
Image by: Rebecca Sheir
Why is the WaMo three different colors?
Obelisk In The Sky/Obama In The House: D.C.'s Monumental Myths
Series: The Newcomer's Guide to Washington
From: Rebecca Sheir
Length: 00:05:47
More from Rebecca Sheir
Lincoln, Memorialized: The Myths & Legends Of A D.C. Icon
(00:06:58)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Secret signs... hidden profiles... underground stalactites... This is not your 8th-grade tour of D.C.'s Lincoln Memorial.
The Myths And Mysteries Of Curious George(town)
(00:06:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Georgetown is one of Washington, D.C.'s most storied neighborhoods - but not all of those stories are true...
Going Local: The Ins And Outs Of "Washingtonian-ness"
(00:07:04)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Paris has its Parisians, Boston its Bostonians. What does it take to be/become a Washingtonian?
Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline (short version)
(00:03:27)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
Shedding Light On Height: The Truth About D.C.'s Skyline
(00:04:55)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Getting to the bottom of why Washington, D.C.'s building tops... are so low.
J Street, Traffic Circles & The Swamp That Never Was
(00:05:34)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Was DC really built on a swamp? Why does the grid system have no J Street? And what's up with all those crazy traffic circles?
Remembering the Subtle Signs of Segregation
(00:07:41)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A well-meaning illustration in a children's book sparks controversy over segregation in the nation's capital in the 1930s.
An Extra-Chilly Successor To Hubble
(00:06:22)
From: Rebecca Sheir
Come winter, your neck of the woods may be cold. But guess how frigid the James Webb Space Telescope will be when it launches in 2018? 400 degrees Fahrenheit below zero. For real.
From Scott Joplin to Super Mario Bros.: Making Old-Time Piano New Again
(00:03:48)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A 20-something pianist is making old-time piano new again... with a little help from Darth Vader and Super Mario Bros.
A Beer'n'Burger Stock Exchange: The Big Board
(00:03:45)
From: Rebecca Sheir
A new restaurant is trying to corner the market on neighborhood pubs, with beer prices that fluctuate in real time, based on customer demand.
Piece Description
In the third installment of her series, "A Newcomer's Guide To Washington," intrepid D.C. newcomer Rebecca Sheir explorers -- and busts -- some myths of monumental proportions about the city she now calls home.
Does the flag over the White House signal the President's at home? Is the Washington Monument three different colors thanks to an epic flood? Find out in this whimsical, sound-rich journey through Washington, D.C.'s colorful past and present.
Broadcast History
This piece originally aired on WAMU's "Metro Connection," 2/26/10.
Intro and Outro
INTRO: OUTRO:Rebecca Sheir is a reporter with WAMU in Washington, D.C.
Musical Works
| Title | Artist | Album | Label | Year | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs. McGrath | The Free Staters | Ho! for the Kansas Plains. | 00:00 |





