Because we were on the East Coast, and because I am married to a wild man who will jam-pack an already-full weekend, we decided to spend a couple of hours in Washington D.C. on Sunday, before heading to Baltimore to visit my family. I was skeptical about whether or not we’d really get to see much in such a short time, but Shane led us on a great little tour-de-monuments, and we were able to hit several of the city’s landmarks. Our walk began near the Tidal Basin, from which we headed over to the Washington Monument and down alongside the Reflecting Pool to the Lincoln Memorial. It was a balmy 80 degrees in DC that day – perfect weather for a leisurely stroll. Shane got a little bit ahead of me, and I pondered running through the pool and calling his name, recreating that romantic scene in Forrest Gump where Jenny and Forrest are reunited in this very spot, but I restrained myself and took the long way around. Would have made for a good memory, though…
From the Lincoln Memorial, we walked over the Vietnam Memorial, which is nothing short of stunning. So simple, but so powerful. I could have sat in front of this wall for hours, just reading the names and watching the reflections of passing people in the shiny black granite. Do you know that this memorial was designed by Maya Lin as part of a design competition she entered when she was only 21 years old, and a student in architecture? Brilliant.
From the Vietnam Memorial, we headed back toward the Washington Monument, then over to the White House to say ‘what’s up’ to Barack. He was nowhere to be found, so we were relegated to just standing at the gates with all the other tourists, like a bunch of kids at the zoo’s monkey cages. The appeal of this wore off in about 5 seconds, and then it was time to wind our way back to the car.
We enjoyed our walk back toward the Tidal Basin, but it was hard to leave the city, knowing that there was so much more to do and see. We barely scratched the surface of a few of the monuments – I’d love to head back and check out the DC’s many neighborhoods and museums. Someday, I suppose…
