USA 2005: Washington - A Banknote Conference...

"You don't have to have it all figured out to move forward..."

(The US Capitol Building during dusk)

I was in Washington DC to attend A Banknote Conference organised by The Federal Reserve Bank. Dear hubby accompanied me throughout. After the conference I had a full day working visit to the FRB in Richmond. Later we flew to Stockholm and had a week holiday visiting interesting places.

America's capital is a heady mix of politics, history, culture and entertainment. Visit the White House, the Capitol, the Smithsonian and the Lincoln Memorial, then unwind in Georgetown. Lodging ranges from five-star hotels to historic inns.

Saturday, February 19, 2005
Long Haul Flight

(A dark and gloomy sky)

Our flight was delayed for an hour but we reached Stockholm on time. Although the journey took almost 11 hours, traveling on business class was comfortable especially with the new seats of the 777. Thanks to our frequent flyer points, hubby's ticket was upgraded to business class too. We transited in Stockholm for 1½ hour. The whether was cold and it was snowing in Stockholm. We could see workers clearing the snow from the runway and pavement. Temperature was –3 C. We reached Newark International Airport quite late at night. Next connecting flight to Washington D.C. was the next morning. We stayed the night at Wyndham Hotel, a cozy transit hotel, 5 minutes drive from the airport.

(The Wyndham Hotel,only for a night)

(The hotel library, full of literature)

Sunday, February 20, 2005
A Definitive Forum

(The imposing Egyptian obelisk)

We had a hearty breakfast in the hotel. Our flight to Washington D.C. was at 10 a.m. We reached Washington Dulles Airport almost noon. We rushed to take the shuttle bus to Capital Hilton Hotel. I had to be at the hotel before 2 p.m. as I wouldn’t want to miss the keynote address by John F. Moore, the COO of the US Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. I hurried with the registration and managed to get my name tag processed. Without the tag, the Secret Service in-charge would not allow me to enter the Conference Hall. They even made us register our thumbprints to track our attendance! At the end of the day’s session, we adjourned into the Exhibition Hall for cocktail reception. I met a few colleagues from other institutions and exchange latest news. We were still having jet lag and spent half the night sleeping. The whether was chilly outside for us to go for a walk so we decided to order room service of seafood tempura and onion soup. Tonight, trying to catch-up with some sleep we stretched our tired muscles and soothed our aching bones.

(The President's house and Office)

(Many visitors and tourists, US Treasury Building)

(The Washington Monument in the background)

Monday, February 21, 2005
Emerging Trends

(A glimpse of the Capitol Building)

I joined the other delegates for continental breakfast in the Exhibition Hall although I already had breakfast with hubby in the room. While I was attending the conference hubby will have time to go for sight seeing around Washington D.C. and hopefully snap lots of pictures. After the first session, we were transported by bus to the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing for presentation and later tour the printing plants. Bought some key-chains for souvenirs. Earlier, I promised Andrew McAllister of FRB Richmond to join him for lunch with his boss Roland Costa and Barbara Bennet and Anthony Dazzo from FRB LA. Met the Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia and his delegations. I met Bapak Maulana several times before this, during Currency Seminar in Rome last year and in Shanghai the year before.

Tonight I skipped the cocktail reception again to spend the rest of the evening with hubby. Again, tonight we ordered room service and felt contented to be close to each other and watched late night movies.

(Ducks swimming gracefully in the pond)

(Washington National Cathedral)

(Supreme Court of the United States)

Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Leading Technologies

(The first Astronaut)

The panel discussions were thought provoking and a timely insights into the latest developments in the industry. Today I had Lunch with G&D delegates from China and through our discussions, we compared notes on the latest processing and sorting machines. I met up with Dr. Marco of Crane, Dr. Gesteiger of G&D and Gary of PolyteQ after the last session. I skipped the cocktail reception and we took a cab to a Pakistani Restaurant for Nasi Bryani and Tandoori dinner. Later we watched a play ‘The Graduate’ at Warners Theatre. The leading role was lead played by Morgan Fairchild. Although inspired by the film and original novel, the play was definitely its own entity, and added new dimensions to the story of Benjamin's seduction by Mrs Robinson and his later love for her daughter, Elaine. The inevitable Simon and Garfunkel soundtrack brought back sweet memories of the 70’s…

(The Museum of Flight)

(Smithsonian Air and Space Museum)

(Aviation Learning Centre)

(The steam locomotive and the passengers)

(A vintage automobile)

(The Gentlemen's Club, ready to race)

Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Trends and Innovation

(It was still snowing in Washington D.C.)

(Sculptures in the Museum compound)

(You and I, sitting on the sidelines)

The Banknote Seminar ended with closing remarks by the organizer thanking delegates for their active participation and sponsors for their exhibits of latest products and technologies. Later we took a 45 minutes bus ride to FRB Baltimore for lunch, tour and presentation. Over there they organized a lucky draw and I won a watercolor painting for a prize. We traveled back to Washington and reached the hotel at 5.30 p.m. Hubby checked out at noon and was already waiting for me at the lobby when we arrived. We stored our luggage at the Capital Hilton Hotel and brought with us one overnight bag enough to pack our clothing for 2 days. Took the subway to Union Station and bought tickets for the 7 o’clock train to Richmond. The train ride took almost 2 hours, enough time for us to nap. From the train station we took a cab to central Richmond and checked in Omni Hotel.

(Warm and cozy in the hotel room)

👈 2005: Richmond, USA

2005: Perth, Australia 👉