Honestly, what would a trip to DC be without some monumental sightseeing, y'all? We spiced things up on our recent visit by exploring the famous memorials at night and there is no doubt in my mind that it was the right decision! We tried to spend most of the day indoors at exhibits, museums, and galleries, (and maybe even a pub for beers!) partly because that's when they are open but also because it was so hot while we were there. And I mean, how cool is frolicking about your country's capital with your best friends at night?! (Uhhh, the answer is very cool!)
MLK Jr. Memorial / / / Lincoln MemorialAlthough I'm always complaining that Shannon lives so far away, it was really awesome to have my own knowledgable (+ adorable!) tour guide the entire time! She and Greg seriously made sure we got to see everything we wanted and even showed us stuff I didn't know about— like the WWII Memorial— which ended up being my favorite. Except for maybe the new MLK memorial. . . Ahhhh, it's so hard to decide!
Roosevelt Memorial
Another reason it was a great idea to go at night is because there were wayyy less people out and about. Don't get me wrong, there were still a good amount of tourists everywhere, but for an introvert like me it was really nice to walk around without bumping into people on their phones and screaming children.
Eleanor Roosevelt / / / WWII MemorialI have only been to DC once before and since it was on a road trip, I don't think we spent more than 12 hours there total. I was with my friends' band and we seriously got into town, biked around to the memorials, played a show, and then ate chili fries and left. It was a lot of fun to spend some more time sightseeing and actually choosing what we wanted to do instead of feeling like we had to cram a lot into a few hours.
I'm glad we got to walk around and hangout more this time, buttttt if you ever go I highly recommend seeing the city by bike, if possible. It's a lot faster and leaves your feet less sore at the end of the day. Also, biking is ten jillion times better than walking so just trust me ;-)
WWII Memorial
I generally try to only post my "best of the best" photos here on the blog but to prove that I'm a real person, here's a picture of what the Jefferson Memorial looks like when you have your camera on the totally wrong settings:
Jefferson Memorial (kindaaaa)
Wowie, zowie— look at that swirl! I've also included a touristy photo of me + Nick at the Lincoln Memorial, a shot of my three favorite people's shoes because feelings, and an extra photo of Nick being a tourist because beard.
I think that's everything I wanted to cover in this post. . . Have you ever been to DC? What's your favorite sight? I just really love how many free things there are to do + see! I feel like I could spend a month there and not even experience it all! I hope everyone is having + continues to have a fun October. Anyone have any fun trips planned this month?! Let me know because I'm nosey and I want to live vicariously through you! -Jenna
I was just recently in DC and we did the monuments at night - it is so magical! The coolest part of us was that the night we were there was the lunar launch from VA, so we got to have a really great view from the Lincoln Memorial! I'll never forget that!
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Laura
http://lauraisthriftingthroughlife.blogspot.com
that sounds so amazing! i'm glad you got to see the monuments at night, too— it's so different from all the regular photos we're used to seeing!
DeleteYour pictures of the WWII memorial are so perfect! I need you to teach all yer magical ways, woman.
ReplyDeletenight pictures are tough. i try to keep the ISO as low as possible and crank down the f-number. it just takes a lot of manual mode practicing— i'm definitely still learning
DeleteI've never been to DC and to me it is mostly the place where Bones is set! Sorry. I do think a night time tour of memorials sounds beautiful though. I would quite like to see the giant Lincoln memorial one day. I also really want to visit the Smithsonian.
ReplyDeleteI love DC! I've never seen it at night though... your photos give it a whole new perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandpa was a WWII veteran, and a couple of months before he died, he went on an Honor Flight to see that WWII Memorial. He couldn't stop smiling after, it made him feel so amazing... that's what I think of when I see that memorial.
Oh, I was just saying the other day that I would REALLY love to go to DC. I've never been! Lovely pictures!
ReplyDeleteGood timing! You got to see everything before the government shut down! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou got some great pictures! and uncustomary is right, thank goodness it was before the shutdown!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos! (And I love your polkadot top!)
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