Washington, DC – Fourth of July Trip

Washington, DC – Fourth of July Trip

I spent the 4^th of July in Washington, DC with my friend Don.  I had five days of nonstop sightseeing.

When I arrived on Saturday afternoon, we were off to the Washington National Cathedral.  It was just as large and beautiful as its European cousins.

Washington National Cathedral

We then headed off to Georgetown, and its historic buildings.  The barge is on the C&O Canal, which we walked the following day.  I loved looking at the colonial townhouses.

Georgetown

And what better way to end the day then looking in on the Obamas.   I was disappointed we weren’t invited for cocktails.

The White House

The following day we took the Metro to the Old Post Office Building and observation tower.  There were great vistas of DC, Virginia and Maryland.  On the way we passed the FBI Building.

FBI Building

Post Office Building

The Canadian Embassy was on our way to the Modern Art Exhibits in the National Galleries.  I got to see my favorite Claude Monet painting in the gallery.  It is one that I copied many years ago.  Can you tell the original from the copy?

Canadian Embassy

Calder Mobile in National Galleries

Monet’s The Road Bridge to Argenteuil and My Copy

Then we walked through the Folkfife Festival, which featured a large exhibit from Colombia.

Folklife Festival

Sandy at Art Museum and Washington Monument

That evening we visited the monuments at night.  The crowds were smaller and it was interesting seeing the lit monuments.  The FDR Memorial was amazing, but it was really too dark to take any pictures.

Jefferson Memorial

Washington Monument

Lincoln Memorial

Day three was the 4^th of July and we headed out of town.  We drove about 30 miles north of DC and walked along the C&O Canal.  We walked about five miles up and down the canal – I definitely got plenty of exercise during this trip.

C&O Canal

We then drove to Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.  The houses and townhomes were very similar to Georgetown.

Old Town Homes

It was finally time for the trip’s highlight, viewing the DC fireworks from a high-rise in Alexandria.  Unfortunately I haven't been able to upload my video.

Tuesday and Wednesday I was on my own, since my friend had to work.  I took the Metro into DC and started with the World War II memorial.

DC Metro

Washington Monument

World War II Memorial

Next I returned to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.  After all these years it is still very emotional seeing over 56,000 names of those who died in that senseless war.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

That afternoon I met my friends Lawrence and Richard, also visiting from Orlando.  We started at the Hirshhorn Museum, part of the Smithsonian.  It was one of the most interesting museums I’ve ever visited, with amazing artwork and sculptures.

Hirshhorn Museum

After leaving Richard and Lawrence, I went to the National Archives and viewed the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.

I’m now on my fifth day in DC and haven’t even put a dent in the museums and exhibits there are to see.  On my final day I started with a Capital tour, visited the Library of Congress and heard a lecture in the Supreme Court.

US Capital

Supreme Court

Next I walked to Union Station and the Postal Museum.

Union Station

Postal Museum

Bikes to Hire

Sandy at the Capital

The Air and Space Museum is always one of my favorites.  Here are a few older Eastern Air Lines and American Airlines planes and logos.

Eastern Air Lines

American Airlines

After walking by the original Smithsonian Building my final stop was the US Holocaust Museum.  It was an excellent exhibit, but not nearly as upsetting as when I saw the actual concentration camps.

Smithsonian Museum

US Holocaust Museum

After my five and a half hour flight from JFK to Orlando (diverted to Jacksonville due to weather), Eric picked me up and we went to Cocoa Beach to see the final space shuttle launch.  The weather wasn’t great and we only got to see it for about a minute.

Final Shuttle Launch