- Bus Tour
- White House
- Arlington Cemetery
- Lincoln Memorial
- Vietnam War Memorial
To see all of the pictures from our first night and day click here.
On the bus waiting for it to take off.
Look at Keegan "hopping-on" the bus!
The best money we spent was for our tickets for the double decker Hop-On, Hop-Off Sightseeing bus. The tickets were good for 2 consecutive days and it took you around to all the major sights and areas of the city. It was cool, allowed you to NOT walk, Keegan loved the audio tour guide and you could get off and on at any of the 2o stops. The first day we stopped off at you know 16oo Pennsylvania Ave. There were so many tourists taking pictures that you sort of had to budge your way in to get a picture. And I would say that there were at least 10 different languages represented right there. I can't believe this is where the President of the United States of America resides. Does he lounge in his pj's and watch TV? Does he shower and go to the bathroom? Very weird. Clara was right, it was smaller than I expected.
After walking around the Department of Commerce building, which spans several blocks, looking for the National Aquarium, we bought Keegan an FBI shirt and after all that walking found that the Aquarium has an entrance fee so we passed, got back on the bus and finished out the 2 hour bus tour. It took us past too many places to name and through quaint and historic Georgetown. Here are some pictures of a few of the places we saw.
Ford's Theater where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Washington National Cathedral, where Martin Luther King's funeral was held along with other Presidents. Gorgeous.
National Archives, where the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights are stored. The line was ridiculously long. So we opted to view the rough drafts of some of the documents at the Library of Congress on another day.
Then we got off at Arlington Cemetery. This was ranked in my top 3 favorite sites. It was so much bigger than I had ever thought it was. It is of course in Arlington, Virginia and it sits up high where you get a breathtaking view of DC. There was a very calming presence that made you feel sad, proud and grateful all at once. Here are some pictures of our visit there.
Keegan learning about JFK and Jackie Kennedy.
Keegan took this one of Clara and I absorbing the fact that we are standing at John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy's graves.
We went back to Clara's dorm after our long day, Keegan couldn't have been more excited to go home. He instantly got happier and energized! He wanted to go Google things in the computer lab and rest his little legs and feet. Not that he didn't enjoy what we had done but it was hard work! After we rested we went back out to Lincoln Memorial. Which was my top favorite in my top 3 sights. It was not too hot of a night and we were there as the sun was setting.
Walking up the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial. I guess we weren't the only ones who had the idea to come in the evening.
Lincoln was daunting and incredible at the same time. It seemed as though he was looking right at you. On the inner walls are two of his famous speechesetched in the stone . What a brilliant man. Click here to read his words of the Gettysburg Address. Now if that doesn't make you feel patriotic you need to leave the country.
In front of the Lincoln Memorial standing at the Reflecting Pool. The Washington Monument lines up with the Capitol building behind us.
The Lincoln Memorial faces the Reflecting Pool. As we sat there it was so peaceful and it was hard not to think about Martin Luther King standing there giving his "I Have A Dream" speech or Jen-ay running through the water when she sees Forrest Gump.
We weren't done yet. Then we walked over to the Vietnam Memorial. Which was my second favorite sight. Clara and I both agreed that listing every name on the marble wall was the best way to get across the great number of soldiers who were lost in the Vietnam War, I couldn't believe how long the wall was. The mood was somber and it was getting dark. I think it was a combination of all this and that it is a recent war, that it really got to us. I started to tear up when we saw a young man who was crying, getting his picture taken by who we think was his mom, next to a name on the wall. 
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