See America 2008

We got out to the mall by about 10:30 and hiked to the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and the Vietnam Wall. We passed the Washington Monument and the WW II Memorial on the way, but didn't take time to stop at those monuments. At the Lincoln Memorial we took time to read the Gettysburg Address and his Inaugural Address from his re-election in 1864.

Sad to say this was my first visit to Korean War monument since it was built. It was the most impactful for me - and not just because my Dad is a veteran of that war. The soldier statues truly appear haunting and life-like. Of the war monuments, this one does the most to allow visitors to imagine what things might have been like.

Hot, hungry and thirsty, we snagged a cab to the Natural History Museum in search of cool air and refreshments. The Atrium Cafe there provided both in abundance, and we ate our last meal of the road trip there. We were able to spend only about an hour and a half touring the museum after lunch before we needed to get back to check out of the hotel and head to the airport.

I highly recommend the Crystal Gateway Marriott for its convenient location to the Crystal City Metro stop. It has a connecting tunnel to the Crystal City Shops and the Metro, and is just one stop from Reagan National Airport.

The trip home was uneventful - the favorite adjective of frequent travelers. No glitches, despite the Hurricane Eduard impacting the Texas airports. We got home about 10pm Tuesday night and crashed into bed.

Future posts will break down the trip and provide some reflection for those considering a similar trip. We covered 3010 miles in our rented minivan, over 10 days of driving. We found that to be just about right, and our days were full for sure. Any more driving and the overall experience for all would have been diminished proportionally. As it turned out, all seem to have thought the trip was great and would change little. We will explore this more in future posts.