We decided a good way to be able to see the city and get background information at the same time would be to purchase a hop on hop off bus tour. Once we finally selected one, we purchased it and so Thursday morning we navigated our way on the Metro to Union Station. We picked up our tickets and went out and hopped on the bus.
We decided to ride the entire loop and then go around to the places we wanted to stop and see in detail.
The first thing we saw was the capital building.
Then went past a Japanese memorial, The National museum of American Indians, and the Botanical gardens. We next saw the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American Portrait Gallery, then the Ford Theater. We then went past the Washington Monument,
the Holocaust museum and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. At that point we heard a bunch of sirens and when we looked, we saw this group of cars that we believe was a presidential motorcade.
The bus then took us past L'enfant plaza and on our way to the Jefferson memorial
we passed the Smithsonian institute.
Then went past a Japanese memorial, The National museum of American Indians, and the Botanical gardens. We next saw the Air and Space Museum, the Museum of American Portrait Gallery, then the Ford Theater. We then went past the Washington Monument,
the Holocaust museum and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. At that point we heard a bunch of sirens and when we looked, we saw this group of cars that we believe was a presidential motorcade.
The bus then took us past L'enfant plaza and on our way to the Jefferson memorial
we passed the Smithsonian institute.
We stopped at the Martin Luther King Memorial and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial. We passed in front of the White House which has so many trees it was hard to see.
We then passed the museum of American History and the Museum of Natural History and the National Archives and Records. We drove on past the National Art Gallery and back to Union Station.
We grabbed some lunch at Taco Bell at Union Station and then hopped a bus to the Air and Space museum.
We spent a few hours exploring that museum. It was fascinating.
When I asked Michael what was his favorite thing in the museum, he replied: " You". Aww! I really love spending time with this man of mine. I love him more than I can possibly express, and am so glad to have him in my life.
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| Michael in the lobby of Union Station |
We grabbed some lunch at Taco Bell at Union Station and then hopped a bus to the Air and Space museum.
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| The Air and Space Museum |
We spent a few hours exploring that museum. It was fascinating.
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| The Enterprise used in filming Star Trek the series. |
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| Add caption |
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| A Star Trek Communicator |
When I asked Michael what was his favorite thing in the museum, he replied: " You". Aww! I really love spending time with this man of mine. I love him more than I can possibly express, and am so glad to have him in my life.
Part of our bus tour was for a separate evening tour of the city. We had about an hour to make that tour by this time so we headed back to catch the bus to Union station where we needed to be for the tour. On the way we saw a white squirrel. We took a picture for Schelle. We really needed our telephoto lens.
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| At the base of the tree, it was an all white squirrel. |
On the evening tour we had a live tour guide instead of a recording and the route was different. They only made three stops and the guide stayed with us. In addition to most of the things we saw from the bus during the day, we stopped and walked around the Martin Luther King memorial
and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
We then moved on to the Lincoln memorial.
We learned several things about the memorial including that it had a typo when it was created, which they have since fixed, but you can still see it.
While we were stopped at the Lincoln Memorial, we also visited the Korean War Memorial
and the Vietnam Memorial.
Pretty sobering. When we left there we passed Arlington National Cemetery and then stopped at the Iwo Jima monument.This monument is a tribute to Marines from all wars. The wars are all listed on the monument. You will recognize this one. It was much larger than we expected.
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| Martin Luther King Memorial |
and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.
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| This statue of FDR as he used to like to be photographed. He didn't like to show his wheelchair. |
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| FDR in the wheelchair he designed from a kitchen chair and Tricycle wheels. |
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| At the FDR Memorial. Michelle, this one is for you! |
We then moved on to the Lincoln memorial.
We learned several things about the memorial including that it had a typo when it was created, which they have since fixed, but you can still see it.
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| Can you find the corrected typo |
While we were stopped at the Lincoln Memorial, we also visited the Korean War Memorial
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| This is a wall etched with pictures of soldiers from the Korean War. |
and the Vietnam Memorial.
Pretty sobering. When we left there we passed Arlington National Cemetery and then stopped at the Iwo Jima monument.This monument is a tribute to Marines from all wars. The wars are all listed on the monument. You will recognize this one. It was much larger than we expected.
On the way back to the Metro, we passed by the American Red Cross and the North side of the White House. Unfortunately, because of the movement of the bus, our pictures didn't turn out.
We made it back to our hotel about 11:00 p.m. We were so tired, we basically fell into bed after setting our alarm for 5:00 a.m. We wanted to get tickets to see the bureau of printing and engraving.
July 8, 2016
After a very short, and not very restful night, we awoke at about 4:30, and got up just before 5:00 a.m. We were showered and dressed and on the shuttle to the Metro by about 5:40 a.m. We rode the Metro an walked the few blocks to the ticket distribution point for the tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. We got there about 7:00 a.m. (the ticket distribution started at 8:00) and were about 15 people from the beginning of the line. We sat on the wall next to a fellow who had brought his camping chair. He appeared to be a person who did tours for other people. He was picking up tickets for several groups. He was very chatty and gave us tips for seeing the city and traveling. We got tickets for 9:00,
which meant we walked around the block to the other side of the building and waited for our tour. It was very cool to see them print $5 and $20 bills. The process is very interesting.
When we ended the tour, we came out on the other side of the building next to where we got our tickets. We were right across the street from the Washington Monument and had decided to walk up past the monument to the White House so we could get a better look. We stopped at the gift shop at the Washington Monument to pick up some water and the clerk announced to everyone that they still had tickets available to take the Monument tour and go to the top of the monument. So, while Michael bought the water, I walked around and pick up some tickets for 2:30 this afternoon. We then walked up to the White House. We emailed our congressman to try and get tickets to tour the White House and never heard back from him, so we didn't get to take a tour, but we had plenty to do while we were here.
After we left the White House, we wanted to catch the bus to Arlington Cemetery. We walked down to where the map showed we could catch the bus, but couldn't find the stop. We finally read on the website that we could catch it at the Lincoln Memorial. We were a couple of blocks from it at the time so we walked there. Once there, we found where it was supposed to come and when the City Sights bus came, we checked with them about when the other line would come. We learned it only came once an hour. We only had about 2 hours at that time before we had to be back to use our tickets for the Washington Monument, so we thought we would just do it afterward. We caught the next bus back to the Monument and visited the World War II Memorial
before we went and sat on a bench for a while until we needed to go up for the tour. When we were at the monument waiting to go in, the rangers there started lowering all the flags to half mast. It was a sobering moment that brought tears to our eyes and sadness to our hearts as we reflected on the loss of our policemen in Dallas.
Going up to the top was amazing. The view is incredible, but it is also incredible to know that they were able to build this monument in the era they did, without cranes or bulldozers or the equipment used today to build such a tall edifice. We could see the temple in the distance. It took some looking but we found it.
After this tour, we went to the closest stop to catch the bus so we could go to Arlington, but there wasn't enough time before the buses stopped running to visit. We would be stuck there with no way back. So we decided to stop by after we check out of our hotel tomorrow before we hit the road to New York. While we were sitting there on the bench waiting for the bus, about 6 cop vehicles came up to the corner in front of us, and started blocking traffic. We couldn't figure out what was going on, but soon saw hundreds of protesters crossing the street.
They were protesting a bunch of things, but most of them seemed to have to do with saving public education. They were chanting different things as they went along, but one thing they said was "This is what democracy looks like". It is good to know we have the right to voice our opinions. As we waited it started to rain lightly. As we boarded the bus, topside on the double decker, it really started raining. By the time we made it to Union Station, we were soaked. We grabbed some lunch and then joined the rush hour traffic on the Metro to the hotel.
which meant we walked around the block to the other side of the building and waited for our tour. It was very cool to see them print $5 and $20 bills. The process is very interesting.
When we ended the tour, we came out on the other side of the building next to where we got our tickets. We were right across the street from the Washington Monument and had decided to walk up past the monument to the White House so we could get a better look. We stopped at the gift shop at the Washington Monument to pick up some water and the clerk announced to everyone that they still had tickets available to take the Monument tour and go to the top of the monument. So, while Michael bought the water, I walked around and pick up some tickets for 2:30 this afternoon. We then walked up to the White House. We emailed our congressman to try and get tickets to tour the White House and never heard back from him, so we didn't get to take a tour, but we had plenty to do while we were here.
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| The White House viewing it from the south. |
After we left the White House, we wanted to catch the bus to Arlington Cemetery. We walked down to where the map showed we could catch the bus, but couldn't find the stop. We finally read on the website that we could catch it at the Lincoln Memorial. We were a couple of blocks from it at the time so we walked there. Once there, we found where it was supposed to come and when the City Sights bus came, we checked with them about when the other line would come. We learned it only came once an hour. We only had about 2 hours at that time before we had to be back to use our tickets for the Washington Monument, so we thought we would just do it afterward. We caught the next bus back to the Monument and visited the World War II Memorial
before we went and sat on a bench for a while until we needed to go up for the tour. When we were at the monument waiting to go in, the rangers there started lowering all the flags to half mast. It was a sobering moment that brought tears to our eyes and sadness to our hearts as we reflected on the loss of our policemen in Dallas.
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| After the flags had been lowered |
Going up to the top was amazing. The view is incredible, but it is also incredible to know that they were able to build this monument in the era they did, without cranes or bulldozers or the equipment used today to build such a tall edifice. We could see the temple in the distance. It took some looking but we found it.
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| Can you see the temple? |
After this tour, we went to the closest stop to catch the bus so we could go to Arlington, but there wasn't enough time before the buses stopped running to visit. We would be stuck there with no way back. So we decided to stop by after we check out of our hotel tomorrow before we hit the road to New York. While we were sitting there on the bench waiting for the bus, about 6 cop vehicles came up to the corner in front of us, and started blocking traffic. We couldn't figure out what was going on, but soon saw hundreds of protesters crossing the street.
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| Democracy in action |
They were protesting a bunch of things, but most of them seemed to have to do with saving public education. They were chanting different things as they went along, but one thing they said was "This is what democracy looks like". It is good to know we have the right to voice our opinions. As we waited it started to rain lightly. As we boarded the bus, topside on the double decker, it really started raining. By the time we made it to Union Station, we were soaked. We grabbed some lunch and then joined the rush hour traffic on the Metro to the hotel.
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