Once again we drove into the City and parked at Union Station. The Old Town Trolley Tour leaves from the Station and we thought this would be the best way to get an overview of the City and get on and off to see some sights. (Yes, Old Town Trolley Tours is the same as in San Diego, and Key West, and Boston, and Savannah, etc. I had always thought since San Diego has an "Old Town" that it was a local company.)
There are 16 stops on their route, so we had to decide what we could do in one day. We chose the Jefferson Memorial; Lincoln Memorial Complex (VietNam and Korea); Arlington National Cemetery; and Ford's Theatre. Hopefully, we will be able to get to everything David & Vicki want to see in the days we have. Have to move fast.
Our first stop was at the Jefferson Memorial. Vicki is on the look out for presents and she found a audio tape of patriotic songs for kids but I encouraged her not to buy it here since we were just starting our day, and it would be available in all the gift shops. (I would come to regret that advice.)
The Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in April, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birth. Of course, the statue of Jefferson is awe-inspiring, but the words chiseled in the walls of the Monument are more inspiring. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal...." President Kennedy once told a group of American Nobel Prize winners that they were the greatest assemblage of talent in the White House since Jefferson had dined there alone. Jefferson's strong beliefs in the rights of man and a government derived from the people helped shaped the democracy we enjoy today.
The view back towards the White House over the Tidal Basin and past the Washington Memorial is breath taking. The White House and Jefferson are on an east-west axis. The Capitol and Lincoln Memorial are on a north-south axis with the Washington Monument on the spot where the axis intersect.
David and Vicki kept saying, "We can't believe we're really here."
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