Today we rode the MARC train early from Odenton to Union Station and then the DC Circulator bus around to the Jefferson Memorial and started there with the goal of visiting most of the monuments and memorials on the west end of the mall. We wanted to get an early start as the weather forecast is more hot and humid.
First stop was the Jefferson Memorial. You've seen it before on the older nickels! As we approached it we were greeted with significant fencing but as we walked around to the front there was a break in the fence to allow visitors to climb the stairs. Apparently, like many other places, they used the COVID closures as an opportunity to do some maintenance.
The rear of the Jefferson Memorial is closest to the street
Significant fencing blocks off some of the memorial
Thomas Jefferson is visible between the columns
Thomas Jefferson
The columns are huge
From there we hopped back on the Circulator bus and made our way to the Martin Luther King Jr Memorial. You cannot really see it from the street as it is in the middle of shrubs and trees, and faces the Jefferson Memorial.
There is a long wall that outlines the area and has some of his famous quotes engraved there.
Carved out of a block of stone
The cutout provides and entrance/exit to the memorial area.
We headed north on foot and crossed Independence Ave to the DC World War Memorial, which is a tribute to those over 26,000 from the District of Columbia that served during World War I.
We then headed west along the south side of the John F Kennedy Hockey Fields to the Korean War Memorial. Like many of the other memorials we have seen this during previous trips to DC but we wanted to visit them all again. Unfortunately the whole area is under construction and you cannot enter. The good news is they are building a "Wall of Remembrance" with names of the 36,574 Americans and the 7200 Korean augmentees to the US Army that gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War, similar to what they have for the Vietnam War. They are also removing the linden trees and replanting, plus they are leveling the soldier monuments and doing other maintenance.
Next was the Lincoln Memorial at the west end of the mall. To me this memorial is the grand daddy. It is massive and it is awesome.
Iowa engraved along the top of the Lincoln Memorial
On both sides are ornate murals and speeches engraved on the walls
Looking east from the Lincoln Memorial, the Reflecting Pool provides a nice reflection of the Washington Monument.
Walking northeast is the Three Soldiers Statue which was unveiled Veterans Day 1984. It is considered part of the Vietnam Memorial and was the first representation of an African American on the National Mall.
We walked a short distance to the Vietnam Memorial wall. We've been here before also. The tapering wall is engraved chronologically with the names of the 58,318 service men and women that gave the ultimate sacrifice during the Vietnam War. Along the base of the wall it is common to see letters, flowers, and other memorabilia left by comrades, friends and relatives of the fallen. By the time I enlisted in the Air Force they were not sending anyone else over to Vietnam, but we will never forget.
The last of the Vietnam Memorials is the Vietnam Women's Memorial which is dedicated to the women who risked their lives serving their country during the Vietnam War. It was dedicated in 1993 and depicts three women giving aid to a wounded soldier. These pictures are taken from opposing sides of the memorial.
We walked further down the mall to the World War II Memorial which spans the mall north to south.
Looking west from the World War II Memorial you see a beautiful reflection of the Lincoln Memorial in the reflecting pool.
Looking to the east you get a great view not far from the Washington Monument.
North of this point is the White House, but it is closed - you cannot get anywhere near it. But we headed up there anyway. After crossing Constitution Avenue there is an elliptical-shaped park area called the Ellipse, but it is fenced off. North of there is a green space called the President's Park, and further north is the area called the South Lawn. All of those areas are completely fenced with concrete barricades and security guards everywhere. So we went up as far as we could get, snapped a couple pictures and then exited stage right.
Bulfinch Gat House, built in 1828. Was names after Charles Bulfinch, architect of the Capitol building
Across the street was is the National Headquarters of the American Red Cross
Eisenhauer Executive Office Building just west of the White House
Looking south across the Ellipse, great view of the Washington Monument
The closest we could get. This is looking over top of the vehicular barricades, through the fence across President's Park and the South Lawn.
To the south, at the north end of the Ellipse, is the area where the National Christmas Tree is placed each year
Our "fun meters" were off scale by now, and we were hot and sweaty to say the least, so we walked back across Constitution Avenue to the Circulator bus stop near the Washington Monument, and rode it back to Union Station. In there we stopped in one of the local establishments for a cold drink and to wait for our MARC train back to Odenton.
For the most part we have seen the monuments and memorials we intended to see. We still have many venues on our list, such as Arlington, but we will build a game plan for those this weekend for next week. Tomorrow we may head back down to Union Station as we have one more round trip credit on our apps. We will likely head down for lunch at the Dubiner Irish Restaurant, and then back early.
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