It’s About Time

At the Washington Monument at night

While some of us sit hidden away after our internships and classes we tend to forget that we are technically still tourists in the city of Washington, D.C. Many of those that currently live in the city are quite complacent in their lives, showing no interest in seeing monuments and memorials. When back home in San Francisco, I almost feel as if the tourists know more about the city than I do, because I always figure I can see the historic sites at some later point of my life. While we are here, we should take advantage of the sights D.C. has to offer.

On that note, after a busy week at my internship, on Friday I got to do some nighttime sightseeing. Many of the major attractions in D.C. look even better at night; I figured Friday would be a good day to go sight-seeing since most people were either resting after a long week or out at the many bars and clubs D.C. has to offer. While waiting for night to fall, some friends and I went to Dupont Circle to find some happy hours. This was not very hard to find in D.C. since it seems like every bar and restaurant advertises a half-off happy hour. I got the chance to go to two different happy hours that night.

In the center of the Atlantic and Pacific at the World War II Memorial

Later that night we took the Metro to Smithsonian. Once we exited the station we could see the Capitol lighting up on the other side the Washington Monument. We decided to go towards the Washington Monument since there was more to see in that direction. After the monument we went to the World War II memorial. Both were crowded with tourists, but that did not factor into our experience. We continued to walk through the path towards the lit up Lincoln Memorial. When you look back you could see the reflection of the Washington Monument in the water. This was definitely a classic tourist picture. As we took the stairs up to the Lincoln Memorial we stopped to take pictures of the spot where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. It was a bit annoying to see a huge water spot at the sight; it was almost as if someone purposefully spilled on his landmark. We finally made it to the top to see the enormous statue of Lincoln. All the sights were worth the walk, however, next time I will remember to wear my D.C. commuter shoes.

Where Martin Luther King Jr. made his “I Have a Dream” speech

This week monuments, hopefully next week will be museums. I have yet to go to a museum since I have been here!

I heard Lincoln was tall but I look like an ant next to his Memorial