Washington DC: Monuments by Moonlight

So the first day in DC my dad and I went on a Monuments by Moonlight tour, which you could register for or read about more here. We left my grandfather with some of his KWVA buddies while we went down to Union Station. 

Off to find the metro

Before the tour started we wandered around Union Station and look in the sights that were to see around there. It was so interesting to see the trains, there aren't really commuter trains here in Texas so I am somewhat fascinated by what I can see in the northeast. We had a little difficultly getting on the trolly but I think it was worth it, since our guide was phenomenal! 

The justice building is being restored, but you can see a fake cloth replica when you go by.

I loved seeing so much of the architecture that is found in DC. Some of these buildings I am not totally sure what they are but they are so pretty to look at. In many ways I think I would love being in DC permanently, I don't think that would happen. But it is soo pretty to look at.

Loving the trolly

The capital building

The Jefferson Monument

After the earthquake in DC two years ago, several monuments and historic structures were damaged. The Washington Monument is still closed due to the damage, it is covered in scaffolding. I will admit that the scaffolding is done in such a way that the monument still looks beautiful. In addition, they have added lights to the sides of the monument so that at night it looks super cool. I would have loved to be able to go up in the monument so that I could have seen more of the city, but such is life.

Washington Monument

Washington Monument at Night

Our tour allowed us to get out at several different monuments and see what they have to offer. The first place we got off was the FDR and MLKJ memorials. These were pretty cool. It was nice to be able to get off the bus for a few minutes and see some of the monuments up close and personal. We took a photo by the lake with the Jefferson Memorial in the background, however we look terrible. But it works.

After the FDR we went to the Iwo Jima memorial. I wish there were pictures of the memorial at night, it was amazing. My camera doesn't take great pics at night, it seems to have a delay that doesn't allow the pics to turn out right. It was so moving to see all of the different wars that the Marines have fought in. As my grandfather was a marine it was so much more moving for me.

From there we drove around a bit longer seeing the eternal flame for JFK and a few other monuments. And then we headed over to the Korean War Memorial, The Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial. Again these were just so moving to see them in the dark, the Korean Memorial was almost lifelike, it was insane. You should definitely stop by these after the sun sets.

Lincoln Memorial

Hanging out on the steps

I know that I loved this tour, it was a great introduction into the DC area. I knew that I didn't have too much time to see everything that I would want to see, but this way I could see the majority of the memorials or monuments. I am sure that there are more that I would love to see but in these three hours we were able to hit some of the highlights and it allowed me to orient myself as to where I am for the rest of the trip.

I would totally recommend this tour to any first time visitor to the DC metroplex. I am just so impressed with the architecture that was found throughout the city and all of the different ways that we have honored those that have gone before us and changed the world. The tour guide brought another side to the city and it was fascinating to hear the parts of history that he loved. He was very witty, his name was Adam and I really enjoyed what he had to say. It was so great to have a little time with my dad. Come back tomorrow (hopefully) for a recap of our whirlwind tours of the Smithsonian Museums.