As you can see by perusing the program, the 2001 annual meeting promises to be a tremendous learning experience for all attendees. The Host Committee invites you to expand on these opportunities by exploring Washington, D.C., and its environs. There are many ways to experience our areaÑthrough its history, art, culture, natural landscapeÑand we hope you'll take the time to explore, whether it is as a first time visitor or a returning friend. If this is your first visit to Washington, D.C., there are many "must-see" attractions. If you're making a return visit, consider exploring what our city has to offer in addition to its monumental center.

Our nation's capital offers a glimpse into many of the functions of the federal government. A number of departments and agencies offer tours or public hours during regular government working hours. The U.S. Supreme Court building, for example, is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Visitors can learn about the building's architecture and the history of the Court through exhibitions and other programs. Fish, frogs, turtles, and other aquatic life make their home at the National Aquarium in the U.S. Department of Commerce's Herbert Hoover Building.  The tour of the FBI headquarters is enormously popular with visitors, as is the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.  Cesar Chavez, Samuel Gompers, and Mother Jones are among those represented in the Labor Hall of Fame in the main lobby of the U.S. Department of Labor's Frances Perkins building (200 Constitution Avenue, NW).  A visit to the U.S. Capitol is on the agenda for many of our city's visitors and the host committee has planned a special behind-the-scenes tour for SAA attendees. This is sure to be a popular tour so register early!

Official monuments and memorials to presidents, wars, and national heroes can be found in Washington, D.C., and the best-known serve as icons of our national identity. Our latest addition is the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, on West Basin Drive. This expansive tribute to Roosevelt has four outdoor galleriesÑone for each termÑwith plantings and water cascades. It has become a popular nighttime destination, along with other nearby memorials.  Dramatically lit, the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, as well as the Vietnam and Korean War Memorials, are especially moving at night. The city is the natural location for other memorials as wellÑincluding the Titanic Women's Memorial, erected by the women of America to honor those men who gave their lives during the disaster so that women and children could have a chance at survival. Unveiled by Mrs. William Howard Taft in 1931, the allegorical statue (designed by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney) stood at the present site of the Kennedy Center until it was moved to a waterfront park.

New to the since SAA last met here six years ago is the African American Civil War Memorial, the first of its kind in the country, dedicated in 1996. Located at 10th and U Streets, NW, the memorial includes The Spirit of Freedom, a sculpture by Edward Hamilton, and pays tribute the African American men who served in uniform during the Civil War.

Established in 1864 on the grounds of Robert E. Lee's home, Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 250,000 soldiers and citizens. Images of John F. Kennedy's grave and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are perhaps the most familiar, but the cemetery contains a number of other memorials, including a monument to the victims of the Pan Am Flight 103 disaster. Sweeping views of Washington, D.C., and the cemetery grounds make the climb to Arlington House, the Greek Revival house that is now a memorial to Lee, more than worthwhile. Arlington National Cemetery is the second largest national cemetery; one of the smallest can be found across the Potomac in Northwest Washington. Battleground National Cemetery was also established in 1864, after the battle of Fort Stevens. Comprising only an acre and a half, Battleground National Cemetery has monuments dedicated to the memory of units who fought at Fort Stevens to defend the city from General Jubal A. Early's troops. Another historic cemetery is Oak Hill Cemetery in Georgetown. Founded in 1848, Oak Hill is a terraced, garden-style cemetery with elaborate Victorian funerary sculpture and monuments.

The White House is the most famous of our city's house museums but we encourage you to visit some of our other historic homes. Across Lafayette Square from the White House is Decatur House, completed in 1818 and one of the oldest surviving homes in Washington. Benjamin Latrobe designed the home for commodore Stephen Decatur and his wife but the Commodore's time there was short-livedÑhe died in a gentleman's duel little more than a year after the house was finished. Decatur House is still one of the city's best addresses and is now administered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Old Stone House in Georgetown is a more modest dwelling, built in the 18th century and now a museum of middle class life.  The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Anacostia was Douglass's home from 1877 until his death in 1895. Most of the house's furnishings are original to Douglass's time there and a number of his personal possessions are on view.

Celebrating its sixtieth anniversary this year, the National Gallery of Art is one of Washington's crown jewels. Spectacular examples of American and European art (including Leonardo Da Vinci's Ginevra de' Benci) are on view in the Gallery's two equally impressive buildingsÑthe original building was designed by John Russell Pope and the later East Wing by I. M. Pei. The city's oldest art museum is the Corcoran Gallery of Art, known for its impressive collection of American art. Founded in 1869 when Washington, D.C., was still establishing its importance as a national capitol, the Corcoran has long been an important part of the city's artistic life. Our Friday evening reception will be held in the Corcoran's grand Atrium, a tremendous Beaux-Arts space. Don't overlook the Phillips Collection, which is within walking distance from the hotel. The Phillips Collection is the home to Renoir's Boating Party and an important collection of American and European modernist paintings and sculpture. Also convenient to the hotel is the Textile Museum, dedicated to the study and exhibition of the textile arts.  Hillwood Museum and Gardens, the Washington home of heiress Marjorie Merriweather Post, has recently reopened after an extensive three-year restoration. The home, its French and Russian art collections, and the estate's magnificent gardens are well worth an afternoon. If you fancy yourself an art collector, you'll want to browse in some of Dupont Circles art galleries.

Summer can be a glorious time in Washington, D.C., and we hope you'll have a chance to enjoy at least one of our many parks. The hotel is nicely situated near Rock Creek Park, one of the oldest parks in the National Park Service. Rock Creek Park contains picnic areas, trails, nature walks as well as historic sites such as Pierce Mill, the last existing mill in the District of Columbia. The C&O Canal, which operated from 1828 to 1924, has retained many of its original structures, including locks and lockhouses. The canal runs along the Potomac River from Georgetown to Cumberland, Maryland, where coal was loaded onto barges and sent south. Today the Washington section of the canal towpath is a popular place for walkers, hikers, and bikers. Along the banks of the Anacostia River, the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens showcases aquatic plants such as water lilies and lotus as well as the animal life drawn to the park.

Washington, D.C., is the home of the Library of Congress and the National Archives and Records Administration as well as a truly impressive array of other repositories. We have so many rich and diverse collections that we can only offer examples of the variety: special collections and university archives at Howard University and the University of Maryland; major specialized collections such as the Archives of American Art and the National Anthropological Archives; religious collections such as at the Salvation Army, architectural collections at the American Institute of Architects; and local collections at historical societies and at the District of Columbia Public Library and the Alexandria Library. The Host Committee has planned tours of some of these and we hope you'll take the time to visit some of your colleagues while you're in town.

In addition to specific destinations, there are neighborhoods to explore. Walking tours of historic Washington neighborhoods such as Shaw, Foggy Bottom, Georgetown, and the old downtown are recommended to attendees. Each of these neighborhoods offers great architecture, wonderful stories of residents, and a glimpse into the city's history beyond the Mall.

There is so much to see and do in Washington, D.C.Ñtoo much to do the city justice in this short article. When you arrive in Washington for the meeting, please be sure to stop by the Host Committee desk for maps, guides, and insider tips to the many aspects of our city, as well as a heartfelt "welcome" from the committee.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Marisa Keller, Chair of the Host Committee.