I lived in Alexandria Va. for 5 years which is located about 20 mins outside the district of Wasington D.C.. I never really got around to visiting the national monuments located in the heart of the city. Don't get me wrong I would visit the district all the time to shop of course.lol. I guess its one of those things when people sometimes overlook whats directly in their backyard and travel to other places to sightsee. It is not until I moved to Houston Texas that I have now decided I need to pay a visit to the natioanl monumens in D.C. Also the new Martin Luther King monument definitly aided in this new found spark to take a moment to sightsee the National Monuments. So I took a flight into Reagen National Airport(DCA) and took the transit downtown.
The transit is very simple and convient to take downtown, with the added bonus of not having to worry about parking. The other great thing about how the city is its organized in a grid so even if you get lost you can find your starting point again by simply making the block. Also the major monuments are all along the National Mall
My ultimate goal on this trip is to visit the new Martin Luther King Jr monument and take in the other monuments as I walk over. So I'm going to head over towards the left side of this map
You could actually take a free tour to the top Washington Monument, however tours were closed today so I could not take one. They are still repairing the structural cracks that occured from the earthquake. But if you do go its nice to take in the arial view from the top its the tallest structure in the nations capital.
Next I took a quick stop thru the WWII memorial on my way to the Lincoln Memorial...
Unfortunatly at this time the refelction pool is nothing but dirt and construction equipment...
The Lincoln Memorial is really quit a beautiful statue. This area is also one of the more crowded places to visit.
Inside the monument are the famous Lincoln speeches engraved onto the left and right walls.
Once leaving the Lincoln memorial if you walk towards the left you will encounter the Korean War memorial. Of the war memorials to me this was the most beautiful due to the black etched reflection wall. There are also statues of soldiers in the brush. I only took video footage of this area, not pictures. Feel free to have a look at MsGlobalCitizen1 youtube channel for complete video of this trip:
I finally reached my destination of the day...The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Site.
I did not walk all the way to the Jefferson Memorial due to my time in D.C. was getting short. I did take in the view of the structure from across the pond at the Martin Luther King Jr. site...
Washington D.C. has numerious other monuments, exhibits, musuems, and galleries throughout the city, I've only shared a select few. It is a good idea when visiting the area to get a site map and plan out what you would like to see each day, that way you do not get overwhelmed. Renting a car is also a great idea to enjoy the cities night life, but during the day using transit is best option train stations are within convient walking distance to each major tourist attraction.
Other info: The tri-state area has 3 major airports BWI in Baltimore Maryland, DCA in Arlington VA, and IAD near Manassas VA. The closest ariport to downtown D.C. is the DCA location.
The easiest way to take transit to the National Mall is to use the Orange or Blue Line and exit at Smithsonia Station and walk a few blocks.
Hope this helps you navigate around the national mall a little easier when you visit. Thanks for traveling with me, don't forget to SuBScRiBe!
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| Arial View of Monuments near DCA airport |
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| The National Mall map |
Next I took a quick stop thru the WWII memorial on my way to the Lincoln Memorial...
Normally in this area are the actual vets of the wars and you could speak with them and give them respect in person if you would like.
So obviously I cannot post any beautiful pics of walking along the reflection pool on the way to the Lincoln Memorial. Feel free to use your imagination.lol.
Once leaving the Lincoln memorial if you walk towards the left you will encounter the Korean War memorial. Of the war memorials to me this was the most beautiful due to the black etched reflection wall. There are also statues of soldiers in the brush. I only took video footage of this area, not pictures. Feel free to have a look at MsGlobalCitizen1 youtube channel for complete video of this trip:
I finally reached my destination of the day...The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Site.
The statue is facing the pond and the Jefferson Memorial.
Along the walls behind the statue are a few excepts from some of Dr. Kings famous speeches. Here are just a few of my favorites etched into the wall. You should take a walk along the wall yourself and reflect on this great leaders words, what he stood for and the adversity he faced.
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| Jefferson Memorial |
Other info: The tri-state area has 3 major airports BWI in Baltimore Maryland, DCA in Arlington VA, and IAD near Manassas VA. The closest ariport to downtown D.C. is the DCA location.
The easiest way to take transit to the National Mall is to use the Orange or Blue Line and exit at Smithsonia Station and walk a few blocks.
Hope this helps you navigate around the national mall a little easier when you visit. Thanks for traveling with me, don't forget to SuBScRiBe!
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