Parks, Trails, and Lots of History
by methos_6
If I had to show anyone the best things about Arlington, I'd take them by bike down Columbia Pike Blvd., cross over to Ft. Myer, and travel towards the Pentagon with Arlington National Cemetery directly on your left. Continue on by sidewalk to the Pentagon, riding past the site of the 9-11 crash, then cross over onto the Mt. Vernon Trail. Stop for a little while, have a backpack lunch, inbetween the 14th St. Bridge and Memorial Bridge. Laying on the banks of the Potomac gazing at the Washington and Lincoln Memorial. Back atop the bike, riding towards National Airport, stopping at Gravelly Point, which allows you to let the passenger jets thunder right over your head. A perfect 2 or 3 hour ride. After 9-11, I'd get on my bike to go to work, and as I crested the hill by the Navy Annex the Pentagon would come into view, and I'd see all those people working to finish reconstructing the damaged portions of the building. To me, that was representative of how the nation was having to heal itself, and seeing that everyday (continuing today) always makes me stop and think.
Arlington Tip
by sverige
One of my fondest memories was that of Robert Kennedy's grave. It is so modest...His brother's is so grand & you take a few steps past John's grave & there is Bobby's very simple resting spot...the simplicity is moving.
Meeting with friends, part 1
by b1bob
Fernando (leftmost in more ways than one) and I arrived in Alexandria on time and my university friend James McGarvey (rightmost) was waiting for us at the King Street metro station. We took the metro straight away for Ballston where yet another university friend T.K. Gore was to meet us. Some will remember that T.K. put me up in his house the night before I went to Greece the previous year (see my McLean page). He wasn't there when we arrived in Ballston, so I rung him up. T.K. had been to a party the previous night and got thoroughly plastered and he hadn't gotten up by 11.00. Although he tried his best to hide it, he looked like two miles of bad road and appeared clearly hung over when he showed up. I can empathise with that feeling as I have gotten plastered a few times whilst I attended university. I promised James (who just had a birthday) and T.K. (who was fixing to have one) that I would take them out to eat. We took a light lunch at Slade's in the Ballston Common shopping centre in Arlington. (That location of Slade's has since closed- Chevy's Tex Mex is in that slot.) Unfortunately, T.K. had to work for a bit that Saturday afternoon, so he left us as soon as we finished. However, James hung on a bit longer and we were off to the Smithsonian. We toured the American History museum which contained exhibits on New Mexico, First Ladies, transport, coinage, Civil Rights, and World War II amongst other things.
Nat relaxed
by matcrazy1
Nat finally left the VT-Queen bed and, surprisingly he was very relaxed and looked happy. It's a funny thing, but he told me that he had slept very comfortably on the floor that night and that he was so tired that night, he could have slept on a bed of nails.
As our room had one bathroom it took us some time to be ready to go to visit Washington, DC. Being addicted to smoking :-( and photography :-) I took a short walk around the hotel. When I came back we finally could leave the room.
We wanted Nat to stay with us for the next night and he was all for it, but he told that he didn't have any change of clothes and let me try and quote his southern English: "I dont want to smell like an upper New Jersey tank farm in the middle of July" or something those lines. Haha, thanks for the warning, I will visit New Jersey sooner or later but for sure not in July and never near a tank farm.
Like in central Europe
by matcrazy1
This apartment building, on my picture, was placed somewhere close to Rosslyn metro station. It looks at first sight very similar to thousands buildings I see everyday in my hometown, Tychy in Poland or in any other city in the central part of Europe ruled by the former Soviet Union till 1989/1990 (Poland, eastern part of Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia).
Well, the windows are larger and in my part of the world not all the buildings are clean and painted. And, in contrast to Arlington, most people still live in such or similar apartment buildings in central European cities because they can't bear the cost of purchase, hire or construction a house.
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Iwo Jima Memorial
Changing of the Guard
Ferni picking some items from the buffet
Front of the Masonic Monument
