american airlines got me a free roundtrip ticket to go anywhere in the continental us for the mileage points that i earned.. i always want to see mount rushmore in south dakota.. so i immediately checked in american airlines website to see the nearest airport where they fly to near the mount rushmore area.. it is omaha nebraska.. which is another 10hours drive going to the destination after landing.. wow.. i dropped mount rushmore and settled to my second choice.. washington dc.. i thought it would be nice to see the countrys seat of power.. i remember reading somewhere that washington dc was chosen site to be the us capital.. it was so due to its climate which is extemely hot in summer and chilly in winter.. in that case elected politicians will not tend to cling to their position and want to go back to their home state.. how forward thinking these early american politicians were.. aside from being the capital washington dc its economy thrives in tourism where many important monuments and museums are located and concentrated in one zone.. best of all admission to most attractions is free and getting around by foot is easy
foggy bottom - george washington university metro station.. all metro stops that i saw from reagan airport to foggy bottom-gwu have the same look
george washington university inn along the new hampshire ave nw
john f kennedy memorial center
potomac river seen from john f kennedy memorial center promenade
abraham lincoln memorial
reflecting pool seen from the steps of abraham lincoln memorial
abraham lincoln memorial temple
the tidal basin.. the thomas jefferson memorial on the other side.. path surrounding the basin leading to the memorial lined with cherry trees.. that are in full bloom every march
franklin d roosevelt memorial
thomas jefferson memorial temple
looking out the jefferson memorial through the columns.. a chopper in the middle of the pciture descending the white house.. must be picking up or dropping off obama.. which i heard later in the news was spending memorial day weekend in camp david
the washington monument and da mansion
thomas jefferson memorial
pedal boats for rent
world war ii memorial
smithsonian american history museum
smithsonian natural history museum.. i was ready to back out when i saw big queue outside the door.. after few minutes i decided to go in
inside the smithsonian air and space museum.. got a big mac meal for lunch at the mcdonalds inside the museum before exploring it
the skylab
command module of apollo
smithsonian national gallery of arts - west building
smithsonian national gallery of arts - east building
walkway connecting east and west buildings of national gallery of arts at the concourse level.. i got myself a two scoop ice cream at the museum cafe before i headed to the east building
smithsonian national gallery of arts - east building.. interior
united states capitol
katherine mcphee showed up to mingle with the audience before the concert rehearsal
people waiting for the concert rehearsal to begin at the west side lawn of us capitol.. the weather that night was fantastic.. a memorial day concert happens the following day
people waiting for the concert rehearsal seen from the steps of the us capitol
the donut shaped building of smithsonian hirshhorn museum.. there is a big hole in the middle of the building with big fountain at ground level
smithsonian castle
blue phone booth in foggy bottom neigborhood at g street nw and 21st street nw inside the gwu campus
students on field trip to dc
the big house at 1600 pennsylvania avenue.. residence of the two most important persons in the world -- sasha and malia.. their pet dog bo is the most important canine the world.. if that information is correct then i was only few meters away from the most important dog that time
some of half a million bikers mostly war veterans from all over the nation converge in town to celebrate the veterans day.. at this point i was fed up with eating only sandwiches.. and was so ready for a place that serves rice or asian food.. i discovered a food court at the lower level of ronald regan building on 14th street nw and pennsylvania avenue nw.. there i found a place for chinese food.. i was quickly disappointed after the first bite
south side of the white house.. i was relieved to see it complete again.. it was destroyed while filming the independence day movie
korean war memorial
world war i memorial
vietnamn war memorial
international monetary fund
world bank
shops near the north west corner of the george washington university campus
after donut and coffee breakfast at the airport.. i boarded the plane for a morning flight going back to springfield.. at some point during the flight the pilot warned us that we were heading through some turbulent areas
