Finding Friends & Family In DC

Touring DC I never expected to run into people I knew. Well, not actually bump into them, but to find their names, their lives memorialized for eons to come. After experiencing the Vietnam Memorial, designed gracefully and powerfully by Maya Ying Lin, you truly feel the lives lost. But when I checked out the The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial little did I expect to find a relative who had died not long before my trip. Right there, carved into the stone was the name Van Derick Johnson, my step-mother's young, handsome brother who was run down on a Los Angeles highway while on his patrol motorcycle. He was a celebrated policeman and his funeral in L.A. drew the Mayor and other local officials. Along with his name were more than 17,000 federal, state and local law enforcers who have been killed in the line of duty, dating back to the first known death in 1792. The person who hit Van never stopped and was never caught. At the site, I took a pencil scratched his name onto a piece of paper for his my step-mother. It was a sad awakening that was too close to home.

Then making my way over to the Women In Military Service For America Memorial, I met my mother, who is still alive and thankfully well in New York. But there she was on the screens at the memorial, which honors both living and deceased women who have served in the military. My mother, Teresa Del Rio Brown, was featured for being the first black woman for West Virginia to join the Navy, which she did in 1952. All the information about her service was there for anyone interested to see. But she had not sent in a picture, which I asked her about. "Oh, I did get something about that," she said when I told her later. I asked if she was going to send in a photo. "I'll see. They can get one from the military. If I get around to it," she said. She still hasn't gotten around to it. And frankly these days whenever I speak to her about the military she remarks about how ashamed she is for the way the military is underpaying and treating service men. "I can't believe some of these men and their family are getting very little help, even the one who have returned home injured. They aren't getting good medical care and I keep hearing about how so many of the families don't have money for food. I can't believe the military is treating them like that."

So I guess, she'll never get around to sending in her picture, especially one of her in uniform.

Travel Tips

Great for the Kids: Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers (www.sheratonchicago.com) is offering Kids Kulinary package for chefs-in-training and tea aficionado wannabes. Starting at $194, the package includes cooking lessons for kids (ages 5-12), etiquette course, a tea party for tykes, one-night accommodations (with parents, or course) and more. Feb. 11-12...Over at the The Westin Chicago River North (http://www.westinrivernorth.com/) will be serving up a Teas from Around the World weekend package, which includes a private high tea session with a Certified Tea and Etiquette Consultant. The entertaining and educational class focuses on the history of the herbal beverage and on the art of giving an elegant tea party. Guests will also head to Argo Tea of Chicago for a tea tasting. The one-night package is priced at $251 per room, double occupancy...Ready for Valentine's Day? If not, Chicago’s Loews’ House of Blues Hotel (www.loewshotels.com/hotels/chicago) has somtsomethingque this year. Their varied collection of packages includes such perks as a book of poetry, love potion cocktails, adult movies, flavored warming lotion, or even a session with a psychic for those who want a glimpse of their future love life. Available February 10-19, 2005 and priced at $269* each, the Nice, Naughty or Nasty packages include: "Nice": One-night stay in a deluxe guestroom, breakfast in bed, champagne and truffles upon arrival, bath beads, a book of love poems. "Naughty": One-night stay in a deluxe guestroom, breakfast in bed, basket of Kama Sutra amenities upon arrival, two complimentary "love potion" drinks in the hotel's Kaz Bar. “Nasty”: One-night stay in a deluxe guestroom, breakfast in bed, bottle of Hpnotiq Liqueur, basket of “Very Naughty” amenities upon arrivalm, 1 Adult Movie Selection...Speaking of V-Day, take your loved one to Ithaca (http://www.visitithaca.com/), yes Ithaca. There's a bunch of romantic getaway options. Throughout the month of February, the Finger Lakes region is offering lovebirds a bevy of deals with rates starting at $65 per night, based on double occupancy. At the William Henry Miller Inn (607-256-4553 or 877-25MILLER), for example, they have the Un-Valentine’s Day package on February 15 and 16. The recently divorced owners of this quaint B&B created a special package for the dateless. Starting at $150 per night, single occupancy, the offer incldes an eveincludesll of decadent desserts (triple chocolate cake, white chocolate brownies and chocolate-covered strawberries). You'll also receive a box of truffles and sparkling grape juice and a three-course breakfast...Meanwhile, the Ithaca Best Western (http://www.bestwestern.com/) has a "Lovers Valentine’s Day at $150 for Fireplace room. You'll get champagne and chocolates upon arrival; shuttle service to any local restaurant for dinner, and deluxe continental breakfast for two... The Ithaca Hilton Garden Inn http://www.ithaca.gardeninn.com features a Romance Package at $159, February 1-28. Besides the special rates you'll receive a bottle of sparkling wine and breakfast for two...Grenada's (www.grenadagrenadines.com) world-famous Grand Anse Beach has a new hotel. Jenny’s Place (http://www.jennysplacegrenada.com/) has six studio apartments facing the beach. Guests will also enjoy the property’s Turning Point Diner, which offers a variety of local and international cuisine, together with a well-stocked bar and plenty of rustic atmosphere on the water's edge. Owner Jennifer Hoston, a newly returned national of Grenada, made the island famous in 1970 when she won the prestigious Miss World. Weekly rates for one to two people per room start at $420 from now through April 14th, 2006. From April 15th – December 14th, rates start at $350 per week, for one to two people per room. For each extra adult in any room, a $140 fee is applied, while children from 3-12 years old can stay for an extra $70.