Washington DC
The capital city always a good place to escape from New York. Its not too far, but far enough to leave behind our every day problems. It’s interesting, it’s pretty, it’s histoprical and it got a lots of free museums.
Just about five hours from Manhattan you can park by the White House or at the U.S> Capitol. Also the way there or back also you can swing by Baltimore or Philadelphia, or Alexandria. And why did I
mentioned the parking by the white house or at the Capitol? Because these two spots got free parking. So here is the story…
I’ve planned a start on Saturday morning about 4 AM. Usually that’s my start time to have a good travel day especially if the prime location is that far. Most of the times This will be about my 15th visit to DC,
and most of the time I did this trip in a single day, but this time I chose to stay. I warmly recommend you to do the same thing if you want to see the city, because there is a lots of sights to see, and most of them
are free. Actually you would need 4-5 days at least if you want to see everything.
When I reached New York, I was just about park my car when I decided, why would I have to get up so early tomorrow morning, so why not I leave tonight? Also ifI leave tonight, then I get way closer to
Washington and I will have more time to spend there even though I don have to get up at 4 but 6AM . So
I left the Big Apple and I was driving till midnight, and I check in my hotel in Mt Laurel, NJ, near to the Pennsylvania border.
Next morning Wake up at 6AM and left 6:30 sharp. Just about two hours later I parked near the Washington Monument. I purchased my parking ticket and started my sight seeing at the Abraham
Lincoln Memorial. This was my first time to start there, I always start at the capitol and this is my last place before leave the city, now I feel I’m going backwards. But here the reason why I did this. When you
start at the capitol, and you got here, usually you can get exhausted and you call the day. But, around Lincoln Memorial other things to see, that I never been to for the exact same reason. Also the winter
months the days are way shorter, about 5-5:30PM start to get dark, but in summer 8-9PM so I have to work around that short window.
The Building has 58 steps form the chamber to the plaza level, and 87 steps from the chamber to the Reflecting Pool. And when finally reach the top, where behind the large Columns sits the 16th
president of United States. That Sitting statute of the president was designed by Daniel Chester French in 1920. The building has 36 Fluted Doric columns that represents the 36 states in the Union at the time of Lincoln’s death, and two columns in-antis at the entrance behind the colonnade. Here you can find a little but expensive gift store and you can get a few stemps for your National Park Passport. From here you have a great view of the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument, and the U.S. Capitol behind it.
Great photo opportunity especially in a cold day like this, because not many people were hangin’ around.
So I walked to the Abraham Lincoln Memorial, and I was surprised in the long pool aka the Reflecting Pool, between the WWII and Lincoln Memorial was full with water, even now when it was about 27
degrees during the day. It was a really cold day, but at least way less tourists then usually, so you can make photos or videos. From Lincoln I walked to the Korean War Veterans Memorial, which is under
construction right now, but you still can walk around the statutes. This location is south east of Lincoln Memorial, it means if you look toward the Washington Monument it will be on the Right Side of the
Reflecting Pool. Its just about 5 minutes walk or less, especially when its cold like that. I like this one, it was a great idea by the artist, Frank Gaylord and Louis Nelson (1995). The 38 soldiers looks like
walking on the field in Korea. But the 38 soldiers represents the 38th
parallel, the dividing line of North and South Korea during the conflict.
Here you can find multiple structures that honor those who sacrificed during the conflict (1950-53) that was the Korean War. Today we could see the pool of Rememberence, which is the tip of the triangle
shape walking path, its was closed for construction as well. However good to know, the pool is 30 feet in diameter , and surrounded by trees positioned so the sun beautifully reflects off of the water. Don’t forget, in Washington DC everything is perfectly and beautifully planned. If you would look this memorial from above, you would see the triangle shape walking path and the pool at the top of the triangle, looks like the pyramid and the eye on top on the Dollar Bill.
Also you can find a Granite wall, that famous sentence: “Freedom Is Not Free.” This is a message to everyone, and means sometimes you have to fight for peace.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And of cores lots most of the memorials and museums in Washington, its free too. It located in West Potomac Park, about
two minutes walking from Korean War Memorial, just across the street from National Mall. Dr. King memorial was one of my favorite and its looks like a huge piece of 30 feet stone with the was cut and
pushed out from a middle of a large boulder. The inspiration is came from King’s most famous“I have a dream” speech: “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope”. I didn’t know this until I started to read after I seen the monument, and it was made so good, without know it I understood what it meant to say. The memorial opened August 22, 2011. The granite statue was made by the Chinese sculptor Lei Yixin. After taking some photos I visited the visitor center/bookstore across the street where you can get
more stamps if you interested. From Dr. King memorial I was walking Franklyn Delano Roosevelt (FDR) Memorial. Just a few minutes walk. Here you can find the statue of the 32nd president’s in wheelchair. This memorial was dedicated on May 2, 1997 by president Bill Clinton. You can find this memorial by the southwest side of
the Tidal Basin along the Cherry Tree Walk in West Potomac Park between Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Across the statue there is a book store you can get some gifts and more stamps for
your passport. The FDR Memorial is continues toward Thomas Jefferson Memorial, this park is lays on on more than 7 acres by th lake. It’s so pretty big, and full of interesting statutes and messages. Here you can find bronze sculptures by several artists about the presidents major issues during his four terms of presidency, such as the Great Depression, New Deal and WWII. On an other side of the wall not far from the president you can find his wife, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt statue. A few steps away there is the sculpture of a breadline, which basically shows the time of presidency during the Great Depression. The waterfall here didn’t work today its winterized, so I walked toward to the Jefferson Memorial.
The baby grunted again, and Alice looked very anxiously into its face to see what was the matter with it. There could be no doubt that it had a very turn-up nose, much more like a snout than a real nose; also its eyes were getting extremely small for a baby: altogether Alice did not like the look of the thing at all. “But perhaps it was only sobbing,” she thought, and looked into its eyes again, to see if there were any tears.
The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was complied 1943 and 1947 the statute of the president is arrived and placed. Originally Why was important to president Roosevelt to build the memorial for president
Jefferson? Because Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the founder of the Democratic-Republican Party aka Jeffersonian Republican Part The
designer, Russel Pope (1925) designed the memorial resembles the Pantheon of Rome. Since the memorial on the National Mall’s Tidal Basin, on a moonlit night, the memorial creates a beautiful,
shimmering image on the water. The Cherry Blossom trail goes by between the Memorial and the water, giving a nice spring walk to the president’s 19 memorial that you can visit 24/7.When I walked the on the steps all the way to the top of the memorial, Ive seen these huge marble walls and and Behind the Columns standing a 19 feet tall statute of the president. Its just as imposing as the Lincoln Memorial. In the round building you can find a book store and a restroom but for the restroom you need to use the elevator. If you go down to the lower level, there is a lobby, filled with interesting information about the president and the memorial. If you look around the memorial, you can see trough the building two sides are open, only columns you can see. The building has 26 of these columns which represents the the number of the states in the union when president Jefferson died July 4, 1826.When I left the Jefferson Memorial I continued to Washington Monument, which is one of the most ….
The Washington Monument is an obelisk withing National Mall which obviously was built to commemorate George Washington, who was once commander-in-chief of the Continental Army (1775-
84) in the American Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States (1789-97). The monument is a hollow, Egyptian style stone obelisk with 555 feet 5-1/8 inches column, which ended to be
the largest building in the world at the time. Now its still the larges obelisk in the world. If you see the monument you can see it has two colors. Its because the construction started in July 4, 1848 and the
construction stopped due to lock of fund and the Civil War. 1854 the construction stopped, and fore more than two decades it was standing unfinished. So when congress on July 5, 1876 decided the Washington monument needs t be finished, very soon the construction started again. turned That is the reason you can
see two colors in the Washington Monument.After many years finally you can get into the monument and all the way to the top if you lucky. You can buy the ticket online only, and only a day before you want to go there. The price of the ticket is only $1,and The ticket release is starts at 10AM, and if you not sitting front of the computer purchase the ticket sharp 10Am a few minutes later you wont get any. You will have to wait another day. I didn’t no that so no wonder why I never was so lucky to able to get into the monument. Now I know, so maybe next time.What Obelisk is: The obelisk originally from Egypt, and they were called ‘tekhenu’ by ancient Egyptians.Greeks called them obeliskos means “spit, nail, pointed pillar”. The Egyptians built these obelisks front of their temples because it played a vital role in their religion. In Egyptian mythology the obelisk symbolized the son god Ra, and during the religious reformation of Akhenaten it was said to have been petrified ray of Aten, the sundisk.
From Washington monument just a few steps the WWII memorial, which is the other end of the Reflection Pool. When you’re walking toward the monument, afar you can see, that the memorial two
sides the Pacific and the Atlantic. Here is why: these two sides represents American effort on both on the home front and battle front. The memorial designed to have two victory pavilions, representing the Atlantic and Pacific theaters where the war was fought. This large stone plaza was built 2004, and beside
the pavilion you can find large fountain which now was winterized, and a ring of columns which representing the US states and territories.Finally I got back to the car, and I was driving to the U.S. Capitol. Ive parked by capitol’s parking lot,which says Authorized Permitted Parking Only signs everywhere. But Ive seen a few people parking here and but I wasn’t sure if I can park here longer or not. I remember I always used this parking lot but I don’t remember to these signs. So I asked a police man and I was told during weekend its FREE PARKING!
Probably people don’t really know this because at the meter you barely able to find parking spot but here where its free, is wide open, almost empty. So if you come here during weekend, or holidays, you can park here all day for free.The good news the parking free but the bad news is the Capitol building is still fenced up, and locked
down from visitors. No visitors allowed, so today I can’t take a look of the parliament of United States of America.Also learned Saturday the Museum of the Native Americans are closed. I is open on Sunday. The Air and Space museum is under construction it’s closed. So I got back into the var and drove to the White House Visitor Center. I had just about five minutes and they closed. Its not so easy to get in there, you have to got trough like airport security. Across th street of the White House visitor center the Parking is Free. I would not recommend to park there all day, but until you take a look of the White House and grab something to eat, definitely I you can park there.The official residence of the president, The White House is probably the most famous American building. You can find it at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. This is the home of the presidents since John
Adams but not only the presidents but their advisors too. Today were something different at the white House. The president wasn’t home He was in his home in state of Delaware, but a helicopter landed in the yard, then took off, after a few minutes the helicopter returned and landed again, then took off again, after passed the Washington Monument its returned again and slowly landed, but nobody got off or got in the helicopter, and it took off again. After a several times its happened before the helicopter was gone.Unfortunately you cant get close to the gates anymore. A few years back they built a secondary fence with a constant police presence. The sight not enjoyable anymore. I didn’t stick around much because now barely able to see the building and its impossible to take a good photo anymore. So I left for the food trucks for a good Philicheesstake, then check in the hotel.
Next day, I wanted to see the Arlington Cemetery. Google says its opens at 8AM. When I got there it turned out their not open at Sunday. It weird. So I had to change plan. From here I went to the United Air
Force Memorial. This is located near the Pentagon and the entrance of the Arlington Cemetery. The address is 1 Air Force Memorial Dr. Arlington, VA 22211. You can’t miss it, because the 3 huge stainless
still spires sticking out from the ground on the hill above the Pentagon and the Arlington Cemetery. These 3 memorial spires range from 201 feet to 270 feet high and appear to be soaring; its array of stainless still arcs against the sky evokes the image of “contrails of the Air Force Thunderbirds as they peel back in a precision ‘bomb burst’ maneuver”. When you walk into the memorial, between these 3 spires is a pentagram on the ground. The each end of the star has a glass that and that is a light. If you walk trough the spires to the rails you have an excellent views of Washington DC and the Pentagon. It could be a good photograph location. But there is more over here,this place is open 8AM to 8PM and its free. Parking is free as well.From here I went to see the Boundary Stones of Washington DC. Th Boundary stones basically the Very first American monuments, because they were laying in 1791-92. The r Residence Act of July 16,1790, as amended March 3, 1791 authorized President Gorge Washington to select a 100 square miles site for the national capitol between Alexandria, Virginia, And Williamsport, Maryland. Some of these stones are missing or in on a privet property. Also they are caged in. The one we wanted to see is on a construction site so we couldn’t, the second location was in a parking lot of a McDonald.From here I drove back to Capitol Hill, and parked by the US Capitol and I walked to the museum of the Native Americans. Here is another “airport security checkpoint”, and absolutely rude people working here, but anyway I got in. Started on 5th floor. Which is very interesting. I love American History especially American Native History, because everything starts there if we talking about history in America. I don’t want to talk about the museum a lot, all I need to say is interesting, free, but all the
information is available in books and online. The rudeness of the workers here ruins everything.
The Spy Museum. This museum I wanted to see long time ago. It not free, its costs $28 to get in there.First floor got a Aston Martin DB5 just as Sean Connery had in James Bond movie. If you purchase the
tickets the elevator takes you to the fifth floor, where you have to get your undercover ID, that you will need in the entire museum, since this is an interactive museum. Here you need to create your spy identity
and assign a your job. You get your code mine was Pirate and my job was in Jakarta, Indonesia. I was a photographer from Puebla City, Mexico. After this you need to enter into a small movie theater that kind of explains a few things about being a spy, narrated by Morgan Freeman. I love his Voice. And then the show began. Here you will enter the real museum. There is movies, and shelves showing spy thing. The soviet and American spy and even about a famous spy like Mata Hari’s famous dance clothes made out of sort of metal. The funniest thing was a fake, hairy scrotum. Yes a pair of fake balls. Anyway this is a museum that you need at least a half a day but maybe a full day if you with kids, if you enjoy sort of things. Each room has an spy assignments for you. So your mission continues in each room and each floor. I kind of gave up after the third one.
The gift shop has nothing offered me so I left the museum and that was my Washington DC visitation for this year.
Washington DC
