On President’s Day, while bargain hunters flock to malls and mattress warehouses, a different crowd responds to the historic roots of the occasion.
Nowhere is this more apparent than in Washington, D.C., where on the recent sunny holiday a steady stream of tourists eddied around the wax figure of Lincoln posed on a bench outside Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, providing a ready-made, free, and apparently irresistible photo op in these point and shoot times.
Nearby, long lines waited patiently outside Ford’s Theatre, where an enterprising mobile cupcake vendor in a hot pink van was doing a brisk business sustaining the multitudes.
Every place on Earth has history, and every state and city and small village contributes a share to the feast. But compared to the rest of our nation, Washington is an all-you-can-eat buffet. You can hardly escape the history here.
Locals who live and breathe this high-octane historic atmosphere every day can get a bit blasé. But everyone knows that history is the icing on Washington’s cake. It’s the reason most people visit. To feel that thrill of walking the streets Lincoln walked. To stand on the steps where Roosevelt spoke. To see the glory of the Capitol lit up at night. And maybe even to get a taste of Lincoln’s waffles. Who knew he liked them?
History is full of surprises.