Customer Reviews

Washington schlepped here : walking in the nation's capital

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This book is part of the "Crown Journeys" series, in which the publisher convinces local literary lights to write a book to show armchair tourits around their 'native' town. So Christopher Buckley, former White House staffer, seems like a natural for a walking tour of Washington D.C.

It seems painfully obvious on reading the result, however, that Buckley is writing for hire. There's nothing actually wrong with it; Buckley is his usual entertaining self. BUT he doesn't have much original to say and he really seems to be padding to reach the book's finish at a scant 143 small pages of text. You don't need him to tell you what there is to see in walking from the Capital to the Washington Monument, for example.

Surely Buckley has some favorite neighborhoods or haunts that you can't get from Fodors or the like, but he is keeping them to himself. The best parts are in Walk 3, when he talks about his days in the Old Executive Office Building, and takes a commercial walking tour of the old Lafayette Square neighborhood. But I can't bring myself to give him credit for the Lafayette Square bits, as he is so clearly just repeating the stories of his tourguide.

Go on THAT tour (the guide's name is Anthony Pitch) rather than fork over the big bucks for this little book.

P.S. If you need an actual 'guide book' - addresses, phone, hours of operation, that sort of thing - this is DEFINITELY NOT for you; it's just not that kind of book. In fact, since the book has no index, it's not even possible to look particular things up.

First of all, I NEVER buy tour books. I avoid them like the plague in fact. I wouldn't have touched this one if it hadn't been written by C. Buckley, who happens to be a riot to read anyhow, so why the heck not?

I loved it. He even managed to not offend my (admittedly swing-voter-ish) Democratic sensibilities. I actually really enjoyed his personal, insider reminiscences, although I am now dying to find out who Mr Code is/was. Call it Buckley's own version of "deep throat," although, of course, Mr Code didn't intend to share his info with anyone. (If you want to know what I'm talking about-read the book). It's thoroughly enjoyable even if you aren't planning on hitting DC any time soon. I basically walked around the Capital, snorting like a coke addict, except without the illegal substance high.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who (1) hates tourist books (2) hates tourist buses and matching T-shirts and fanny packs (3) loves being outside and active and (4) has a sense of humor.

I am neither ardent Republican nor Democrat. But, I am an ardent Christopher Buckley fan. I've read most of his books and find him to be unfailingly witty and insightful. And, if you've ever seen him doing his schtick in person, you'd realize that he doesn't take himself that seriously.

So, if you scrutinize this book looking for evidence of partisanship, you're surely going to find it. But consider the way Buckley presents it: screaming across the room to get Dick Cheney's attention, he is self-aware enough to acknowledge that his behavior is a source of embarrassment to his children. And as for those who might criticize his penchant for name-dropping, consider the following passage:

"For two years I had a White House pass that allowed me everywhere except, of course, the second-floor residence. One time, hearing that Jimmy Cagney was about to get the Medal of Freedom in the East Room - where Abigail Adams hung her wash out to dry, where Lincoln's body lay in state, and where I once sat behind Dynasty star Joan Collins while she and husband number four (I think it was) spelunked in each other's mouths with their tongues while Andy Williams crooned 'Moon River' - I rushed over from the Old Executive Office Building just in time to see President Reagan pin it on the man who had tapped out 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' and was now a sad, crumpled, speechless figure in a wheelchair. I remember Reagan putting his hand on Cagney's shoulder and saying how generous he had been 'many years ago to a young contract player on the Warner Brothers lot.'"

That's typical of the book and of Christopher Buckley's personal style. Just the right combination of name-dropping, humor and reverence. He's silly when can be, and respectful when he needs to be. His 'Washington Schlepped Here' demonstrates a child-like enthusiasm for museums, an insatiable willingness to learn from Park Rangers and other tour guides, and a respectful reverence for George Washington and (especially) Abraham Lincoln.

And despite growing up in a family where Franklin Roosevelt was known only as 'that man,' he pays tribute to the enormity of FDR's achievements when visiting both the FDR Memorial and the Holocaust Museum.

For Christopher Buckley fans and newcomers alike, this book is a great read.

Buckley's entry in the "Crown Journeys" series is an occasionally amusing, intermittently interesting, and ultimately shallow slim guide to about two of Washington, D.C.'s 67 square miles. His walks cover Union Station, the Capitol, the White House, the Old Executive Office Building, Lafayette Park and Square, Ford's Theater, the Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Vietnam War, and Korean War memorials, the Washington Monument, and Arlington Cemetery (which is not in Washington, but across the river in Virginia). In other words, the twenty year resident enlisted to write this book takes the reader to most generic tourist spots in the city, all of which you will find in any reasonably decent regular guidebook. He does this with sometimes funny, sometimes leaden humor, highly leavened with his strong conservative sentiments.

His walks are littered with cribbed historical anecdotes and tales of his glory days in the corridors of power. Buckley came to Washington to join the Reagan administration, and he's not shy about name dropping and telling you all the neato-torpedo insider stuff he saw and did. All which could be overlooked if he actually went anywhere off the beaten track, or acknowledged in the remotest way that D.C. is a large city with actual neighborhoods where people are born, live, and die. Sadly, he takes the opposite route, and chooses to disparage that large swath of people (the vast majority of whom are black) who live in DC and have always done so. In the opening pages, he quotes Joseph Alsop's self-description as "That sad and rootless thing, a Washingtonian" and then goes on to say that DC natives "would probably sniff at that, but then they sniff at pretty much everything." Well, what DC natives sniff at is not being allowed to vote in presidential elections until the mid-60s, and to this day having to pay federal taxes without having a vote in Congress (that's why DC license plates bear the "Taxation Without Representation" tagline). Buckley is emblematic of a whole cadre of people who move to DC-usually to get involved in politics-and never engage with it, never commit to it, and love being there for all the wrong reasons.

To be sure, the book tells plenty of interesting stories about the formation of the city, and especially its chief designer, Pierre L'Enfant. However, the city Buckley details is one of monuments and ghosts, not people and neighborhoods. It's an annoying approach, because there is so much more to the city that the casual tourist would benefit from hearing about. How about the historic U Street area, which has boatloads of black history? How about the The Awakening statue at Hains Point? How about historic Georgetown? How about the Canal? How about the largest urban park in American, Rock Creek Park? How about the amazing National Cathedral or the equally amazing Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception? How about the most underrated museum, The Building Museum? How about Dupont Circle, the center of gay culture in the city. How about cool walkable neighborhoods like Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant, Brookland, and Takoma Park? Nope, instead, we hear about a invitation only party hosted by the Cheney's in the Museum of American History and Arlington Cemetery (which is an amazing place, but ISN'T IN DC!).

For the monuments and all that, this book isn't a bad supplement to a good guidebook. However, if you really want to learn about the city and the regular people who live there, check out Edward Jones' wonderful collection of short stories, Lost In the City, or pretty much any George Pelecanos' crime novels, or the 1994 book Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C.

Christoper Buckley's "Washington Schlepped Here" was a joy to read, and any one who has an affection for the more wonderful aspects of our Nation's Capitol city will enjoy the read. Buckley admits to having cribbed a lot of his facts from other books, and also relays anecdotes he picked up on various other walking tours, but is sly wit and true love of the city are what shine through, and his suggested tours would in fact be interesting.

Buckley is a Republican and that comes through, but in a good way, as he spent time in Reagan's White House, and he weaves historical tales with his time there, and it works to great satisfaction. He reserves special affection for the memorials to Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, and Pierre L'Enfant, the original designer of the city, who, if you've visted here, has only one section of the city named for him, L'Enfant Plaza, which, as Buckley notes, is in SW DC, "hidden behind the Energy Department & U.S. Postal Service, ehich is just as well, as it looks like it was designed by Stalin". Buckley mixes wit like this with thr true stories he's heard in his 22 years in the city, and each tale it told with relish and appreciation for the people who built the monuments and lasting impressions of the city. He describes the Capitol as the "zero milestone for American Democracy", and tells with reverence of Lincoln's final hours and of his memorial.

All in all, it is a fast read, but if you like DC, and especially if you live here, it's like a pocket guide to the city's greatest hits. A fun all around read.

I'm currently planning a trip to DC this winter, and this book was recommended to me as a "must read" for anyone going to DC, or who just likes trivia or off-beat history. The book is full of walking tours centered around the mall - map included! I don't know that I'll retrace Christopher Buckley's steps, but the information he gave will certainly make my visit more enjoyable... providing that the lingering effects of the recent earthquake and hurricane won't get in the way.

Having been to Washington before I read this book, I found myself wishing I had done it the other way around. Buckley's commentary offered many fascinating historical gems and covered bits and pieces not normally encountered on a tour. I appreciated his ability to balance reverence for places like Arlington and the heroes buried there with a healthy wit when it came to less reverential subjects, such as the extravagant exploits of the capital's early artists. Short and easy, this is a great read whether you've already been to Washington, care to go in the future, or wouldn't ever step foot in the place.

Chris Buckley has written another funny book, this one a semi-insider's guide to the nation's capital. Like me, Buckley is not a native but has been living in DC for a while. He came here to work for George Bush the elder, I came here to be near my ex-wife's relatives. Clearly he had better luck.

The walking tour seems to be in here only because the publisher required it, the real fun is Buckley's stories about the highs (Vietnam Memorial, Union Station, Grant's statue), and the lows (Wilbur Mills, Fanny Flagg, the FDR Memorial). I have read most of Buckley's other books, they are all well-written, insightful, and terribly funny. He just does not have his late father's sense of adventure and intrigue, and now he is supporting Obama. Good thing WFB has gone on to collect his just rewards.

I've always enjoyed walking through the nation's capital, so
I was intrigued by the premise of WASHINGTON SCHLEPPED
HERE--written and read by Christopher Buckley.

It is a walking tour of Washington, DC, by an insider who has both
lived and worked there for some 20 years . . . ordinarily, I'm not a
big fan of such books, but I had fun with this one and only regret
that I was listening to it when driving to work in Pennsylvania . . . it
would have been so much meaningful to have it in hand when actually
taking the tours that the author describes.

Buckley interjects lots of humor into what ordinarily could be a dull
topic; however, he also gives mini-history lessons that taught
me things about the city that I never knew . . . though he also
presents information about the Arlington National Cemetery,
which isn't even Washington, I enjoyed that part perhaps the
most because of his mention of the fact that Allard
Lowenstein (my all-time favorite politician) is buried there.

"Washington Schlepped Here" is a better then average spoken tour of our nation's capital. Drawing on his experience as a former Washingtonian, Reagan administration bureaucrat and novelist, Buckley gives the listener a quirky tour of many of the special places in D.C. The author's emphasis on the Lincoln assassination sites alone makes this CD a great addition to anyones collection. I expected this book to be cynical and demeaning to various figures from Washington's past. However, Mr. Buckley delivers a city filled with honor, courage and sacrifice. The spoken CD therefore balances idealism with a healthy dose of skepticism. Although it is supposed to be used in conjunction with a tour of Washington, it can be listened to without traveling through D.C. Overall, a compelling, albeit short, tour of many interesting places in and around our capital.