MY D.C TRIP
2016
Washington monument
THE MONUMENT: Opened in 1888, standing 555 feet tall, the Washington monument stands visible from almost every monument we visited on our trip.It was built to honor our first president,George Washington.The view from the top is breathing taking, giving you a 30 mile field of view.Plans for the monument to be built started before Washington was even president! When the monument finally started construction, it had to be halted during the Civil war, due to tight funding. When the war finally ended, the constructors of the monument were shocked to find the stone had changed color from aging for so long,so now the monument is two different colors.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL
The Lincoln memorial was one of my favorite stops on the trip.Towering above the reflection pool. it resembles the 16th president,Abraham Lincoln, overlooking the countries capitol he fought so hard to preserve. Inscribed in the wall to his left shows his famous Gettysburg address.The 36 columns represent the amount of states on the day of his death.The Lincoln memorial was built much quicker than the Washington monument. Construction started in 1914, and was opened in 1922.
Lincolns memorial(Above)
Jefferson Memorial
The Jefferson memorial was opened in April 13th, 1943. It was modeled after the Parthenon of Rome, and is a dedication to Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. The statue of the famous president shows him reading his draft of the Declaration of independence. Despite the U.S's entrance to WW2, construction of the monument continued, and opened to the public April 13th,1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday.
Jefferson memorial (ABOVE)
Iwo Jima memorial
The island of Iwo Jima was one of the primary objectives for America to capture. After 4 days of fighting through brutal Japanese defenses, the island of Iwo Jima belonged to Americans. After the island was captured by the Americans, a small American flag was flying from the top of the islands highest point. They later raised a much larger flag. The Statues dedicated to the soldiers who planted the flag stand 32ft tall.The entire memorial cost nearly 850,000 thousand dollars, and none of it came from public funds. This was definitely one of my favorite memorials on the trip, just because of how lifelike it looks, and how well it resembles the part of history.
Korean War memorial
The Korean war memorial is dedicated to the soldiers of the Korean war, and shows 19 steel statues, built in Beacon,NY.The statues show the soldiers in ponchos, where the wind seems to be blowing through it.They stand seven feet tall, and shows 14 army, 3 marine, 1 navy and 1 air force member.next to the statues is the mural wall, which shows the many different jobs needed in the Korean war.
The U.S Capitol
The U.S capitol a lot larger than i expected, at the height of nearly 300 feet. The statue on top of the large dome is lady freedom. Weighing 15,000 pounds, she would sure do some damage if she fell. There were many plans for the U.S capitol, including being the grave site for George Washington! It was also nearly burned to the ground in the war of 1812 by the British.The famous dome that we know today was not always the way it is. It used to be made of copper, and was smaller. It is the meeting place of the house of representatives and Senate.The Apotheosis was one of the coolest things we saw in DC.
Holocaust Smithsonian museum
The holocaust museum was an amazing tribute to the survivors of the Holocaust, as well as the victims who weren't so lucky. The museum is not like one I have seen before. This one seemed to go deeper, with a greater meaning than just showing you the past. It tried to connect you to the past, and the people in it. My favorite exhibit was definitely the remember the children,Daniels story. It takes you through the life of a child in the holocaust, and what he had to go through, and what he left behind.
Daniels story (ABOVE)
Smithsonian Natural History museum
The natural history museum was amazing, with incredible exhibits and several things to do. The museum was founded in 1910 by the Smithsonian institution,and the name speaks for itself. It has anything found in nature, and more.The coolest exhibit was the large elephant that was so big, it takes up a large portion of the museums rotunda. It was made of around 10,000 pounds of clay, and stands nearly 14 ft. tall.
Arlington national cemetery
The Arlington natural cemetery is the final resting place of nearly 400,000 people from America and 11 other countries have been buried in Arlington. The rows of grave stones in the cemetery are hard to look at, and almost seem endless. Founded in 1864, it is home to several of the men and women who died defending our country. Arlington is not only the final resting place of American troops and other heroes, but also the late John F. Kennedy! The former president was given a amazing memorial, a large tomb in with an eternal flame lit on top, Burning 24/7.
Audie Murphy
Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated troops of WW2, was drafted to the war as a simple infantry troop, and is now recognized as one of the bravest troops in American history. Audie was leading a group of troops through Holtzwihr France, when they came under attack by several German troops. Audie ordered his troops to retreat, and the rest earned his spot in history. He mounted a broken tanks machine gun and single handily killed nearly 50 troops. He was a great reason for the recapturing of France.
Tomb of the Unknown soldier
The tomb of the unknown soldier without a doubt the coolest thing in D.C. The tomb is the resting place of an unidentified WW1 soldier, and is constantly under protection of a guard. The guards of the tomb are not just anyone though. They must go through much training, and cannot swear or drink for the rest of there life. The tomb has the phrase inscribed on its side, saying,"Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God". The tomb is also under protection 24/7, rain or shine.
White House
The white house, whos name was given to it in 1901 by president Theodore Roosevelt, was built in 1792. It is home and workplace of the president during his presidency. It was very cool to see and learn about the past of the presidents home.
National Zoo
The national Zoo was our final stop in D.C. It is home to several animals, so many that we couldn't see them all.It was founded in 1889, and has had several additions to the zoo. It is nearly 170 acres, and is full of exotic animals from around the world. My favorite animal was the Panda. It was so funny to see them play with bamboo, and roll down hill.
PANDA
Dinner Cruise
The cruise was a lot of fun. Although the food wasn't great, it was really fun when we went on the observation deck on top.We road down the Potamic, and listened to a lot of music. The captain was very funny, and the view from the ship was amazing, and the Washington monument looked awesome at night.
The trip
The bus ride was really long, but we watched movies the whole ride. And, our bus driver was the coolest bus driver ever. He was really nice and called me his best bud. My group and I had a lot of fun, and we had a lot of food. On the way there and back, we stopped at Molly Pitchers rest stop for breakfast and then dinner. We also stopped in Maryland after one of the buses broke down. All in all, it was an awesome trip.