Almost everyone that goes to Washington D.C. wants to see the important monuments. I can't picture anyone saying " When I was in D.C. I had no interest in seeing the Lincoln Memorial"
Okay, I can imagine it, but only from a southerner that hasn't accepted they lost the war. The monuments are famous and everyone wants to see them. Buses run to and from them all day. From the time the average tourist leaves the motel in the morning until 10 pm there is a constant flow of pedestrian traffic up to the monuments.
The beginning of this article will deal with the large more popular monuments while the back end will deal with smaller statues throughout the city.
The Washington Monument requires tickets to go to the top. It is best to get to the ticket booth by 7 am. The line forms at that time. The tickets are timed so you may get a ticket for 3 pm and have all day to explore the city then return to the monument for your time. The summer hours are 9am- 10pm. You could order tickets or by calling for reserved tickets. This would save you from getting up early, but you won't know what the weather will be like the day of your tour. The view is pretty awesome from the top. Way the pros and cons and make a decision. The tickets are free, but there is a $1.50 service charge if you order them in advance.
Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and FDR ( Franklin D Roosevelt ) are in West Potomac Park. You can make a triangle running from Washington Monument, to the Jefferson Memorial ( south) to Lincoln ( northwest of Jefferson). All three are free to go to and you can walk in at anytime, day or night. Its pretty impressive sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the view is across the reflecting pool ( where Jenny walked in the water in Forrest Gump) through the WWII Memorial towards Washington (reflecting) and beyond that the Capitol building.
The Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial are on different sides of the Reflecting Pool. The Korean War Memorial is one of the best. It has statues of many soldiers of all races and nationalities " walking" through enemy territory. There is a black wall that reflects the soldiers. It is extremely lifelike. Its hard not to get chills looking at it.
For being one of the most basic designs for a memorial ever ( a long wall) it is impossible not to get emotional at the Vietnam Veterans Wall. There is so much emotion at it, its overwhelming. We went on Father's Day one year. It wasn't intentional, we just planned our vacation for that part of June. There were so many people leaving gifts for there fathers, brothers and sons. So many people were crying.
In one way I felt like an intruder during what should be a private moment for these grieving people. At the same time, never experiencing loss due to war, I felt lucky to be there with those people. Every patriotic holiday, we are told to thank a veteran. That's easy, most of us don't take our freedom for granted. We live in a patriotic country. Its a lot harder to stand there surrounded by families that lost a loved one. To see there pain is very humbling. Although I will never feel the pain of loosing a brother to war, seeing what it does to families made me so much more respectful of freedom than fireworks or cookouts.
If you walk, its a leg stretcher to go from Jefferson to either Washington or Lincoln. We ride our bikes and its still a 10 minute ride to Jefferson.
The FDR Memorial is between Lincoln and Jefferson. It is a large memorial. There are 4 "rooms" symbolizing FDR's 4 terms in office. There are waterfalls and it is very pretty when lit up at night.
Since Jefferson is one of my favorite presidents, his shrine is one of my favorites. Under the memorial is a small museum about Thomas Jefferson. It is across the tidal basin. The tidal basin is a very large salt pond.Getting pictures of Jefferson from different angles with the tidal basin or being framed by cherry trees is easy.
Not much I can say about the Lincoln Memorial that you don't know. The step that Martin Luther King stood on during his I have a dream speech is marked. You can stand right where he did. Lincoln was an amazing president. He was more than the Gettysburg Address. He was just a man, and he did have faults and he made mistakes, but he was a great man. No president went through more than he did.
The Marine Corp Memorial ( Iwo Jima) is near Arlington National Cemetery. Its across the bridge behind Lincoln and then to the right. It is very tricky to get to as a pedestrian/ bike rider. There is a rotary and a couple of highway ramps to negotiate. It would be best to visit it the day you go to Arlington National Cemetery or if you take the bus tour.
Since only organized groups can get tickets to the White House ( read: Boy Scouts) I may as well treat the White House as a monument. Its a couple blocks north of Washington Monument. There is a gate in both front and back that you can stand next to and get pictures. Not much else to do.
Here are some tips to help you enjoy your monuments:
1. If you can, take a ranger guided tour at any or all the monuments. They were built with so much symbolism. Taking these brief tours will teach you so many obscure facts, you will be standing there with your mouth open. ( Example- it has been said that during construction of Vietnam Memorial a veteran dropped his purple heart into the cement- so you can say the Memorial has a heart)
2. If you can stand being out later than 10 pm, all the tour buses stop at 10. The difference in the amount of people out from 9:50- 10:10 is about a twenty to one ratio. When we were sitting on the steps of Lincoln at 10:15 we had the place almost exclusively to our selves.
3. Since the monuments are open 24 hours a day, don't go to them between 9 am- 5:30 pm. Most of the museums are close at 5:30. Use those hours to hit the museums. There will still be plenty of daylight ( in the summer) to see the monuments. Except of course the Washington Monument, gotta go when your ticket was reserved.
4. If you can, see the monuments at both daylight and night time hours. Inside pics of the statues are better during the day. Seeing them lit up at night is an awesome experience also.
5. For those of you wondering about the cherry blossoms around around the tidal basin, the flowers peak around the end of March. I have only ever been to D.C. during May and June so I can not give any advice on this. I do know the weather can change the peak time by over a week, depending on temperature. Also, I have read motels are booked solid and there are so many people its uncomfortable to walk. That said if you plan and book in advance and the weather turns out just right, it must be an awesome sight.
Smaller and less famous Monuments
In addition to the big famous monuments Washington D.C. is loaded with smaller statues all over the city. As I have mentioned before, I am not a highlight person. I want to see everything. Unfortunately it is impossible to see all of the statues. Most of the statues are of famous people from Einstein to Nathan Hale. I mark the places on the map of the monuments I most want to see and photograph. On a nice day with a blue sky either before the museums open or after they close, I ride my bike around town getting pictures. Some of the monuments are famous people, others are things like the D.C. War Memorial, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, to a Peace Monument.
You can get a list of monuments at either Wikipedia or on the very large confusing website http://www.dcmemorials.com/ Seeing the minor memorials and statues can really only be done by bike. They are spaced out to far to walk, and you really can't get a taxi to bring you to all the places. Fortunately many are clumped together. There are four Revolutionary War heros and Andrew Jackson across the street from the back of the White House in Lafayette Square. Many statues will be around the museums you will visit anyway. If interested in seeing statues, do a little research, mark them on your map and fit seeing them into your schedule.
A quick incomplete list of some photos I have taken
Nathan Hale, Columbus ( don't get me started about this murderer!) Daniel Webster, George McClellan, US Grant, John Paul Jones, Longfellow, Martin Luther ( not King, the founder of Protestant religion), Grand Army of the Republic, Navy Memorial. The list goes on and on. Some of the memorials are of historical people I really respect. Others like Columbus and Andrew Jackson not so much. That said I can't argue Jackson and Columbus are instrumental in American history, even if there biggest legacy was wiping Native Americans off the map. And that should remebered also.
Okay, I can imagine it, but only from a southerner that hasn't accepted they lost the war. The monuments are famous and everyone wants to see them. Buses run to and from them all day. From the time the average tourist leaves the motel in the morning until 10 pm there is a constant flow of pedestrian traffic up to the monuments.
The beginning of this article will deal with the large more popular monuments while the back end will deal with smaller statues throughout the city.
The Washington Monument requires tickets to go to the top. It is best to get to the ticket booth by 7 am. The line forms at that time. The tickets are timed so you may get a ticket for 3 pm and have all day to explore the city then return to the monument for your time. The summer hours are 9am- 10pm. You could order tickets or by calling for reserved tickets. This would save you from getting up early, but you won't know what the weather will be like the day of your tour. The view is pretty awesome from the top. Way the pros and cons and make a decision. The tickets are free, but there is a $1.50 service charge if you order them in advance.
Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and FDR ( Franklin D Roosevelt ) are in West Potomac Park. You can make a triangle running from Washington Monument, to the Jefferson Memorial ( south) to Lincoln ( northwest of Jefferson). All three are free to go to and you can walk in at anytime, day or night. Its pretty impressive sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial the view is across the reflecting pool ( where Jenny walked in the water in Forrest Gump) through the WWII Memorial towards Washington (reflecting) and beyond that the Capitol building.
The Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam Memorial are on different sides of the Reflecting Pool. The Korean War Memorial is one of the best. It has statues of many soldiers of all races and nationalities " walking" through enemy territory. There is a black wall that reflects the soldiers. It is extremely lifelike. Its hard not to get chills looking at it.
For being one of the most basic designs for a memorial ever ( a long wall) it is impossible not to get emotional at the Vietnam Veterans Wall. There is so much emotion at it, its overwhelming. We went on Father's Day one year. It wasn't intentional, we just planned our vacation for that part of June. There were so many people leaving gifts for there fathers, brothers and sons. So many people were crying.
In one way I felt like an intruder during what should be a private moment for these grieving people. At the same time, never experiencing loss due to war, I felt lucky to be there with those people. Every patriotic holiday, we are told to thank a veteran. That's easy, most of us don't take our freedom for granted. We live in a patriotic country. Its a lot harder to stand there surrounded by families that lost a loved one. To see there pain is very humbling. Although I will never feel the pain of loosing a brother to war, seeing what it does to families made me so much more respectful of freedom than fireworks or cookouts.
If you walk, its a leg stretcher to go from Jefferson to either Washington or Lincoln. We ride our bikes and its still a 10 minute ride to Jefferson.
The FDR Memorial is between Lincoln and Jefferson. It is a large memorial. There are 4 "rooms" symbolizing FDR's 4 terms in office. There are waterfalls and it is very pretty when lit up at night.
Since Jefferson is one of my favorite presidents, his shrine is one of my favorites. Under the memorial is a small museum about Thomas Jefferson. It is across the tidal basin. The tidal basin is a very large salt pond.Getting pictures of Jefferson from different angles with the tidal basin or being framed by cherry trees is easy.
Not much I can say about the Lincoln Memorial that you don't know. The step that Martin Luther King stood on during his I have a dream speech is marked. You can stand right where he did. Lincoln was an amazing president. He was more than the Gettysburg Address. He was just a man, and he did have faults and he made mistakes, but he was a great man. No president went through more than he did.
The Marine Corp Memorial ( Iwo Jima) is near Arlington National Cemetery. Its across the bridge behind Lincoln and then to the right. It is very tricky to get to as a pedestrian/ bike rider. There is a rotary and a couple of highway ramps to negotiate. It would be best to visit it the day you go to Arlington National Cemetery or if you take the bus tour.
Since only organized groups can get tickets to the White House ( read: Boy Scouts) I may as well treat the White House as a monument. Its a couple blocks north of Washington Monument. There is a gate in both front and back that you can stand next to and get pictures. Not much else to do.
Here are some tips to help you enjoy your monuments:
1. If you can, take a ranger guided tour at any or all the monuments. They were built with so much symbolism. Taking these brief tours will teach you so many obscure facts, you will be standing there with your mouth open. ( Example- it has been said that during construction of Vietnam Memorial a veteran dropped his purple heart into the cement- so you can say the Memorial has a heart)
2. If you can stand being out later than 10 pm, all the tour buses stop at 10. The difference in the amount of people out from 9:50- 10:10 is about a twenty to one ratio. When we were sitting on the steps of Lincoln at 10:15 we had the place almost exclusively to our selves.
3. Since the monuments are open 24 hours a day, don't go to them between 9 am- 5:30 pm. Most of the museums are close at 5:30. Use those hours to hit the museums. There will still be plenty of daylight ( in the summer) to see the monuments. Except of course the Washington Monument, gotta go when your ticket was reserved.
4. If you can, see the monuments at both daylight and night time hours. Inside pics of the statues are better during the day. Seeing them lit up at night is an awesome experience also.
5. For those of you wondering about the cherry blossoms around around the tidal basin, the flowers peak around the end of March. I have only ever been to D.C. during May and June so I can not give any advice on this. I do know the weather can change the peak time by over a week, depending on temperature. Also, I have read motels are booked solid and there are so many people its uncomfortable to walk. That said if you plan and book in advance and the weather turns out just right, it must be an awesome sight.
Smaller and less famous Monuments
In addition to the big famous monuments Washington D.C. is loaded with smaller statues all over the city. As I have mentioned before, I am not a highlight person. I want to see everything. Unfortunately it is impossible to see all of the statues. Most of the statues are of famous people from Einstein to Nathan Hale. I mark the places on the map of the monuments I most want to see and photograph. On a nice day with a blue sky either before the museums open or after they close, I ride my bike around town getting pictures. Some of the monuments are famous people, others are things like the D.C. War Memorial, Signers of the Declaration of Independence, to a Peace Monument.
You can get a list of monuments at either Wikipedia or on the very large confusing website http://www.dcmemorials.com/ Seeing the minor memorials and statues can really only be done by bike. They are spaced out to far to walk, and you really can't get a taxi to bring you to all the places. Fortunately many are clumped together. There are four Revolutionary War heros and Andrew Jackson across the street from the back of the White House in Lafayette Square. Many statues will be around the museums you will visit anyway. If interested in seeing statues, do a little research, mark them on your map and fit seeing them into your schedule.
A quick incomplete list of some photos I have taken
Nathan Hale, Columbus ( don't get me started about this murderer!) Daniel Webster, George McClellan, US Grant, John Paul Jones, Longfellow, Martin Luther ( not King, the founder of Protestant religion), Grand Army of the Republic, Navy Memorial. The list goes on and on. Some of the memorials are of historical people I really respect. Others like Columbus and Andrew Jackson not so much. That said I can't argue Jackson and Columbus are instrumental in American history, even if there biggest legacy was wiping Native Americans off the map. And that should remebered also.
Next up: Museums
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