“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture are like a tree without roots.” — Marcus Garvey
We took one last trip with our Pennsylvania family...we spent five days in our nation's capital. We rented a nice townhouse on Capitol Hill. It was within walking distance of many things, but after walking over five miles the first day we learned how to take the Metro. Even with that we racked up a lot of miles this week.
The house
The first floor was the entryway, dining room, half bath, kitchen and breakfast nook.
The second floor had the living room and children's room with an ensuite bathroom.
The two larger bedrooms were on the third floor along with two more bathrooms.
After dinner the first night we walked to Whole Foods for dessert.
There was a wonderful park across the street from the house where the kids ran and played each day. If you have to live in a city...this would be a great place to live.
We spent our first day walking...walking and seeing a lot. Our first stop was at the United States Botanic Garden. This is the oldest continuously operating public garden in the United States. During the late 18th century, George Washington had a dream of a national botanic garden and was instrumental in establishing one on the National Mall in 1820. The gardens came and went some until The Victorian Conservatory opened to the public in 1850 and the U.S. Botanic Garden has been in continuous operation and open to the public since this date.
This lady taught all of us about bees. She knew more about bees than anyone I've ever met.
We truly were impressed with the gardens, but our favorite section was the Orchids.
After lunch we headed to the National Museum of American History. Along the way we saw the Capitol and walked through the National Sculpture Garden. Unfortunately between the weather, construction, road barricades and a cultural festival on the National Mall getting good photos of any of the iconic places was impossible.
The sculpture garden offers a relaxing, year-round setting ,an oasis, in the middle of the National Mall. It was opened in 1999.
The National Museum of American History opened in 1964 as the Museum of History and Technology. It was renamed in 1980 to represent its mission of the collection, care, study, and interpretation of objects that reflect the experience of the American people. Some of the displays include the famed Star-Spangled Banner, First Ladies gowns, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and presidential artifacts.
Our last stop of the day was walking up to the Washington Monument. There are at least 160 monuments and memorials in Washington DC and the Washington Monument is perhaps the most famous. It pays tribute to our nation’s first commander in chief, George Washington. A world-renowned structure, the obelisk-shaped memorial sits in the center of the National Mall, in between the U.S. Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial and was completed in 1884.
Washington Monument Fun Facts:
- The 555 foot tall obelisk is the tallest building in DC and by law, no other building in Washington is allowed to be taller.
- The Monument is built of free-standing masonry which means there is no cement holding the blocks together.
- When originally built, the Washington Monument was the tallest building in the world at 555 feet tall. This record was broken in 1889 when the Eiffel Tower was built.
- The original elevator ride took 8-10 minutes. Currently the elevator ride to the top takes about 70 seconds.
- The trowel used to lay the cornerstone of the Monument was the same trowel used by George Washington to lay the cornerstone of the Capitol in 1793.
- The cap at the tip of the Monument is made out of aluminum which was a new and rare process at the time.
- The words "Laus Deo""Praise be to God!) are inscribed on the aluminum capstone.
Looking towards the Lincoln Memorial from the Washington Monument.
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