So much for no noisy neighbors. Oh, it was fine through the night, until
about 6:00 a.m. when the construction crew got busy building the new Metro
access just below our window. Are you
kidding me? We woke up to the beep,
beep, beep of the vehicles backing up, the pounding of tons of broken concrete
being emptied from backhoe buckets into huge metal dumpsters, and said
dumpsters being dragged across the blacktop from one location to another.
We had the intention of getting on the first Big Bus today
at 9:00 a.m. After a few hiccups in the
morning (First we stopped at McDonalds to get some breakfast for Brian, waited while
he ate, and then headed to Starbucks to get coffee and muffins to go for Sarah
and me. Fortunately, Brian remembered
that we couldn’t take food or drinks on the bus, so then he had to wait while
we ate!), we finally headed out closer to 11:00, and went straight for the
North end of the mall to see the rest of the war memorials.
Man, that Big Bus is the greatest thing ever! The ability to hop on and off at any stop was
such a step-saver! We hopped on at the
hotel and hopped off at the Franklin D. Roosevelt memorial, a series of outdoor
gardens, each dedicated to one of his four terms in office. I loved the waterfalls, the bronze statue of
him sitting with his dog, Fala, and the quotes inscribed along the walls. He was such a civil and human rights
proponent, and the entire memorial was wheelchair accessible. We walked from there to the Martin Luther
King, Jr. Memorial, which was really unique, with King’s 30 foot tall likeness
carved into one of three granite stones, being flanked by the Mountain of
Despair and Stone of Hope, and surrounded by a granite wall inscribed with
famous quotes King made throughout his civil rights efforts. From there we walked across to the DC War,
World War II, and Korean War Memorials, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam
Wall. The kids loved the history,
grandeur, and views, and enjoyed seeing the reflecting pool of Forrest Gump
fame.
Hopping back on the Big Bus, we headed for the Museum of
American History, which was filled with everything from pop culture, to the
First Ladies’ inaugural gowns, to the original Star Spangled Banner, the 30’ x
42’ flag hand-sewn by Mary Pickersgill in 1813 for Fort McHenry. We got a delicious snack in the museum café
and then took the full Georgetown Loop bus ride around the city before heading
back to the hotel for a room service dinner.
It’s been a delightful day.
Tomorrow we will be heading back to New York, so we’re rounding out the
day packing and preparing to leave.