DC, Part 7

I enjoyed the Gallery of Art-Sculpture Garden. We were able to stroll around in roughly 30 minutes. They have a beautiful, central fountain and many abstract sculptures. See my favorite sights.

We ate lunch at the nearby Pavilion Cafe. It's a hidden gem with salads, sandwiches, and pastries.

The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History was really enjoyable with a variety of exhibits. They had a really neat safari photography section. I really enjoyed their minerals and gems exhibit. They had a really neat gift shop where I added a few more bracelets to my bracelet collection. :)

Such a fun trip!

DC, Part 6

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is a must-see site that is iconic and well-known. There were guides there to answer any question you had. They shared with me there the wall contains 58,307 names. Too many names. :( Knowing that many people died in the Vietnam War was sad and shocking.

The Korean War Memorial was touching and best to see in person. Words can't adequately describe it.

One of my favorite newer memorials was the absolutely beautiful World War II Memorial.

There I am reppin' my state; Kansas

DC, Part 5

So, I imagined the White House sitting on five or 10 acres, not in the middle of buildings and a bustling city. I imagined it being on a busy street with lots of traffic, but it was on a closed street filled with Secret Service agents. I got to see their organic veggie garden too.

The White House was quiet and still. Outside, the fence, it was hard to get photos of it with all the vacationers taking photos.

Lady Victory is well known at Fort Riley, KS near where I'm from. Here's a terrific article on her. There in DC, I saw her again and it was a pleasant surprise.

We also visited the White House Gift Shop and got lots of souvenirs, including a coffee mug and Christmas ornament. I didn't know until after my purchase, but they charged $0.25 per shopping bag. With a minimum of a $25 purchase, you could get your photo taken at a replica White House Press Conference podium, White House Presidential Desk, and in the "Oval Office." It was neat to get my photo by the well-known areas.

I loved all the history and the opportunity to see places I'd only ever seen on TV!

DC, Part 4

On that same busy day that we were in DC, we also checked out the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. It was across a body of water and shimmered in the distance. It was a balmy day and the Thomas Jefferson Memorial gave us respite from the sun, heat, and a lovely breeze. I so appreciated the wonderful quotes from Thomas Jefferson featured on the walls of the memorial. His words remind us of the strong Christian values that our country was founded on. This was one of my favorite sites in DC!

DC, Part 3

Next, we checked out the Lincoln Memorial. The statue is so much larger than I thought it would be. Sadly, the memorial was crazy crowded, but I did walk away with some good photos. Also, the memorial has a cute little gift store. I took this terrific photo there:


From the Lincoln Memorial, I was able to take several great photos of the Washington Monument. Here are my favorite photos of the Monument:

Here photos from the Monument:

A fun panoramic shot from the Washington Monument:

DC, Part 2

We checked out the outdoor Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. It featured lots of his famous quotes, which were nice to read again.

Here my group was posing at the memorial.

Next, we made our way to the Martin Luther King Junior Memorial. It, along with the FDR Memorial, I was told were the newer memorials.It featured many of his most famous quotes.

I'm glad I could finally see these memorials for myself. Pictures never do the places justice.

DC, Part 1

I had such a great time in DC!

First night, we visited friends and had dinner in Springfield at Mike's American Grill. It's such an impressive-looking restaurant, but unfortunately for us, the service was awful and the food was pretty good, click here to see my more of my thoughts.

The next morning, we hit the sights in DC. I was warned that DC is extremely hot and humid, but wow very unaccepted!

The first stop was the poignant Arlington Cemetery. I knew I had to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during changing of the guard. I wasn't sure what to expect. It was solemn and still as we watched the lone soldier keeping guard. The changing of the guard is a must see with the beautiful military traditions I've come to love! It was hard to believe that there were 150,000 graves!

Such a wonderful start to my DC trip!

DC Nightlife: Adams Morgan

My friend and I wanted to check out the nightlife in DC, but our only night to go out was a Monday. A friend suggested the area of Dupont Circle, but said that since we were going out on a Monday, we should try the Adams Morgan area. We did and the area as a whole was pretty dead by the time we made it out around midnight. We really wanted to go out dancing, but weren't left many options. The most happening place looked to be, Madame's Organ. If I'd had any other option, I would've left immediately.

My thoughts on Madame's Organ: The place is dimly lit and looks like it should be condemned. The stairs are rickety. Three odd levels. Floor one: main bar, restaurant seating, and stage. Floor two: pool table, dangerous balcony, dance floor, and DJ booth. Not sure if you can call that small of a space a dance floor. The DJ wasn't very good and only a few, drunk people were dancing intermittently. The DJ was annoyed with my song suggestions (Pitbull and JLo) which were major improvements on what she was playing. She through a fit when I suggested the song, "Cheerleader." Apparently she prefers to not have an audience. The music was way too loud, the bartender couldn't hear my friend's drink order. The drinks were watered down. The 3rd floor had a weird rooftop bar and subpar/dirty bathrooms. A soul band played on the first floor and was pretty good. Left disappointed in the lack of dancing.

I'm planning to head back to DC and try out the nightlife again; hopefully at Dupont Circle next time.