaurant, housed in a red brick building that was once Firehouse Number 5. The history, the atmosphere and the feel of the Number 5 began back in 1897 when the current building was completed. For 75 years the Engine Company Number 5 served the South Side of Binghamton. With new fire station construction in the early 70's, Engine House Number 5 became surplus property and was auctioned off. An Ithaca developer bought the property and began the transformation from firehouse to restaurant. In 1978, Jim McCoy bought the property and developed it into the Number 5 Restaurant we have today. In 1998, the property was declared a local and state landmark. After lunch, continue to Washington and check in at the Hotel Rouge, a chic boutique hotel on Embassy Row near Dupont Circle, minutes from the National Geographic Museum, Smithsonian Museums, National Mall, Washington Monument, and National Gallery of Art. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. L

	Tuesday, March 27 Breakfast at the hotel followed by an orientation tour including the Mall, Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol and the interior of the Library of Congress. Welcome Lunch at Jaleo, a festive, casual dining experience with its menu centered on a large selection of tapas, the centuries-old traditional "little dishes" of Spain. Final stop on the tour is the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery which tells the history of America through individuals who have shaped its culture. Return to the hotel after the tour. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. Optional performances will be suggested. BL

	Wednesday, March 28 After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the Canadian Embassy, designed by British Columbia architect Arthur Erickson, to see its impressive collection of Canadian art. The embassy building is located at 501 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. between the Capitol and the White House, just north of the National Gallery of Art. Canada is the first, and so far only nation, to build an embassy so close to the Capitol. Continue on to the National Gallery of Art for lunch and a guided tour. The Gallery's collection of paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, medals, and decorative arts traces the development of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the present, including the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Americas and the largest mobile ever created by Alexander Calder. Return to the hotel with the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Dinner on your own before our featured evening tour of the Monuments of Washington. The tour, with our step-on guide, will include the Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memoial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial.        At each stop, our guide will speak about the significant events and people commemorated as well as historic moments that took place at the monuments, such as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Return to the hotel following the tour. Overnight: Hotel Rouge. BL
		Thursday, March 29 Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, dedicated to supporting scholarship in the fields of Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and garden and landscape architecture studies, especially through its research fellowships, meetings, exhibitions, and publications. The historic property, located in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., was given to Harvard University by its founders, Robert Woods Bliss and his wife Mildred Barnes Bliss, in 1940. Lunch on your own. Transfer to Washington National Cathedral, officially named the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and designated the "National House of Prayer," for a guided tour. A cathedral of the Episcopal Church, of neogothic design, it is the sixth largest cathedral in the world, the second largest in the United States, and the fourth tallest structure in Washington, D.C. Continue our exploration of Washington with a tour at the National Museum of the North American Indian, designed by Canadian architect Douglas Cardinal. The NMAI is home to more than 800,000 objects, as well as a photographic archive of 125,000 images assembled by George Gustav Heye over 54 years, beginning in 1903. NMAI's unique ongoing exhibit, "Our Lives" showcases eight indigenous communities at a time, from North and South America. The museum works closely with the communities so that they are able to chose how they are represented. Return to the hotel. Dinner on your own and evening at leisure. B Optional performances will be suggested.
		Friday, March 30 Breakfast at the hotel. Depart for the Kreeger Museum, a private, non-profit art museum located in the former residence of David and Carmen Kreeger, set within five and a half acres of sculpture-filled gardens and tranquil woods. Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, it is among the few examples of his work in DC. The Kreeger's focus on 19th and 20th century paintings can be seen through works by Monet, Picasso, Renoir, Cézanne, Chagall, Miró, and Stella, along with prominent Washington artists. Also included in the collection are outstanding examples of traditional African and Asian art. Following our guided tour at the Kreeger, transfer to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, whose mission is to be "dedicated to art and used solely for the purpose of encouraging the American genius." The Corcoran’s permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, Edward Hopper, Willem de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Gene Davis, and many others. Transfer back to the hotel following our guided tour. Lunch on your own and afternoon at leisure. Farewell Dinner at the Tabard Inn, renowned for its refined dining. Chef Paul Pelt's ever-changing seasonal dishes reflect global influences with a regional twist. BD Saturday, March 31 Breakfast at the hotel, check out and depart for Ottawa. A stop will be made for lunch on your own. B

Tour Coordinators: Joan Hoffman and Thérèse Legault For more details on this tour or to request a brochure, please feel free to contact us at 613-236-5555 or email Jean Sheikh at jsheikh@executive-trvl.com. Please close this window to return to tours.