This was the best day!!!! Allison and her fiancé, Damon, were totally on board with helping me get as many stamps as possible, especially when they found out I could potentially win a prize for visiting all these parks. They were also happy to do some sight-seeing because they hadn’t seen all of these places before, so it would be good research for when they have future guests in town. This day would not have been as fun if I hadn’t had such amazing company. These two are such a great couple! They keep me laughing and have really intelligent conversations about everything under the sun.
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial was a pleasant surprise! It reminded me of the lakefront in Chicago- tons of people riding bikes and walking their dogs and there just happened to be this enormous statue of Roosevelt in the middle of the island.
Arlington Cemetery was quiet and somber, as was appropriate. People actually paid attention to the signs.
(I did not feel very respectful posing for a picture! But I needed it for the parks contest.)
(Tomb of the unknown soldier)
Look at all the stamps!!! I have never seen so many! I don’t know why stamping my passport book is so darn satisfying, but... it is.
I was soooo excited for this ice cream bar that would remind me of my childhood, and then it didn’t even taste that good! I don’t remember what they tasted like when I was a kid, but I couldn’t even tell what flavor this was. I think the Mickey Mouse bars were better. And my very favorite were the Jello popsicles my grandma always had at her house.
World War II Memorial. After walking around in the heat, that water looked so inviting. Allison noticed one little kid who was fully immersed!
And Constitution Gardens...
My parents took us to D.C. when we were teenagers, and my brother and I were a-holes and ruined the trip. I still feel a lot of guilt over how I behaved in high school. My parents took us on this beautiful vacation, and we were so unappreciative! However, the one thing that really affected me was the Vietnam Memorial, and I felt the same way again 20 years later. I think it’s just the huge list of names, how it starts small and just goes on and on. It’s overwhelming.
Lincoln always inspires reverence and awe.
And the view from the Lincoln Memorial is pretty sweet.
The next set of monuments were all new to me. The Korean one was so interesting... lots to look at and notice. And lots of Korean people there to see it!
The mood at the MLK Monument was different than the others. Lots of African American people feeling inspired and posing proudly by this hero and his quotes.
(This one is my favorite.)
We didn’t walk all the way over to the Jefferson Memorial... at this point, we were hot and tired. Just one more monument to see- FDR! And it was a really cool monument! Lots to look at... it just went on and on. Allison commented that they had lots of material to work with since he was president FOREVER.
There was this huge wall full of panels with faces and figures.
At this point in the day, we had walked 8 miles! Time to hop in a Lyft and head to the White House, where I got to cross off a summer bucket list item and make a video of me giving Trump the bird and a big “screw you” from me and my family. (That video is just on my private Facebook page.) Even though Trump will never hear my message, it still felt very satisfying.
I got one last picture in front of “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman- Lafayette!” This counted for Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site.
And then we went home and collapsed on the couch and ordered pizza and tried to guess which one of us was the most tired. I really do love hanging out with these two... I wish they lived closer!
We started out in the LBJ Memorial Grove. This was kind of hilarious because there was just a plain granite monolith there. There were some quotes carved into the ground around it, but the words were partially obscured by plants.
Theodore Roosevelt Island National Memorial was a pleasant surprise! It reminded me of the lakefront in Chicago- tons of people riding bikes and walking their dogs and there just happened to be this enormous statue of Roosevelt in the middle of the island.
Arlington Cemetery was quiet and somber, as was appropriate. People actually paid attention to the signs.
(I did not feel very respectful posing for a picture! But I needed it for the parks contest.)
(Tomb of the unknown soldier)
Look at all the stamps!!! I have never seen so many! I don’t know why stamping my passport book is so darn satisfying, but... it is.
I was soooo excited for this ice cream bar that would remind me of my childhood, and then it didn’t even taste that good! I don’t remember what they tasted like when I was a kid, but I couldn’t even tell what flavor this was. I think the Mickey Mouse bars were better. And my very favorite were the Jello popsicles my grandma always had at her house.
World War II Memorial. After walking around in the heat, that water looked so inviting. Allison noticed one little kid who was fully immersed!
I had to take pictures of myself in front of all the sites to get credit for the contest I’m in. So, here is the reflecting pool...
And Constitution Gardens...
My parents took us to D.C. when we were teenagers, and my brother and I were a-holes and ruined the trip. I still feel a lot of guilt over how I behaved in high school. My parents took us on this beautiful vacation, and we were so unappreciative! However, the one thing that really affected me was the Vietnam Memorial, and I felt the same way again 20 years later. I think it’s just the huge list of names, how it starts small and just goes on and on. It’s overwhelming.
Lincoln always inspires reverence and awe.
And the view from the Lincoln Memorial is pretty sweet.
The next set of monuments were all new to me. The Korean one was so interesting... lots to look at and notice. And lots of Korean people there to see it!
The mood at the MLK Monument was different than the others. Lots of African American people feeling inspired and posing proudly by this hero and his quotes.
(This one is my favorite.)
We didn’t walk all the way over to the Jefferson Memorial... at this point, we were hot and tired. Just one more monument to see- FDR! And it was a really cool monument! Lots to look at... it just went on and on. Allison commented that they had lots of material to work with since he was president FOREVER.
There was this huge wall full of panels with faces and figures.
At this point in the day, we had walked 8 miles! Time to hop in a Lyft and head to the White House, where I got to cross off a summer bucket list item and make a video of me giving Trump the bird and a big “screw you” from me and my family. (That video is just on my private Facebook page.) Even though Trump will never hear my message, it still felt very satisfying.
I got one last picture in front of “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman- Lafayette!” This counted for Pennsylvania Avenue National Historic Site.
And then we went home and collapsed on the couch and ordered pizza and tried to guess which one of us was the most tired. I really do love hanging out with these two... I wish they lived closer!
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