Seeing Mr. Lincoln

My feet hurt. It's been a long time since I walked as much as I did yesterday. We were back at it early this morning taking the Metro to Union Station to start our day's activities. What a magnificent building. Union Station was the center of Washington rail activities for years and has been restored to its former grandeur as a combination transportation, commercial, and retail center. Absolutely stunning. Right next door is a recently restored former postal center containing, among other things, the new National Postal Museum. It is the permanent home of some famous stamp collections that have been under wraps for many years, as well as various exhibits concerning the history of the U.S. Postal Service. New and very well done. We were practically the only ones checking it out though. A shame.

We decided to visit some things a bit further out from the town center and bought tickets for two days on a double-decker tour bus company that makes continuous loops around the city. You listen to a running dialogue, get off to explore a particular spot further, then jump back on a later bus at the prescribed stop. We learned to keep our heads down while sitting outside on the top level. Some of the clearances under tree limbs and wires were only inches--a bit too close for my taste. What if a tall guy got on and wasn't watching? It was a nice respite from the walking and a great way to "overview" the whole city in one swoop. The Washington Monument in the distance from our top level perch......

We did a complete circle around the National Cathedral. Truly a breathtaking building and a national treasure.

Nearby is the home for the Vice President and has been such for every Vice President since Walter Mondale.

We got off at the Mayflower Hotel and walked a few blocks over to visit the HQ of National Geographic. They were in the process of setting up an exhibit for a party\press conference celebrating the next day's unveiling of a recently discovered new species of dinosaur. As we leisurely wandered around watching workers assemble the new exhibit, we noticed everyone wore ID tags. Not sure we were supposed to be there, but no one said anything.

We worked our way through Georgetown and past the Watergate Complex and Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Our last stop for the day was the western end of the National Mall where the Lincoln Memorial anchors the Mall beside the Potomac. It is surrounded by many of the more famous war memorials, and we made a walking tour in the late afternoon around the Reflecting and Rainbow Pools. The Lincoln Memorial is absolutely stunning. I repeat, stunning. One thing I have noticed as we walk around these memorials is that, despite the crowds, there is a noticeable reverence exhibited by the attendees. Nice job, all you tourists!

In our long walk, we had several encounters with the aggressive squirrels of the National Mall that have obviously had way too much exposure to humans up close and personal. This one was seeking a handout, and we gave him part of a granola bar, just before we noticed the sign, "Please do NOT feed the animals, as it "throws off the natural equilibrium of the environment". Whoops!

The Korean, WW2 (new) and Vietnam Memorials surround the Reflecting Pool and are very well done. Below are pictures of the Korean, WWII, and Vietnam Memorials, respectively.