Big City Break: Washington, D.C.

 

“For we must consider that we shall be as a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us…” 

~ John Winthrop ~

We’ve been engaged in a serious march up the East Coast for the past several weeks, seeing as much as we can in a very condensed timeframe. Along the way, we’ve enjoyed the privilege of spending a day at a time touring some of the more prominent cities in our country, and I’ve decided to take a short break from the chronological travel recaps in order to tell you about them while it’s fresh on the brain (and the more-recent footage is easier to access for Mr. Videographer.)

I think it goes without saying that the East Coast is full of history. And I. Love. History. Especially American History. What better place to start soaking it all in than our nation’s capitol, Washington, D.C. Our launch point was a campground in Pohick Bay, not too far south of Mount Vernon on the Potomac River. I had previously lived in D.C. for a semester in college, so I was familiar with the city and public transport. 

We parked early in the morning and took the Metro from the station in Franconia-Springfield, Virginia, first stopping at Arlington National Cemetery. The thousands of white headstones are a somber reminder that freedom isn’t free, and so many brave men and women over the years have given their all for this country. Pride and sorrow are perfectly joined in that place. We visited JFK’s gravesite as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (narrowly missing the changing of the guards). I had first walked through Arlington on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11, and remember that as being a much more emotional and patriotic visit than this one. This time there was an added security checkpoint at the entrance, and the only visitors were large school groups on field trips. Both factors detracted from the experience, to a point where it almost felt forgotten, or at least not respected. It was very sad. (Although I think Justin had a better perspective on it, since he hadn’t had a previous experience to compare it with.)

We hopped back on the Metro and headed to McPherson Square; the stop I used to take when I worked as an intern in the Treasury Department. Memories of smelly Occupy Wall Street tents and the sound of Rush Limbaugh’s radio intro music (don’t hate me) filled my mind. It started raining as we made our way to the White House, and since the weather wasn’t set to change until the afternoon, we huddled under the umbrella on our long walk to the National Museum of Natural History. 

We were entertained by the various creatures in the halls and took time to go through the skeleton exhibit, which included insects and mummies as well. We saw the Hope Diamond in the gemstone exhibit and buzzed through a few others on our way out since tummies were starting to rumble. A quick spin around the Mall to view the Capitol Building and Washington Monument from afar, then another Metro ride from the Smithsonian brought us back up to Farragut Square for lunch. The walking tour had only just begun, so we needed to fuel up.

With the rain letting up, shoes laced, Ellia strapped in the hiking backpack and free cookies freshly devoured, we walked back down to the National Mall, this time coming out on the west side of the Washington Monument. We took a quick step inside the recently restored Lockkeeper’s House and marveled at old maps of the city. Next came the oversized WWII memorial with the famous view of the Lincoln Memorial across the Reflecting Pool. We walked around to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall, then up the steps and into the great Lincoln Memorial (which was partially under construction). I think Justin was inspired, because he stayed in for quite awhile!

The soldiers of the Korean War Veteran’s Memorial were next up, followed by the Martin Luther King, Jr. and Franklin Delano Rosevelt Memorials (FDR just goes on and on!) We walked around the Tidal Basin all the way to the Jefferson Memorial (also under construction) and wrapped up the trip with a walk past the Holocaust Memorial Museum and USDA Headquarters back to the Metro. A quick stop at the Pentagon on the way home brought our busy day to a close, and boy were we spent! We walked 25,000 steps that day!

With only one day to visit such a renowned and storied city, we knew there was no way to see it all. The U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial, the U.S. Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, and even Ford’s Theater - which we came within two blocks of, but the rain was getting miserable then - were all passed up. I would have loved to show my family the fun and bustling Metro Center, or the long stairway at DuPont Circle, or the quaint beauty of the Georgetown area (I remember really enjoying walking through it in the fall time on my way to classes at Georgetown). It would have been nice to even see some of the nearby attractions, such as Mount Vernon or the Washington Redskin’s Stadium (or Washington Whities, or whatever they’re called now). But alas, all that will have to wait for another time. It was still a worthwhile visit and I’m sure glad we got to go. 😁