At the Nation’s Capital

What better way to tour the Nation’s Capital? Run!

We only had two days in Washington D.C. so we had little time to view the sites. Walking around takes much time. Taking a car would be more difficult because of the limited parking space caused by traffic and tourists.

Ella and I did a slow, sightseeing run around the city, taking frequent picture-taking stops. We started at around 7am to avoid the horde of tourists. This turned out to be a good decision.

I would like to share our route and the sites we saw.

We started from our Hotel, the Washington Plaza located in Thomas Circle. We made our way down 14th Street then turned to 16th Street towards Lafayette Square.

Just across the Square is the front lawn of the White House. At this time, there were very few tourists around. There were also no snipers on the roof and few secret service agents on the ground.

The sad part is that we didn’t have anybody to take our photos. Cops around the block will not entertain requests for a snapshot.

Across the National Mall is the Lincoln Memorial. To get here, we traversed 17th Street and Constitution Avenue. We passed by the tranquil waters of Constitution Garden’s Pond and the Vietnam War Memorial. Running is prohibited along the path of the Vietnam War Memorial.

Opposite the Lincoln Memorial is the Washington Memorial and the Capitol. From this area, you can see the tree line of Reflecting Pool pointing to the World War II Memorial. To the east of the Lincoln Memorial is the Korean War Memorial.

World War II Memorial. There is a fountain in the middle and pillars representing the states that supported the war effort. There are also two arches that mark the wars in the Pacific and the Atlantic. I had to have a photo here by the Bataan, Corregidor markers as my grandfather served in Bataan and was a Death March survivor.

Sitting on Capitol Hill on the eastern portion of the National Mall is the U.S. Capitol. This building is the meeting place of the U.S. Federal Congress. The building somewhat resembles St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican because of its magnificent dome.

On the block immediately to the east of the Capitol is the U.S. Supreme Court Building. To stand before such a structure gives a lawyer like me goose bumps. Imagine the decisions that the institution of the court have promulgated to shape society and enrich legal literature and jurisprudence.

We finished around 10:30 A.M. so we grabbed a late breakfast from one of the refreshment stands in front of the museums. We sat by a grassy portion of the Mall under the trees. While we were eating, a wild animal attempted to take our food.

Ella and I saw him come down from a tall tree. We didn’t mind him at first but when he came closer, I shooed him away because he was going right for our hotdogs!

It was then that other tourists noticed him. Turns out that albino squirrels are not an ordinary sight, even for American kids.

We walked back to the hotel which was a couple of blocks from the Mall. Along the way we found this little souvenir store.

The President, and Ms. Palin is ready to answer your questions. :p

Ahh…yes. After 12.3 kilometers, elevating the legs and feet give such a relief.