Return to Washington

Postcard like day

We returned to the District of Columbia on Wednesday.  We parked down Ohio Street near the Potomac River.  We got information and bought tickets for the bus tour around the city. Then we went through the Lincoln Memorial. It was day to create your own picture postcards. We boarded the bus and road for a while. We got off at the White House visitor's Center and viewed a movie.  We walked from there down to our first Smithsonian Museum - The American History Museum.  Halfway through, we got hungry, so we went downstairs and ate.  The two most expensive places to eat on vacation -- Pike's Peak and the basement of the Smithsonian - but the food was good. The History museum has some great trains, but the rest of the museum that we went through was a little disappointing.  

American History Museum

From there, we walked through the Air and Space Museum.  Most of the good stuff has been moved to the new Air and Space Museum near Dulles airport.  But the Spirit of St. Louis (Bob just read a biography of Charles Lindbergh) is still there, along with the Apollo 11 and 12 Command modules and a Gemini and Mercury capsule.  From there we jumped back on the tour bus and then back to our car. 

The Flag

We drove over to Arlington Cemetery and got to see the Eternal Flame at the Kennedy grave sites and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  We also got to see the soldiers take the flag down and fold it.  After that we walked back to the visitors center.  Bob found a computer that listed where people where buried and he determined where a relative of his is located.   We didn't have time to walk over there, but we have the information for next time. Darvin "Dean" Purvis is in section 68 - site 1191.

We went to the Iwo Jima Memorial and the tried to see the Pentagon Memorial.  But you couldn't park at the Pentagon, so we just drove past and really didn't see.  But you could see the new Air Force Memorial on the hill above the Pentagon.  After that we had dinner at Two Chefs Pizza in Arlington.  The food was a little different flavored.  We think there was a Greek influence on the food. There  was a concert after that, but we were too tired to stay, so we headed back to Ellen's.  We decided on the way home, we seen most of what we came to see.  We would come back the next day and then move on.... possibly to Baltimore.

Another Postcard-like Photo

Memories of Grandma Freeman