Washington D.C.

From Baltimore we headed south to Washington DC. dave had never been there before, plus two of our friends live nearby. Justin worked with dave in Alaska. He now lives with his fiancée, Sarah, in Rockville, Maryland. Ashley worked in Louisiana with us before we moved to Alaska. She is currently living in Arlington, Virginia.

Washington DC is an amazing city. In addition to the Mall where most of the monuments are, there are smaller, eclectic neighborhoods surrounding the city. Ashley brought us to Adams Morgan, a popular part of the city but with an international flare. After dinner we went to the Queen’s Café, a favorite spot of Ashley’s, to smoke shisha or hookah. Since alcohol is forbidden in most Muslin countries, the men relax by smoking shisha with their friends. This particular place was owned by an Egyptian. There were many other languages being spoken throughout and Arab pop music videos were playing on the TV. We spent the night hanging out and enjoying the mild, fruity smoke.

This is Ashley with her personal hookah she got in Egypt.

This is Justin and "Sarah" in front of their new condo.

The major monuments are arranged in a cross formation on the Mall. The Washington Monument points to the sky in the center while the White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial make up the points. The scale is hard to describe if you haven’t been there. The Washington Monument is hundreds of feet tall. The Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials have huge, marble stairways leading to the statues of the men. Pivotal quotes from these past presidents are etched out of marble and granite fifty feet high in some cases. Past wars are also remembered here with the Vietnam, World War II and Korean memorials. DC is a tribute to our founding fathers, the radicals of our country’s youth. These men stood up and started a new country. It was exciting to see our country through the eyes of these men and the promise this country still holds if we are willing to speak up and get back to our roots.

The Jefferson Memorial

Washington Monument

White House (Notice the migrant workers in the front yard … hummmm even the White House lawn wouldn’t be landscaped without them)

Peace Vigil outside the White House (You should enlarge this photo by double clicking it. It was pretty neat.)

Lincoln Memorial

Vietenam Memorial

Korean War Memorial

The Capitol

FDR Memorial and Quotes