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This city truly is an American treasure. My wife and I have been in awe. Both of us have been fortunate enough to travel to some of the greatest cities on earth. This by far is the best.
We started our day off at Caribou Coffee (It's like Starbucks out here), and are getting very familiar with the city. We didn't even get lost today! We walked to the White House, and realized we needed my wife's ID. So back to the car. Then, my birthday date was off on the manifest. Oops! So, into a holding area. That makes it sound bad. They were super nice, just lots of precautions. Security here is the Airport times ten. Dogs, scanners, checkpoints, checkpoints, checkpoints. Once you make it through, it is like a normal place. President Obama was actually at the house today, so there were some privacy stuff up in the house for him and his family. The house is breathtaking. Absolutely fantastic. My wife said this was her favorite thing we did today. No pictures inside are allowed, so I guess you will just have to take the tour someday.
We then walked to Ford's Theatre and the Peterson's house (where Lincoln was shot, taken across the street, and died). Side note. We are walking fools. We probably did 5-6 miles easy today. No biggie! Ford's theatre was humbling. Being in the theatre where he was shot. Sitting in the seats of the audience and looking at his box. It is a lot to take in. Just an FYI.. If you want a pretty accurate portrayal of the Assassination watch the beginning of National Treasure 2 (minus the code stuff). We then walked over to the Peterson house and saw the room in which he died. This house is eerie. Very emotional place. To be in the place where he died and there was so much grief in 1865 was humbling.
We then walked to the National Mall and had lunch. Best lunch location we have ever had (Maybe the beach in Hawaii is better). My daughter was able to just run around and meet people. She even made a friend. Then off to our miles of walking. We walked past the Washington Monument, which obviously dominates the skyline. Then we came upon the WWII memorial dedicated in 2004. Wow. The west side is dedicated to the Pacific theatre and the East side the Atlantic theatre. Quotes were everywhere as well as a very cool water feature. We spent quite a bit of time here. A great tribute to our veterans. We actually got to meet a WWII veteran and thank him for his service. He served in Europe.
Then off to the Reflecting pool (Need to watch Forrest Gump run into it again) and to the Korean War Memorial. This memorial has a special place in my heart. Often labeled the "Forgotten War", this memorial reminds me of my Grandpa who served in this war. He currently lives in Missouri with my Grandma and was an Army Medic in the War. He received two sliver stars and one bronze star for bravery. It is a great memorial. Off to the Lincoln Memorial. Great history there. Look up the Lincoln Memorial. Tons of History there. My daughter absolutely loves the steps. Think about it, you couldn't even get up steps, and now you can! The Lincoln Memorial is the perfect place to go up and down steps. We then went to the Vietnam Memorial. Again, super humbling. Then to one of my FAVORITE places, Constitution Gardens and the Declaration of Independence Park. This was a super beautiful place and I found the memorial to be very tasteful, featuring the signatures of the signers. I just have immense respect for these men. They laid everything on the line for our country. Some lost their lives, their fortunes, their children... All for us. After lingering their for a bit, we walked back to our car. After eight hours walking, we were ready. We are now sitting in our beautiful place, working on stuff. My daughter is asleep and we are just so thankful for the blessing of another incredible day. Thank you God.
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