DC Travels I forgot to mention....

So I never blogged yesterday. I meant to (and actually did upon my return to the apartment, but deleted as it was a drunken blog), so here's my second entry, acting as yesterday's entry.

I awoke at 8, showered and packed my things before the rest of the kids staying at Amanda's even woke up. They were just hopping in the shower as I was walking out the door, which made me glad I was doing the day alone. I had a set agenda, and no one was screwing it up.

I took a wrong turn on my way to the metro, and ended up walking the entire distance of one stop to Dupont Circle. I didn't mind it though because the weather was perfect out and the scenery was beautiful. All the apartments had this old feel to them, and it reminded me of walking through the streets of London (or Amsterdam). I was loving every moment of the walk, as it was quiet and relaxing, perfect for the morning. I caught the metro at Dupont Circle, and headed to the Mall.

My plan was to spend the morning at the Holocaust Museum, but they issue timed tickets (for crowd control) and mine didn't let me into the exhibit until 11:15. So I changed my plans, and spent my morning wandering monuments in the warm sun, then headed to the museum.

Even though I've seen the monuments before, there's something so surreal about walking through them all. I can't decide which are my favorite. It comes down to three: the FDR Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial.

I started at the Washington Memorial, which is kind of boring. It just reminds me of a giant phalis sticking into the sky, showing male dominance over the country. Not very appealing to a woman if you ask me.

I then walked over to the WW2 Memorial, shot a few photos, then walked along the edge of the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. It was so hard to prevent myself from running into the pool screaming 'forrest! Forrest!' But I knew Tom Hanks wasn't in town, so it would be a waste. I loved the Lincoln Memorial, probably because it reminds me of the Parthenon, equipted with a giant statue. I sat against one of the columns for a bit too, pretending to be Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers and reminiscing about the crazy wedding season I just experienced. Oooo if only.

Called my mom next, letting her know I was having a wonderful time in DC and that I was alive. I did forget to ask her the name of my dad's uncle, who's on the Vietnam Memorial, but didn't feel like calling back. I walked along the granite scar in the ground, stopping to read names and the notes left by school groups. One woman found a name and broke down crying. Her husband comforted her and the two hugged for a while. I should have photographed it, that could have been a great moment, but I felt bad. I need to be more aggressive with my photography.

I popped by the Korean War Memorial, eavesdropping in on a few tours, and then ate my lunch before circling the pond. I did the FDR memorial, being sure to photograph the dog, and then went to the Jefferson Memorial. I had to laugh there, because the memorial itself is a sad excuse for the Pantheon. It would be so much more effective with an occulus. Pfff, trying to copy the Romans always fails.

At this point it was only 1, and since I have an early morning, I will stop here and continue on my trip to Providence.

Peace for now
-Gaga