The Monuments
We had been waiting for the weather to warm up to take a tour of the DC monuments. It's officially warm (90 all this week!), and since we were off school and work Monday, we took the opportunity Sunday evening. Our friends Omar and Stephanie and their son Cameron joined us, Stephanie hoping all the walking would induce labor before her due date the next day. She was a trooper, but it didn't work--we're still waiting on baby Leah.
We met our friends at the Metro station close to our house, where we left our cars. We took the train to the Smithsonian station, which is on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. There was an earthquake almost two years ago now that caused damage to the structure, so it is currently closed to the public and completely wrapped in scaffolding. It takes away from its beauty, but it's still an impressive tower.
After passing the monument, we headed around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial. The sun was beginning to set, and the weather was just perfect. Under the dome is a giant statue of Thomas Jefferson, with excerpts from his writings engraved on the walls. The building has a lovely view of the Potomac and the Washington Monument (see photo above).
It was dinner time, and none of us had eaten, but to our disappointment, we discovered that food offerings are rare in the monument area in the evening. No restaurants, and the food trucks and snack bars were closed. I felt the worst for pregnant Stephanie, but she didn't complain. Thankfully, the kids didn't complain too much either, at least until the end of the night--around nine.
Next we walked to the FDR Memorial, a sprawling park of stone, waterfalls, statues, and artwork. It has an area dedicated to each of his four terms.
We finished our tour with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Lincoln, memorials to two of my heroes. As with the Jefferson, each memorial was filled with quotations by the men they were dedicated to. My favorite quote of the evening was one of MLK's:
So true, so scriptural, so powerful. I loved it.
I think I've visited the Lincoln Memorial twice before, and it gets me every time. Even with crowds of people around, I felt all alone as I stood and admired him. He's so stately in that chair, curved fingers resting gently on its arms, eyes kind and peaceful but determined. I have such admiration for him and for MLK; it brings me to tears when I think about what they accomplished and the horrendous evil they stood up against. Maybe their accomplishments are more meaningful to me because of the racial composition of my family. But standing there in Lincoln's presence was the best way to end the evening.
Okay, maybe I would have enjoyed it a little more if I had some dinner in my stomach at 9:30 at night. But it was good.
We made the long walk back to the Metro station with a hungry, tired, and fussy toddler; the other kids certainly expressed their hunger, but no major meltdowns. I don't know if it was because it was so late or because it was a weekend, but we had to wait twenty minutes for our train to come. We finally made it back to the station where our cars were parked, said bye to our friends, and made a McDonald's stop on the way home. (Yes, we occasionally eat McDonald's. It was open.)
It was a satisfying way to spend a Memorial Day weekend evening, the monuments and memorials reminding us how we got where we are today in America, still a place of freedom, unity, charity, and hope. And our family is blessed with the privilege of living in its capital.
.
We met our friends at the Metro station close to our house, where we left our cars. We took the train to the Smithsonian station, which is on the National Mall near the Washington Monument. There was an earthquake almost two years ago now that caused damage to the structure, so it is currently closed to the public and completely wrapped in scaffolding. It takes away from its beauty, but it's still an impressive tower.
After passing the monument, we headed around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial. The sun was beginning to set, and the weather was just perfect. Under the dome is a giant statue of Thomas Jefferson, with excerpts from his writings engraved on the walls. The building has a lovely view of the Potomac and the Washington Monument (see photo above).
It was dinner time, and none of us had eaten, but to our disappointment, we discovered that food offerings are rare in the monument area in the evening. No restaurants, and the food trucks and snack bars were closed. I felt the worst for pregnant Stephanie, but she didn't complain. Thankfully, the kids didn't complain too much either, at least until the end of the night--around nine.
Next we walked to the FDR Memorial, a sprawling park of stone, waterfalls, statues, and artwork. It has an area dedicated to each of his four terms.
We finished our tour with the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the Lincoln, memorials to two of my heroes. As with the Jefferson, each memorial was filled with quotations by the men they were dedicated to. My favorite quote of the evening was one of MLK's:
So true, so scriptural, so powerful. I loved it.
I think I've visited the Lincoln Memorial twice before, and it gets me every time. Even with crowds of people around, I felt all alone as I stood and admired him. He's so stately in that chair, curved fingers resting gently on its arms, eyes kind and peaceful but determined. I have such admiration for him and for MLK; it brings me to tears when I think about what they accomplished and the horrendous evil they stood up against. Maybe their accomplishments are more meaningful to me because of the racial composition of my family. But standing there in Lincoln's presence was the best way to end the evening.
Okay, maybe I would have enjoyed it a little more if I had some dinner in my stomach at 9:30 at night. But it was good.
We made the long walk back to the Metro station with a hungry, tired, and fussy toddler; the other kids certainly expressed their hunger, but no major meltdowns. I don't know if it was because it was so late or because it was a weekend, but we had to wait twenty minutes for our train to come. We finally made it back to the station where our cars were parked, said bye to our friends, and made a McDonald's stop on the way home. (Yes, we occasionally eat McDonald's. It was open.)
It was a satisfying way to spend a Memorial Day weekend evening, the monuments and memorials reminding us how we got where we are today in America, still a place of freedom, unity, charity, and hope. And our family is blessed with the privilege of living in its capital.
Comments
Post a Comment