30th International Congress of Actuaries

Optional Tours & Lectures – Descriptions

Optional Tour and Activity descriptions are provided below. These are not included in your ICA 2014 registration except for where indicated.

Register for tours and other activities
(Note: You must register each person separately)

Washington, DC Visitor Orientation Presentation

Date: Sunday, 30 March 2014
Time: One-hour presentation – Sunday Afternoon - 15:00-16:00
Location: To be announced. (Marriott Wardman Park)

Fee: Complimentary

Please note: Registration is not required for this introductory presentation. All ICA 2014 delegates and guests are welcome.

Washington, DC Tour Guide Michael Levick will provide a Washington, DC speaking tour. This informational lecture will provide visitors with points of interests you will want to be sure to visit during your time in our nation's capital. Highlights will include Smithsonian Museum information as well as hot spots around the city!

Mr. Levick also will explain the layout of the city and its streets, and how to navigate the Metro system.

Abraham Lincoln's Washington

Dates: Wednesday, 02 April 2014
Time: 10:00 – 14:00
Fee: $109

Description:
On April 14, 1865 a single gunshot altered the course of history. Actor John Wilkes Booth entered the presidential box at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC, and fatally shot President Abraham Lincoln. The assassination was the first presidential assassination in U.S. history. After President Lincoln's death, the country embraced Abraham Lincoln as an icon whose name continues to evoke great leadership. Today you will experience a look through history and the life of Abraham Lincoln.

You will begin your day with a tour of President Lincoln's Cottage at the Soldier's Home. President Lincoln's Cottage preserves historic structures of the United States Soldiers' and Airmen's Home located in the Petworth and Park View neighborhoods of Washington, DC. President Abraham Lincoln and family resided seasonally on the grounds of the Home to escape the heat and political pressure of Washington, as did President James Buchanan before him. The historic Lincoln Cottage, built in the Gothic revival style, was constructed from 1842 to 1843. Lincoln wrote the second draft of the Emancipation Proclamation at this home. A reproduction of the Lincoln desk on which he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation is in place in the cottage (the original is in the White House). Enjoy a guided tour of the Cottage and self-guided exploration of the exhibits in the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center.

Afterwards, travel to Ford's Theatre; the site of the April 14, 1865, assassination of President Lincoln. The theatre has enthralled millions of visitors since its reopening in 1968, and it is one of the most visited sites in the nation's capital. Concluding today's tour will be a visit to the Lincoln Memorial, where you will stop to admire the tall and brooding statue of Abraham Lincoln.

Note: This tour does not include lunch. Please plan your meals before and after the tour accordingly.

Moderate Activity Level: This tour involves a moderate amount of physical activity and walking when sightseeing. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended.

Note: The order of visiting the Lincoln sites may vary. This tour is limited to 60 persons each day.

Tour Includes:

Roundtrip transportation via mini coach
Docent-led tour at Lincoln's Cottage
All fees, admission, appointments, tax and gratuity
Uniformed staff and tour guide
Complete tour coordination

National Gallery of Art and the Hillwood Estate & Museum

Dates: Monday, 31 March 2014
Time: 10:00–16:00
Fee: $129

Description:
The day will begin with a guided tour of selected galleries of the National Gallery of Art (10:15-11:30), followed by lunch in the Garden Café (11:30-12:45) at the National Gallery. The Garden Café is indoors, and is a pleasant place for lunch even on a chilly or damp day. Then, back on the bus for a short hop to spend the afternoon touring the Hillwood gardens and the Hillwood mansion. Hillwood will open the lovely gift shop for our group.

The National Gallery of Art
The West Building of the National Gallery of Art was designed in a classicizing style but built using the most modern technology of the time. Its exterior was constructed of pale pink Tennessee marble, while its foundations and first floor were formed of concrete with a steel framework. Polished limestone from Indiana and Alabama covers the walls on its main floor, and the Rotunda columns were fabricated in Vermont from Italian marble. The architect recognized the importance of natural light to illuminate and unite the exhibition spaces. When the National Gallery of Art opened to the public, the nucleus of its world-class collection consisted of 126 paintings and 26 sculptures given by Andrew Mellon—from Jan van Eyck's Annunciation and Raphael's Alba Madonna to Francisco de Goya's Marquesa de Pontejos and Gilbert Stuart's The Skater. Yet Mellon insisted that the museum not bear his name, believing that it should be a truly national institution and knowing that it would depend on generous gifts of art from many individuals to fill its spacious galleries. Thanks to this foresight, other major donors were already giving their collections to the new museum before its opening.

Garden Café Français
Inspired by masterpieces from the French paintings collection, award-winning Chef Michel Richard, chef and owner of Central Michel Richard in Washington, DC, and Villard Michel Richard in New York City, has created a buffet and à la carte menu of signature French dishes for the Garden Café.

Hillwood Museum
Enjoy a unique experience at the Hillwood Museum. The former residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post; cereal heiress, collector and philanthropist, Post was once one of the grande dames of Washington society. Post collected art throughout her life, emphasizing only the finest French and Russian objects. The opulent Georgian, 40-room mansion, built in 1926, and subsequent auxiliary buildings, house her collection as well as the turn-of-the century collection of her father, Charles W. Post, founder of the Postum Cereal Company. To visit Hillwood is to step into a lifestyle that is quickly disappearing. Both the physical setting and the vast number of objects on display are of rare significance and great beauty. Eighteenth century French tapestries, furniture, and porcelain formed a magnificent setting for Post's entertaining. Her collection of Russian icons, gold and silver pieces, porcelain and Fabergé eggs has been called the most representative outside of the former Soviet Union.

The grounds of the estate are equally magnificent. Post created the gardens as an integral part of the estate, consulting landscape architect Perry Wheeler, known for his work in helping design the White House Rose Garden. The 25 acres of land bordering Rock Creek Park contain Japanese and formal French gardens, a small dacha - or Russian summer house - and a greenhouse built in 1930 with a vast collection of orchids, the heiress's favorite flower.

Moderate Activity Level: This tour involves a moderate amount of physical activity and walking when sightseeing. Comfortable shoes and clothing are recommended.

This tour is limited to 20 persons each day. Please register promptly.

Tour Includes:

Roundtrip transportation via motor coach
Visit to the National Gallery of Art, with tour guide
Lunch at the Garden Café (indoor) in the National Gallery of Art
Visit and tour of Hillwood gardens and mansion
Access to the lovely Hillwood gift shop
All fees, admission, appointments, tax and gratuity
Uniformed staff and tour guide
Complete tour coordination

Itinerary

Photographer's Sunrise Tour

Date: Tuesday, 01 April 2014
Time: 06:00–10:00
Fee: $70

Notes:

You are responsible for bringing your own camera(s).
Sunrise on Tuesday, 1 April 2014: 06:53

Description:
As an introduction to the city of Washington, DC, you will see the memorials of the capital city just as the sun is beginning to peak over the US Capitol building. As sunrise prevails, you will travel down the famous parade route of Pennsylvania Avenue, passing notable buildings such as the National Archives, the FBI and arriving at the U.S. Capitol, the building considered to be the most recognized public structure in the world. Here, you will stop to snap some photos in the low light.

The tour continues along the National Mall, past the Smithsonian Institution Museums, and stops at the Washington Monument. Here you will see the first glimpses of light over the country's most notable obelisk. Next, stop at the World War II Memorial, which recognizes the sacrifices made by "America's Greatest Generation". From here the reflecting pool points your attention towards the majestic Lincoln Memorial, where you will stop to admire the statue of the great emancipator - Abraham Lincoln. Adjacent to the memorial is The Korean War Veterans Memorial, a moving tribute to the international defense of the Republic of South Korea.

Next, the tour will stop at the Jefferson Memorial, a temple-like structure dedicated to the author of Declaration of Independence, our third President. The memorial sits beside the Tidal Basin, home of the world famous Japanese Cherry Blossom Trees. You will have the opportunity to capture the beauty of Washington DC's breathtaking spring time season on film.

Tour Includes:

Roundtrip transportation via motor coach
Boxed breakfast to include coffee, a mini croissant, muffin and fruit salad
All fees, admission, appointments, tax and gratuity
Uniformed staff and (2) tour guides per motor coach
Complete tour coordination

Melissa Boyle Mahle Lecture

Date: Tuesday, 01 April 2014
Time: 10:30-11:30
Location: To be announced. (Marriott Wardman Park)
Fee: $10

Description:
Melissa Boyle Mahle is a former US intelligence officer and expert on the Middle East and Counterterrorism. Ms. Mahle's professional experience has involved her in US counterterrorism operations throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. As a field operative for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), she worked against many of the key challenges to US national security, including running operations against al-Qa'ida terrorists and illicit networks selling weapons of mass destruction. She received a Presidential Letter of Appreciation for her work on the Middle East Peace Process and numerous exceptional performance awards from the CIA for her recruitment of agents and collection of intelligence. Ms. Mahle is the author of Denial and Deception: An Insider's View of the CIA from Iran-Contra to 9/11 (Nation: 2005). Ms. Mahle was one of a handful of female operations officers fluent in Arabic at the CIA. In a male-dominated culture of the CIA, she managed to carve out a career as a successful operations officer, demonstrating by deed that women can make important contributions to mission achievement.

Register for tours and other activities
(Note: You must register each person separately)