Tuesday, August 30, 2011

We Love Washington, DC, #16

Last week the DC area experienced an earthquake, I'm sure you heard.  Luckily, the damage was mostly minor.  Sadly, however, the Washington Monument did not emerge unscathed.  In fact, because of the damage sustained, the Monument has been closed indefinitely.  It is impossible to think of Washington, DC, without this structure springing to mind.  It is symbol of freedom and liberty and an homage to a man without whom this Republic would likely never have been born.

On a cold, gray and dreary day this past April, we were fortunate enough to join the queue of ticket holders standing around the Monument's base waiting for our chance to ascend the 555 feet to its top.  In light of recent events, it is serendipitous that we did this when we had the chance.  The weather was miserable and we debated putting it off for a more favorable weekend.  And, although the views from the top were not as pristine as I have seen them in past visits, we saw enough to make our trip to the Monument more than worthwhile.  Caleb and Isaac loved being "so high" and pointing out the sights below that they have now come to identify with this great city.

It is interesting to note that while the Washington Monument is hollow, it is not empty.  The interior walls are adorned with 193 tributes stones from states, countries and various organizations to commemorate the heroism and valor of George Washington.  The elevator descends slowly down the shaft on the return trip and the walls are illuminated so these plaques become visible.  The lighting and speed make it impossible to capture them with more than one's eyes, but it is an impressive sight to behold.  For a list of these stones, click here.



 Waiting to go up.
 The views from the top: The Lincoln Memorial, the WWII Memorial, the Reflecting Pool under construction;
 the White House;
 the Capitol;
 and, the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin.
 A lifesized, bronze statue of the man himself.

 The interior staircase.

The end of a successful visit and one more item crossed off our DC Bucket List.

3 comments:

robin marie said...

so cool you guys went up recently!

the wrath of khandrea said...

i first thought it said an homage to a man without whom this republican would never have been born. i wasn't sure which surprised me more... that you were related to washington, or that you were a republican.

Lauren in GA said...

That is a shame that the Monument was damaged in the earthquake. It truly is one of the things that comes to mind when I think of D.C. I am so glad you went in April.

Those adorble little men in their bomber jackets are so cute.

 

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