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Post 5 of 17


Day 11: Washington DC - 10 Miles (Walking)

Time to slap on the walking shoes. We have been walking an average of about 4 miles a day so far. Today will be just under 10 miles and tomorrow will be just under 9 miles. Luckily, we are only a few blocks off the mall, in the middle of everything.
Museums and monuments and federal buildings for the next 3 days. That's it.

First up is the Spy Museum, just a few blocks away


Passing by the H.U.D building


The Spy Museum is kinda fun, kinda interesting and kinda kitchy


All kinds of skullduggery like this going on


We exit and walk up L'enfant Plaza and run smack into the Smithsonian Castle after a few blocks. I still don't know what goes on there.


We skirt around it and end up on the Mall - all Springy and verdant.


After diagonalling eastward we reach the National Gallery by 10:30. The place is huge, but we hit every room after about 2 hours.





























We grab a quick snack because we have a 1:30 Capitol Tour

Had to miss the Art Gallery's East Building, which houses more modern collections. Next time.



Capitol Hill is looming ahead. As usual, there is construction, blocked off streets and pedestrian barriers. We stop at the reflecting pond, then head off around the North (Senate) side.


It's hard to take in the whole U.S. Capitol on the backside plaza.


We make our way down to the Capitol Visitor Center, check in and get in line with the hoards.


The tour takes us to the Rotunda - with the other 20 tours. It's a zoo - and noisy.






General Washington Resigning His Commission, by John Trumbull - 1826


Then over to the National Statuary Hall, featuring statues of 100 Americans - 2 from each state. 35 are actually here, the rest scattered around the building.


We end up back down in Emancipation Hall, where there is a plaster replica of the Statue of Freedom. Freedom is the 19.5' tall, 15,000 lb bronze statue that sits atop the US Capitol Dome.


Lunch is in the Capitol Cafe. Gee, it's only 3 o'clock.


Coupla stops on the way back to the hotel......

The Supreme Court across from the Capitol - of course the famous columns are in a bag.


The Library of Congress - probably fun to tour that thing


Crossing back to the Capitol, we look back on the plaza


Then head off around the House side of things


Time to bag the National Air & Space Museum. Looking forward to seeing it again after visiting in 2012, with several galleries having since been renovated. Generally, you just walk into a Smithsonian museum. Alas, unbeknownst to me, they instituted a timed entry system. It was surprising to come from the mall side onto Independence Ave and see a 5 wide, hundred yard line of people. Sheesh. Ya don't know what ya don't know.

We head to the hotel and relax a bit. Our dogs are barking. We eat at the restaurant again. Then I get the bright idea to head the other direction on the mall to see the Washington Monument. It's "only" a mile away. One less thing to do tomorrow.

We pass the Department of Education on the way


23 minutes later we arrive and the light is nice, although its very windy. But, it makes the flags snap.









We hang around for about a half hour as the sun sets.


One the way back we pass the Smithsonian Arts & Industries Building


And the Federal Aviation Administration building


Back to the hotel by 8:30. It sure feels like we walked all day. Oh, wait....we did.

Total Miles: 3,812
Daily Avg: 347 Miles


Day 12: Washington DC - 9 Miles (Walking)

Today is the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. Probably won't be too crowded in DC today.

We get up and decide to see more monuments and museums.

First order of business is to go back across the Mall to the Museum of Natural History, next to the National Gallery - only a smidge more than a half mile.









The Hope Diamond - 45.52 Carats


Then we dash next door to the Museum of American History


Washington Monument from the basement cafe - it's already noon.


Several floors of American history here: Culture, military, presidents, the original Star Spangled Banner Flag, sports & transportation.

Dorothy's Slippers


R2D2 and C3PO


Sports Legends


Mary Lincoln's good china


You can't swing a cat in any city without hitting the name of a president on a street sign


We dash out the back door onto Constitution Avenue - across from the impressive Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium


As we are about to cross the street, about a thousand motorcycles come roaring by. Seems to last about 10 minutes. Not sure where they all ended up.


We start to meander over toward the White House. There's a lot of architecture in this town.

The Willard Center


15th Street NW takes us along the east grounds of the White House complex and we turn onto Pennsylvania Ave, where the US Treasury resides.



The White House is next door. You get tour tickets through your congressional representatives, but they never got back to me.





Pennsylvania Avenue is quite crowded - and is pedestrian only. Plenty of cops, tourists and a dozen causes being protested. We head into Lafayette Square across from the White House.

We come back down Jackson Place NW past various conference centers and Presidential guest houses. Very stately.


To the west of the White House is the elegant Eisenhower Executive Office Building, full of federal offices.


Heading south on 17th takes us past the Ellipse and the Organization of American States on the corner of Constitution Ave. With roots dating to the early 1800s to promote cooperation among its member states, today's O.A.S. melded in 1948 with a vow to fight communism. Virtually every country in the western hemisphere is a member - except, of course, Cuba, Nicaragua & Venezuela.


Crossing Constitution Avenue gets us back to the Mall - and the World War II Memorial - opened in 2004.


Looking down the Reflecting Pool toward the Lincoln Memorial


The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is at the far end of the reflecting pool. It probably has the most impact of any of the war memorials. It consists of two angled walls, each 246 ft 9 in long, containing 72 polished black granite panels. On them are inscribed the names of 58,320 Americans who lost their lives during the conflict. The names are listed in chronological order of the dates of the casualty. One leg of the wall points to the Washington Monument, the other to the Lincoln Memorial. It is quite sobering.






The Three Soldiers


Exiting the memorial brings you right to the Lincoln Memorial. The Memorial Weekend crowds are in full force now.





It's quite warm now, so we grab an ice cream and join the masses in Lincoln's Memorial. The entire inside is completely stuffed with people. It's a good thing he sits up high.


The exterior echoes a classic Greek temple, measuring 190' x 119'. There are 36 Doric columns, representing each state in existence at the time of Lincoln's death in 1865. It was dedicated May 30, 1922.


Somehow, it got to be 5 o'clock - and we are 2 miles from the hotel. Gonna be a long trudge up the Mall, as the wind is really kicking up and blowing a lot of irritating dust off of the gravel pathways.

The Washington Memorial - about halfway there.


We finally straggle back to the hotel after seeing many more Departments of Whatever along Independence Avenue. It will be good to get back in the car again tomorrow, although another two days here wouldn't be a bad thing. DC is a happenin' place.

And to think, I was hoping we might sneak in a run up to Gettysburg today. What a dope. Oh, yeah - the list of Things to Do is just a suggestion.

Total Miles: 3,812
Daily Avg: 318 Miles