A surprise for me at National Harbor, MD

A Sunday outing on Aug 18 to National Harbor in Prince George's County, MD turned into a surprise for me. Located to the south of Washington DC and east of Alexandria, VA, it was a new 300-acre waterfront destination where one can work, live and play.

For example, the interior of Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the largest non-gaming hotel and convention center on the Eastern Seaboard, was impressive. There was a village-like setting of shops and restaurants inside the huge center foyer, enclosed by an arc glass roof and wall which allowed a temperature-controlled environment to beat any harsh season, e.g. a hot and humid summer Sunday afternoon.

Every building or street looked new. It looked like Singapore to me, clean and modern. While strolling along the waterfront, many yachts were docked at the marina.

One could also hitch a water taxi to Alexandria, VA which was located across the 95/495 Capital beltway bridge.

The surprise was this art sculpture called The Awakening which I had seen photographs of it at Baltimore photographic booths. I had always wanted to take pictures of it but did not know where was it. The work of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. comprised of five different aluminum pieces, a head and four limbs, buried in the ground. The facial expression and positions of his limbs gave me the impression of a buried man gasping for air. It is so intriguing and fascinating to display an artwork in this captivating manner!

Atlas, visitors to National Harbor were as excited as me, especially children who climbed on his face. I had to wait patiently or tried out angle shots to keep my background free of people. Anyway, I was satisfied that I had a few good pictures of him without people. Further, I must commend on a group of well-behave children who waited for me to finish taking pictures before they rushed over to climb on his face.

National Harbor album.