DESTINATIONS — THE US
A transmitter hidden inside a fake dog poo
The Occidental restaurant
tested. (Greta passed with flying colours, I’ll have you know.) There is a display of spy
gadgets, with everything from radios hidden in shoes, buttonhole cameras and lipstick pistols to an umbrella for firing poison darts, a tiny tool kit you can hide where the sun doesn’t shine and even a transmitter hidden inside a fake dog poo – my personal favourite. Then we get the chance to
International Spy Museum
Railroad (which helped slaves escape to the free north) to Cold War intrigues, visitors can discover a hotbed of fascinating spy stories around Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia. To highlight this, the Capital
Region USA tourist body has launched a Scenic Spyways online game that tests players’ spy abilities with challenges they must complete to expose a double agent.
scenicspyways.com Clients who miss out on the prize of a holiday may well have had their interest piqued, motivating them to book a trip
anyway, so now is a great time to learn more about this aspect of the region.
l WASHINGTON DC “My name is Greta Schmidt. I am 33 years old. I am an astronomer from Germany.” I am at the International Spy Museum and am repeating my cover story to myself over and over again, petrified that I will be challenged and just blurt out my own name. A visit to the museum is
essential for anyone who has ever turned their fingers into a handgun and leapt out from behind a wall, shouting “cover me!” Upon arrival, we choose a fake identity and are then let loose into the exhibition, charged with maintaining our cover when
A radio hidden inside a shoe 52 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 22 January 2015
test our spy skills with a range of interactive exhibits, from identifying missiles from aerial photography to a virtual shoot- em-up in a block of flats. There is plenty more cerebral stuff too, from the role espionage played in the Civil War to an exhibition on code-breaking, where visitors can decode messages with Enigma. There is even a homage to Britain’s most famous fictional spy, with a temporary exhibition on Bond Villains. Tickets for the museum cost $21.95 for adults and $14.95 for seven to 11-year-olds, with under-sevens going free.
spymuseum.org
If the Spy Museum makes visitors look over their shoulders suspiciously once they are back on the streets, then their paranoia may be justified. Washington DC is said to have more spies per capita than any other city in the world.
And there are few more qualified to reveal the hidden haunts of past agents than Carol Bessette of Spies of Washington Tours. A retired air force intelligence officer, Carol is full of stories that show how intrigue lurked behind grand facades. As we drive through the city, she points out the spot by the canal where one of John F Kennedy’s mistresses was shot, and the restaurant from which KGB colonel Vitaly Yurchenko gave his CIA handlers the slip and double-defected back to the Soviets. Walking tours are also available, starting at $15.
spiesofwashingtontour.com Suitably convinced that every sideways glance is the sign of a secret assignation, we head to a place famous for them – the Occidental. This restaurant is a Washington institution, where the panelled walls are crammed with black-and-
white photographs of famous diners, who
include numerous American
presidents, Winston Churchill and the astronauts from the first moon landing. Yards from the White House, it has been the favoured haunt of politicos since it opened in 1906. In the 1960s, papers passed under its pristine white tablecloths brought the Cuban missile crisis to a peaceful end. These days, it is a stylish spot with old-fashioned charm, a rich and delicious menu that
▲
FAST FACT Prove your own
spy credentials to win a six-day trip exploring Maryland, Washington DC and Virginia at scenicspyways. com
A GI Joe that speaks in
Navajo code
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92