An Evening Tour Of Washington DC

Cherry Hill RV Park offers several tours of Washington DC.  It had been recommended by a friend of ours that their night tour was very good and worth while.   So, off we go.  We visit the US Capitol, the White House, travel the streets of DC while moving towards the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Koren War Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial and ending with the World War 2 Memorial.  The tour guide was excellent and did a good job describing each place, explaining the history as well as keeping up with all of us at night.

Crowds at the White House.

Ronnie spent more time discussing political issues with this protester.

This is the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Built between 1871-1888, it houses most of the White House Staff including the Vice President's Office.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial.
We learn from our tour guide that the black coloring is a 'mystery mold" growing on the marble. The Park Service is currently using a specialized high-tech laser cleaning method to get rid of it.

Next, we go to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial.  This was such a wonderful memorial.  My night photography could not do the waterfalls, accompanying statues and carved quotes justice.  We want to come back to revisit this memorial.

This is one of several water falls symbolizing the important timelines in his Presidency's history.  They relate to the many dams initiated during this time to bring electricity to the rural areas of our country.

Walking along the Tidal Basin, the views across the water are inspiring.

Next, we come upon the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial.

It's really dark now so when we arrive to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, it really feels somber and sad.  Our tour guide reminds us to visit the two bronze sculptures accompanying it, The Three  Servicemen and the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

This Memorial is in honor of the Women and Nurses who served.  My photography skills only allowed for this one to be worth displaying.

We also visited the Korean War Memorial
but it is so dark I can barely see the 19 stainless steel servicemen statues representing an ethnic cross section of America.  Instead I feel my way by touching the relief pictures carved into the black granite wall.  Our tour guide tells us that the artist selected these many images, selected from over 2400 photographs owned by the Park Service, to create The Mural Wall.  Hopefully we can come back to revisit this Memorial during the day when we can see it better.

The Lincoln Memorial is impressive at night too.  It is way too dark for me to see so I stay put while several of the group walk up the Memorial steps.

Instead, I take photos of the Washington Monument reflecting in the water.

Our last stop, the World War 2 Memorial honors the 16 million people who served in the armed forces of the U.S. plus the 400,000 who died and all who supported the war effort from home.

Walking into this Memorial, you get a feel for the scope and magnitude of appreciation for our Nation's efforts for freedom and its cost.  Walking along the pathway, you view each tower adorned with a bronze wreath and the carved state's name.

The Memorial is especially moving to see at night.

Our time in Washington DC is about up.  I just did not have time to post about our visit to the Dept of Agriculture's Farmer's Market where we had the very best crab cake sandwiches and visits to the Museums of American and Natural History.  We also took day trips out to Annapolis, Georgetown, the Live! Casino and Mall, we relaxed at the campground pool and even managed to stayed home to rest and do some housework too.  It has been a full two weeks filled with good memories, more than we can describe.  We did not even begin to see all of the major points of interest here (ex..Union Station, Capitol Riverfront, Woodrow Wilson House, The Phillips Collection, Ben's Chili Bowl, Mount Vernon, Arlington Cemetery etc..) so hopefully we can return to explore more of what there is to see in Washington DC.

More Later.