Have I become accustomed to living in historic landmarks? En route to a week in Washington for meetings, I have decided to set up shop at DACOR Bacon House, one of Foggy Bottom's few remaining historic homes, now the home of DACOR, which organizes a lively calendar of activities for foreign affairs professionals.
I've stayed at Bacon House before, and wrote about their display of one of the Tangier American Legation's cedar gates. You can see it at their museum dedicated to American diplomacy. One of the reasons I feel at home there.
So I was relieved, jet-lagged and watching the breaking news from the US in the wee hours of the April 8/9 European morning, that Congress and White House managed to avert a shutdown of the United States Government. Which for me would have been inconvenient, given that TALIM's landlord is the USG. Now I can meet our landlord's representatives and discuss the many important historic preservation initiatives that depend on the State Department's office of Culturally Significant Properties.
Anticipating the now-averted government shutdown, I had already begun to concentrate on arranging appointments with a number of non-governmental organizations in the many areas that TALIM is active. A good number of these organizations are headquartered in Washington. Perhaps a reflection of the fact that many depend on government funding, but also simply because proximity to the Federal government is essential for organizations active in education, historical preservation, and international exchanges.
Washington. Where the money is. Which is why I'm going there, but also because lobbying shouldn't be left to the lobbyists. There are programs to learn about, grants to be pursued, and people to meet. Every day in Washington creates a multiplier effect for our operation in Tangier.
Meanwhile, TALIM is very much open for business. Coming to Tangier in May? Check out the Legation stand at the International Book Fair, our second foray into the world of book fairs in six months.
In D.C., as President Obama just reminded us, the Washington Monument will be open. Maybe I'll go check out some museums. Washington is a museum Mecca, and most of them are not only free but world-class. I'll have to check out those display cases…
Gerald Loftus
