Monuments and Memorials

Today, we drove from Cleveland, OH to Washington, DC. We arrived at the National Mall area about 3:30 p.m. with just enough daylight left to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial and walk all the way around the Tidal Basin. Here’s the list of monuments and memorials we saw today:

  • Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
  • Korean War Memorial
  • Lincoln Monument
  • Vietnam Veterans Memorial
  • World War II Memorial
  • Washington Monument
  • Thomas Jefferson Memorial
  • Theodore Delano Roosevelt Memorial

The newest of the memorials on the National Mall (MLK, Jr.) was certainly a sight to see. However, I’m just not sure it has the right feel to it. It’s very stark and unfeeling for such a passionate man. My favorite remains the Theodore Delano Roosevelt Memorial. None of the other monuments and memorials have the same immersive yet comfortable experience as the Roosevelt walk.

While wandering around the Tidal Basin, I was able to capture some amazing photos using my BlackBerry Tour. It does pretty well for a phone camera.

A view of the Jefferson Monument from across the Tidal Basin.

Washington Monument from across the TIdal Basin.

One of my favorite images of the Roosevelt Memorial.

More from the other memorials on Flickr. Tomorrow, more from Washington DC. On the tentative list: Library of Congress, Supreme Court, the Capital Building and one of the National Galleries.

Cleveland “Rocks”

It was with a heavy heart that we left Chicago this morning. We were treated to some amazing sights during the two days we spent there. But, when we got to Cleveland, we were treated to a comfortable downtown area and a wonderful view of it from the Pier W restaurant across Lake Erie.

Unfortunately, the restaurant was too nice to be snapping photos from the table, so here’s a link to a photo search for “Cleveland Downtown” on Google. We had a fantastic bottle of wine with dinner, that I am finishing while I write.

On a side note, I met David’s, Aunt Inecita. He hadn’t seen her since law school, when she welcomed him into her home for every major holiday. It was his home away from home.

Tomorrow we drive to Washington, DC, where I’ll have so many photos you’ll have to scroll through Flickr to see them all.