The Watergate and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing ArtsLocated on the edge of the Potomac and just south of Georgetown is the Watergate Hotel and Condominiums (on the left) and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the right.) The Watergate was the location of a break-in on June 17, 1972 by operatives of then-President Richard M. Nixon into the offices of the Democratic National Committee. The break-in became the spark that lit the fuse that blew open the Nixon White House and resulted in Nixon resigning. This week, the Nixon Presidential Library in San Clemente, California, was handed over to the National Archives and it has been announced that information regarding Watergate will be updated and corrected to present it not as "a coup" but as a breach of executive privilege. (In light of today's arguments from the Bush-Cheney White House re: executive privilege, Nixon's pratfalls seem benign in comparison.)
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is the premier center for arts and culture in Washington, D.C. President and Mrs. Kennedy were great patrons of the arts and President Kennedy was an ardent supporter of the establishment of the Center. The origins of the Kennedy Center actually precede President Kennedy, though. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing the creation of a National Cultural Center. It was only after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963 that construction was accelerated and the center was named in his honor. Patrons and visitors of the Center can enjoy concerts by the National Symphony Orchestra, opera, plays, contemporary concerts, readings, and much more.
Photo copyright: D.C. Confidential (Janet M. Kincaid, 07/07)
5 comments:
and at a slightly different angle, you can see the Saudi embassy.
That's true! One of these days, I'm going to take my snazzy little camera and go on an embassy safari. Hey! Maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'm getting off early...
Embassy Safari? That sounds VERY cool!
Wanna come along? Seriously, though, I haven't given much thought to how I'll do this. I mean, it's not like you can park on Mass Ave in front of the Navel Observatory...
Oops. I meant NAVAL--not navel--Observatory. Although, it's quite possible that Dick Cheney spends a lot of time observing his own navel... Who knows?
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