Washington, D.C. – Memorials, Part II

We left the Lincoln Memorial and veered left to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

When the memorial was first installed, it consisted solely of the wall, and it is this part of the memorial that draws the most people and, in my opinion, has the most emotional impact. From Wikipedia:

The memorial currently consists of three separate parts: the Three Soldiers statue, the Vietnam Women’s Memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, which is the best-known part of the memorial.

The Three Soldiers

The Memorial Wall

It isn’t just the names listed that provides the impact, but the reflection of the observers seen in the polished gabbro.

From the beginning people began to take rubbings of names on the wall. So many continue to do so that papers and pencil are now provided.

Another making a rubbing of a name on the wall.

Was it his brother? A sister? A cousin? A friend?

To me, this is one of the most moving memorials on the National Mall.

The Vietnam Women’s Memorial.

I had to shoot these very tight as it was surrounded by the aforementioned middle school kids. Their hot pink shirts are actually reflected in parts of the sculpture. (You can see a wide-angle shot of the memorial at this link – not my photo).

After the Vietnam Memorial, we moved on to the World War II Memorial. As understated as the Vietnam Memorial is, the WWII memorial reflects the size and scope of the war. There are two massive towers on either side, each representing the two theaters of the war (Atlantic and Pacific). Each smaller column with wreath represents each state and U.S. territory and others that sent men and women to war in the name of the United States.

A remembrance of the women at home who marched into the factories. My grandmother was one of them.

Washington, D.C. – Memorials, Part 1

After visiting Arlington on Monday morning, we walked across the Potomac to the National Mall. The Lincoln Memorial is the first monument you encounter.

The view from the bridge. The lone walker gives an idea of the size of the memorial.

It takes a while for your eyes to adjust, but there he is.

The view from the stairs. The Washington Monument is encased in scaffolding in preparation for repairing the damage done during the August 2011 earthquake.

It is the time of year when middle school children are taking their year-end class trips. Their bright t-shirts (and *ahem* enthusiasm) were everywhere.

The Gettysburg Address. When I was in 8th grade I memorized, and recited in class, the full address.

One last look . . .

Weekly Photo Challenge: In the Background

This seems to work for this week’s challenge (and it’s from our trip too!) “Take a picture of yourself or someone else as a shadow, a reflection, or a lesser part of a scene, making the background, or . . . the foreground, the center of attention.”

She caught my eye from five rooms away . . .

James Abbott McNeil Whistler, Symphony in White, No. 1: The White Girl, 1862, oil on canvas – National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

I’m back!

Wonderful vacation and tons of photos . . .

I’ll be doing a lot of processing this weekend and will share. And I will try to catch up with all of you as well!

Morning coffee at the Hotel Lombardy, Washington, D.C.

Arlington

Wednesday was a full day. We traipsed all over the National Mall, but our day started at Arlington National Cemetery. The sky was overcast with an occasional sprinkle.

Nothing prepares you for the rows upon rows of headstones.

Civil War Tomb of the Unknowns

We witnessed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

It really is a beautiful and peaceful place.

But sad.

After walking through McClellan Gate we turned to head back to the visitor center

. . . but stopped short when we heard the slow mournful beat of a drum.

An officer’s burial.

A final salute.

Busboys and Poets, 14th & V

Thank you to Bill Jones, Jr. for an excellent recommendation. I walked into the restaurant and knew immediately it was my kind of place. From the sofa seating area, to the blackboard menu, to my favorite Langston Hughes poem silk-screened on the back of servers’ shirts, to the delicious tofu scramble, to the cozy bookstore (where I purchased my breakfast read, the Utne Reader, and after breakfast snagged a copy of Alice Walker’s The World Will Follow Joy: Turning Madness into Flowers), Busboys and Poets was all that, and then some.

iPhone shot on the way in . . .