Today was huge. We saw so much, but oddly I now have an even longer list of things I still want to see here.
We started off taking the Metro to the Monuments (Washington, Lincoln, WW2, Korean War, Vietnam War). It was interesting standing at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, holding my black daughter, reading the words of his inaugural address which spelled out his anti-slavery position. I’m sure that slavery would have come to an end even without this man, but his contribution to its demise is undeniable. I love that I get to experience the world in so many different ways through the eyes of my multi-racial children. I found myself wondering about the different ways that people experience these places.
The Korean War and WW2 Memorials were amazing, too. The Korean War memorial featured a platoon of sculpted soldiers who looked like they were picking their way through a jungle together. The work was great, and the concept made you feel like you were there. Very cool. The WW2 Memorial was as impressive as you’d expect a memorial for “the war to end all wars” to be. Situated between the Washington Monument and the reflecting pool, the WW2 site is constructed to fit perfectly into the Mall layout. It’s very powerful and impressive – tons of water and granite, and very formidable. I wonder what my grandpa (a WW2 vet) would have thought — I imagine he would have been very proud to be honored in that way.
After lunch, we saw the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court Building. From there, we went on a tour of the Capitol building (also very interesting), and then met up briefly with Debby Kurti, a friend and colleague, and her family, who are on a cross country road trip. We finished up the day with a great deep dish pizza at Union Station, and walked back to the hotel through Chinatown. All in all a great day. Tomorrow, the Smithsonians.
The two pictures above were taken by Gabbi and Julian.
