A wander through the capitol of the nation.
What does one do when they live less than three hours from the nation’s capital? Well, visit of course. I have been trying to take monthly short trips to explore my new home area and Washington, D.C. is fairly close by. It wasn’t my first visit to D.C., but it definably was some of the best weather I’ve ever had while visiting D.C. in recent memory. Most of my time was spent outdoors walking way too much for my own good.
What is it like to visit during Covid times? The Smithsonian is famous for its amazing, free museums. They are still absolutely free, but you had to get timed tickets ahead of time online. Plus, not all of the museums were open yet. Of course, the ones I haven’t been to weren’t open or the tickets were “sold” out. I was able to get a ticket to the National Portrait Gallery/American Art Museum and somehow the National Zoo. (They must of released more tickets because I got one the day before I went.) Luckily, Washington, D.C. has a lot of outdoor activities, and it is this wander I’m going to share.
On my first day, I walked the entire National Mall from Union Station to the Jefferson Memorial and then took a Circulator bus (an amazing service that goes to hotspots and is only $1 a ride) to the area around the White House and then made my way to the National Portrait Gallery. On my second day, I started at the National Zoo and then took the metro back down to the mall and walked to the Lincoln Memorial and over the bridge to Arlington National Cemetery (which I will explore in the next post). I may have walked 23 miles in two days. Oh, well. My sore feet were worth it.
Starting at the fantastic Union Station. The last time I was here in 2013, they were still doing repairs/renovation. The DC earthquake didn’t help things along either.
Early morning sun does not lead to good photos of the U.S. Capitol Building. The monument featured here is the Peace Monument, which was installed in 1877-1878 to commemorate the naval deaths during the Civil War.
The Capitol Reflecting Pool, with the Washington Monument in the background.
A bad photo of the U.S. Capitol Building and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
Cute little ducklings sunbathing next to the Capitol Reflecting Pool. They even have little ramps so the ducks and ducklings can get out of the water. So adorable.
The National Mall is looking very green. I’m glad that the grass replacement went well. It wasn’t looking very good in 2013.
Just off the National Mall is the new Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial, which opened in 2020. The memorial is good and then interesting. I don’t really understand the two tall columns. They have engravings about Eisenhower’s two roles, general and president, but they are overly large.
The memorial is definitely in the same style as the FDR Memorial, with life sized statues and engraved words.
Buildings such as these is why I love D.C. This style needs to come back.
I also love the National Museum of Natural History, both inside and out.
The Capitol looming over the National Mall.
The new National Museum of African American History and Culture, next to the Washington Monument.
The Washington Monument looking extra shiny in the morning sunshine.
The White House peaking into view. The Washington Monument is built on a little hill, giving you some cool views you normally wouldn’t get.
A great view of the WWII Memorial, the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial.
The WWII Memorial is located between the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool. It is also super hard to get into one photo.
The memorial is divided into two sides, the Pacific and the European theaters.
The Lincoln Memorial reflecting in the Reflecting Pool.
The least crowded I have ever seen the Lincoln Memorial, although, it was still quite early for a lot of the tours.
A very stoic Abraham Lincoln.
The Reflecting Pool still reflecting.
Between the Tidal Basin and the Lincoln Memorial is the D.C. War Memorial. It was built in 1931, a few years before WWII, and dedicated to soldiers from D.C. that were lost in WWI.
I next went around the Tidal Basin to the MLK Memorial, FDR Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial, but to save space you can see them in this post. I then took the Circulator bus back towards the White House.
Near the Circulator stop is the 1837 Lockkeeper’s House. Canals once ran along what is now the national mall. This house once sat where the C & O Canal and the Washington Canal met. The Washington Canal continued along what is now Constitution Ave., turning south where the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool is and headed south to Anacostia. The house has been moved a few times to make room for a road and to further move it away from the road. The Lockkeeper’s House is now the oldest building on the National Mall.
Heading up 17th Street NW from there, I found some neat looking buildings, like the Organization of American States headquarters.
And the headquarters of the American Red Cross.
Across the street is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, right around the corner from the White House. This building is an excellent example of French Second Empire architecture. Very Parisian.
How people called 911 before 911. Fire and police boxes were commonly found in cities and had direct lines to alert the nearest fire or police stations. I think these are the first I have ever seen still in their original location.
Just the White House. You can’t get close to the fence anymore. Apparently too many people have climbed over it.
A bit of old downtown DC. This really cool buildings is one of the few buildings pre-WWII in downtown DC that don’t belong to the government.
That design is just something extra to an already wonderful building.
St. Patrick’s Church was the first catholic congregation outside of Georgetown. The first church was founded in 1794, with the current Gothic Revival church was finished in 1809 and barely survived the British invasion of D.C. In 1814.
A very pretty church.
A little bit of old Washington, D.C. survives near Ford’s Theatre.
The heavily restored Ford’s Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was shot.
And he died at the Peterson House across the street.
I continued on to my reservation at the National Portrait Gallery and ended my explorations there.
Washington, D.C. is a great place to explore, even during Covid times. It was great to visit for a couple of days, but many attractions either were still closed during my visit in June 2021 or really limiting their attendance. I missed being able to just walk into some of my favorite museums. I guess I’ll have to return again when things are more open up.
Check out my next update where I explore Arlington National Cemetery!
or
Check out my Washington, D.C. Travel Guide!
