Washington, D.C.

So I arrived to D.C. on the Amtrack which took me to Union Station which is so big I almost got lost twice. I had to decide right there what I wanted to see since I was only going to be in D.C. for 6 hours, which is not much time considering that there is so much there to see.

(Union Station)

I decided the first thing i should see should be the White House. It is the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States. It is located on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C.
It was built between 1792 and 1800 and designed by James Hoban. In 1814, during the war of 1812, the mansion was set on fire by the British Army in the Burning of Washington, which destroyed the interior and charred most of the exterior. Reconstruction began almost immediately and additions were added to the original design. The building was originally referred to by many names such as "President's Palace", "Presidential Mansion", or ""President's House".  President Theodore Roosevelt established the formal name by having "The White House" engraved on the stationary in 1901. The White House has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams. I wish i would have been able to go in for one of the tours but since 9/11 you have to request a ticket 3-6 months in advance so that they can do a background check. Things sure have changed since i was there last but now i know, that way when i go back i can go inside :)

(The Back Of The White House)

(The Front Of The White House)

The nest stop was the Lincoln Memorial. It is located in the National Mall which is a large open park downtown that hold everything between the Lincoln Memorial and the United States Capitol. The Memorial contains a large seated sculpture of Abraham Lincoln as well as two well know speeches, The Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address. The Lincoln Memorial has been the place of many famous speeches, one of which is Martin Luther King's  "I Have a Dream" speech. When you finally make it up the steps of the Memorial there is a feeling of respect that rushes over you, it's something you must experience for yourself. It was my favorite place of the entire day.

(The Lincoln Memorial)

(The Sculpture Of Abraham Lincoln)

As you exist the Lincoln Memorial the first thing you see is the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is over 1/3 of a mile long and at the very end is the Washington Monument. It is a very pretty sight especial with all the fall colors surrounding you. The Washington Monument is the world tallest stone structure, and it was built to honor of President George Washington. The first cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848 and the capstone was set on December 6,1884. It was then dedicated on February 21,1885 and then opened to the public on October 9, 1888. It took 36 years from start to dedication. Due to the earthquake in 2011 the monument has been closed off to the public for restoration and could stay closed up until 2014. It's still something to see

(Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument)

(The Washington Monument)

There are many more things that i saw but the last thing I'm showing is the United States Capitol. On the way back to Union Station i stop for a minute to take a picture of the Capitol. The Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress. 

(The Capitol)

D.C. is a place that you want to spend a few days at, there are so many museums and things to see that it's impossible to see it all in a whole day let alone 6 hours. Needless to say my feet were killing me by the end of the day but next time I will spend at least 2 days there. Till Next Time :)

~KRISTEN