The National Mall...I just can't get enough of it. D.C. simply has loads and loads (or in American terms, lots and lots) to see and do. It was warm and sunny today just like yesterday. Tickets for the Washington Monument were again booked out today. Since my time in D.C. is short I've told myself I'm focusing on the outdoors with my remaining time. I'll visit the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian Museums, the Library of Congress, and many other things on a trip in the middle of winter or when it's raining.
At the top of my list for the early part of the day was the White House. After completing a few virtual geocaches (caches placed without an actual container that require either answering questions or posting a photo), I was at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Regarded as America's most famous address, it's possible to visit but you must write to your local representative or senator to get approval, and it must be done at least three weeks in advance. Much easier though, it's possible to busk in front of the White House as one man was playing his boombox for a group of schoolchildren. The area is very relaxed but two things I wouldn't want to do are carry a gun or fly Juliett (or any drone for that matter). I'd end up hanging out in front of the White House for more than half hour.
I'm saving the Holocaust Museum for a future trip to D.C. but I stopped by to offer my throughts and prayers to the staff and particularly to the family of Mr. Stephen Johns, who lost his life in a fight after a gunman came in shooting in 2009. It's extremely sad and unfortunate that racism and anti-semitism still permeate our world, and that Mr. Johns had to lose his life due to one person's ignorance and stupidity. From there I did a clockwise circumnavigation of the Tidal Basin, starting at the Jefferson Memorial.
Note that what you see on the back of the American 5-cent piece (nickel) isn't the Jefferson Memorial, but Monticello, which was Thomas Jefferson's home and is located near Charlottesville, Virginia. Next up I visited the statue of George Mason, who is regarded as the "Forgotten Founding Father."
From there I'd walk to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. As the only president to be elected to four terms, he battled polio for much of his life.
His wife, Eleanor, was a niece of Theodore Roosevelt, and as a result became Eleanor Roosevelt Roosevelt.
Within the past day and a half I've been to a place dedicated to all five presidents that are on the current U.S. coinage: Lincoln, Jefferson, Roosevelt, Washington, and Kennedy. My feet were starting to be sore, but I was far from being done memorial-hopping as the Martin Luther King Memorial was up next.
Being a weekday, there was an abundance of school groups out on field trips today. I could easily spend a lot more time exploring everything possible along the National Mall. In the future, with more time and planning, I would like to visit the White House, the Washington Monument, and the US Capital Building. After a brief stroll around the Smithsonian Gardens I'd get on the metro and meet with a CouchSurfer named Andrea in the embassy district. Before coming to D.C. I sent 33 requests on CouchSurfing in a fruitless effort. By comparison I sent only two requests in New York City and was accepted by the first person I sent a request to. Andrea isn't able to host at the moment but takes people on walking tours of areas of D.C. not frequented by visitors. The Indonesian embassy as well as many others are in historic mansions. I was hopeful that the Papua New Guinean embassy would be in the area so I could call in and tell them what a wonderful country it is, as I wear my shirt with pride. Of course I couldn't finish the day without giving Andrea a crash course in geocaching. In other parts of D.C. I can actually find physical containers in most circumstances. After a nice walk round with Andrea, I decided to walk back to Courtney's home but not without picking up some wine first. I've finished my time in D.C. having seen and done so much as well as being a perfect 44 for 44 on geocache finds. My feet were absolutely shot, and the first thing I did when I got home was get in the shower. Courtney understood when I reminded that this is what it felt like in the Dominican Republic after a hard day of construction.
After two action packed days in Washington, D.C. tonight was the perfect excuse for Courtney and me to just chill out and chat about anything and everything old and new. We drank plenty of wine and heated up some leftovers but then Courtney shared something unique: a cherry-flavoured ale. Washington, D.C. takes the cherry blossoms with gusto as every year there is the Cherry Blossom Festival.
Three days in Washington, D.C. is most certainly not enough time. I feel I could spend three weeks or three months here and still not see and do everything. I'll be heading back to Pennsylvania in the morning. Courtney and her dog, Ledu get a huge shout-out from me for hosting me, and I will most certainly be back.
