Kyoo 167 - DC Four

You know the drill, more photo highlights from Washington DC! Here's day 4:


One of my better pictures of the World War II Memorial at night. After a long day touring, Morgan and I set off when the sun went down to explore some of the monuments and memorials at night. They were gorgeous! We just sat on a bench staring up at the Washington Monument for about 30 minutes taking it all in. Partly because we were really tired and had a long walk back to the hotel but mostly because the National Mall at night is just neat.


It's shot at kind of a weird angle but this picture is of the Pentagon Memorial from the September 11th attacks. This is really a neat memorial with a lot of symbolism. Each victim has a bench and the direction the bench is facing represents where that victim was, on the plane or in the building. The benches are arranged in lines based on the year of the victim's birth from the youngest victim born in 1998 to the oldest victim born....in a much later year. I can't remember. But each bench has the victim's name on it and a fountain of water flowing under it.


And they're all aligned with how the plane rammed into the side of the Pentagon. It's a somber place to visit but peaceful at the same time. It was a beautiful place to spend a Sunday afternoon with my dad and sister.


It just keeps going, and going, and going....seriously. Longest escalator I've ever been on. The picture does not do it justice.


Us at Arlington National Cemetery. Beautiful, peaceful resting place for thousands of soldiers from the Civil War to today. I just really enjoyed walking around and reading the gravestones and thinking about the people they represented. Probably one of my favorite parts of the trip. It's away from the hustle and bustle of the city and just feels so serene.


We watched the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknowns. That's a very tight drill. If you click on the link you can read a little about the memorial and "The Sentinel's Creed". It was cool to experience it first hand and pay respects to those who have given all.


Morgie's first experience with subways! She claims that she rode the "subway" transport between terminals at the Denver airport but that hardly counts. I was really impressed with DC's metro though. Cleanest I've ever been on (out of about 5, but still).


My temporary phone. Pretty convenient for checking bus times and such. Sidekick, this would have REALLY come in handy when we were in Hawaii. Like really, really. Next time...


Mi padre y yo! This was taken just outside of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House next to the grave of Pierre Charles L'Enfant (I'm glad I can just type that and not have to pronounce it :) I know Miss Swan and Sidekick would be laughing at my attempts right now...). Pierre was the surveyor who designed Washington DC and his grave has a sweeping view of the city. Kind of cool.


The Columbia memorial! I was so excited when I came upon this! The one for Challenger was right next to it. I remember the Columbia tragedy quite vividly. I was glued to the TV for a couple days trying to come to terms with it.


The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport. Probably the better of the two air and space museums. This one holds all the big stuff they can't maneuver to the one in the city. The Enola Gay. An SR-71 Blackbird. Space shuttle Enterprise. Concorde. And, pictured here, Spacelab! This was the reusable lab flown on several shuttle flights up until 2000.


Anyone seen the movie "Fly Away Home"? If so this little aircraft should look strangely familiar. It's the real thing the movie was based on.


"Are you tired of trying to find parking at the airport and then renting a car at your destination? Do you sometimes find yourself sitting in traffic just wishing you could fly over and leave everyone behind? Is the hassle of moving from one mode of transportation to another just adding clutter to your life? Then step right up cause we have just the thing for you! That's right folks, introducing....THE AIRPHIBIAN! Part car. Part plane. All functional."


Space shuttle Enterprise! It never flew in space but Fred Haise (Apollo 13!) flew it several times during the approach and landing phase of shuttle development. Full-size space shuttle. Up-close. Surreal. Loved it. I took off the second I opened the door to that museum and was like a bug attracted to those blue zapping light thingys. Except the shuttle didn't kill me. I was just a blur of excitement all throughout this museum though.


We happened upon a USDA farmer's market one of the days we were there and got fresh peaches. They were so good! I also got a really good recipe for summer corn salad. And a free sample. Can't hate that! As you've probably noticed, I'm standing next to an interesting depiction of George Washington. It was our hotel room wall art. I had to document it.

Have a great day :)