My Washington D.C. Trip
By Daniel Mondelli
Washington Monument
This 555-foot marble obelisk tower was built to honor the first president of the United States, George Washington. It looks over Washington, D.C. and is quite a sight to behold. The monument is made out of marble, granite, and sandstone and has two different colors. This is because when the monument was under construction in 1854, the Washington National Monument Society ran out of money and the project had to be postponed. After 25 years, the U.S. Government took over and completed the upper two-thirds of the structure by the time of 1884, using marble from a different quarry.
Lincoln and Jefferson Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is a national monument that was created to built to honor the United States' 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. The construction of this monument began on Lincoln's birthday, February 12th, 1915. The monument's architect was Henry Bacon. The Lincoln Memorial was heavily Greek-inspired, including 36 columns and Lincoln's statue inside of a Greek temple-like structure. Daniel Chester French designed the statue of Lincoln, which was 99 feet in height in total, also the sculpture of the sitting Abraham Lincoln himself was 19 feet. He and carved it out of marble by the Piccirilli Brothers and Jules Guerin painted the murals on the interior of the monument.
The Jefferson Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial
Jefferson and Lincoln Memorial Comparison
Vietnam and World War II Memorial
The World War II Memorial honors the service of sixteen million members of the U.S military, the support of countless men in the homefront, and the sacrifice of 405,399 Americans. The granite, bronze, and water of the memorial complement the surrounding landscape of lawns, trees, and shrubbery. The memorial is an architectural wonder, consisting of Fifty-six granite columns, split between two half-circles encasing the Rainbow Pool and it's fountains, bronze ropes tying the columns together, bronze oak and wheat wreaths, Two 43-foot tall pavilions, and some hidden treasures such as the infamous "Kilroy was here " graffiti.
The Vietnam Memorial
The WWII Memorial
One of the two "Kilroy was here" graffiti located in the WWII Memorial
U.S. Capital
The American History and Holocaust Museum
The Holocaust Museum is a living memorial for the tragedy that was the Holocaust. The museum promotes human dignity, preventing genocide, and confronting hatred to ensure that nothing as catastrophic as the Holocaust could ever happen again. The main part of the building is designed to look similar to a concentration camp that people who fell victim to Hitler's mass genocide and weren't considered as part of his ideal, Aryan race were forced to endure through. The museum contains many permanent and temporary exhibits, such as Remeber the Children: Daniel's Story, an extensive research library and archives, two theaters, the Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies, a Children's Tile Wall, classrooms, the Hall of Witness, a memorial space, the Hall of Remembrance, and an education center. The Permanent Exhibition The Holocaust spans three floors of the Museum building and depicts the full history of the Holocaust through historical documents, artifacts, photographs, film footage, historical and personal photographs, oral and video histories, and more. My favorite part about this museum was the exhibit named "Remeber the Children: Daniel's Story". It told the tragic story of a Jewish child named Daniel who lived during the holocaust and shows how the Hitler was able to accomplish his hateful deeds. I also liked this display because it can be comprehended by children and adults alike, making sure that everyone can understand how much of a terrible act this was, and how it should never be forgotten.
The American History Museum
The Holocaust Museum (Exterior)
The Holocaust Museum (Interior)
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
The Kennedy Gravesite and Eternal Flame
The White House
The White House ↑
The National Zoo
The National Zoo
A Map of the National Zoo
Giant Pandas at the National Zoo
The Dinner Cruise
Travel and Hotel
The Molly Pitcher Rest Area
Our Bus Driver (Bus #3)
Our group on the bus
Overall, the 2016 Crispell Washington D.C. Trip was very fun, and an unforgettable experience, one that I am very grateful for.
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