We are staying at Andrews Air Force Base which is minutes away from the Branch Avenue Subway Station. The train ride, about 20 minutes, drops you off right into the National Mall Area. The subway system is so easy and inexpensive. I wouldn't even think about driving. Some people take their bikes on the subway with no problem.
There are many ways to get around and see the things. On our first day we decided to mostly walk but we did take one of those "PediCabs" from the White House to the Capital. He rode us right down the center of Pennsylvania Ave. I asked him if he knew what all these building were...he basically turned our bike ride into our private tour. How cool was that !
You have to book a tour in advance if you want to see the inside of the Capital. We will do our tour this Tuesday, August 20, 2013.
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| United States Capital |
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| White House |
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| Lincoln Memorial |
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| Mr. Lincoln |
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| Thomas Jefferson Memorial |
We plan on taking a evening, before we leave, to check out the monuments at night and maybe have dinner somewhere.... Andy doesn't know this yet ! Shhh !! There are less crowds and the monuments look even grander.
World War II Memorial honors the 16 million men and women who served in the US armed services and the 400,000 who died in the war.
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| Memorial Seal |
Over half a century in waiting it was finally opened to the public on April 29, 2004. Almost all the funds were collected from private contributions.
Andy here and I will write about the World War II Memorial ;
It was an amazing tribute to all who fought in this war and commemorating all the lives that were lost.
This memorial has had a profound impact on me because my dad is a survivor. To thank him for his service, just 2 weeks ago, he was flown here ...all expenses paid by the Honor Flight Program. He was able to experience this memorial specifically and saw many of the sights we are seeing. I was so fortunate to be right there... "feeling" it. I am so proud of my dad,. There are very few World War II veterans still alive today.
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| Each one of the smaller pillars with rings represents a state |
The Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in 1995 to 1.5 million American men and women who served in the Korean War. The memorial includes a group of 19 statues that depict soldiers on patrol facing the American Flag. A granite wall has a mural of the faces of 2,400 unnamed soldiers with the reading that states" Freedom is not free".
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| Reflection Wall |
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| The statues were so life like |
The Vietnam War Memorial honors the names of 58,256 names inscribed in chronological order of the date of casualty. The memorial was dedicated November 13,1982. The life size sculpture was installed in the fall of 1984. President Regan accepted the completed memorial on behalf of the nation.
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| Memorial granite black wall |
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| "They wear it on their uniform and carry the equipment of war; they are young" |
Andy here again, There is a very long wall with the names of all those who died during the Vietnam War. Many of the visitors here were searching for names of loved ones, it was quite emotional.
The memorial has volunteers working to help people in this endeavor. They even have ladders available for the out of reach names.
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| As we walked by we heard the volunteer ask this woman how she knew the young man's name she was looking at. She replied "He is my son" |
We took an evening Segway tour of all the monuments last fall. Was really neat seeing them all lit up and a lot less walking! We were nervous at first riding them but they give you good instructions and our guide was great. Something we will never forget. :-)
ReplyDeleteSuch a great idea...we will do that today. Thank you so much
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