Fun things to do in Washington D.C.

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This memorial honors the sacrifice of the 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army. Originally it was intended to honor losses in World War I and was originally dedicated by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1936. Later on it was expanded to honor losses in the Second World War and the Korean War. Significant battles that the division participated in In World War II are on the West panel and those from the Korean War are on the east panel.

The18 foot tall flaming sword guards the gateway. The depiction of the flaming sword has been around a long time, One famous reference is the flaming sword put in the hands of the cherub once Adam and Eve had been banished from the Garden of Eden. In this particular case the flaming sword is meant to symbolize the defense of Paris from the German advance (in world war II.)

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If you are in the capital on 4th of July, get some snacks, find a nice spot near the Lincoln memorial or any national monument, squat on the grass and enjoy the fireworks, its a great outdoor activity and its free!!

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Definitely don't miss this one!

The Smithsonian Institution is truly amazing, and with so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to know which ones you most want to visit during your time in Washington, D.C. When I went, my friends and I went to the Air and Space Museum, the Art museum, spent almost a whole day at the Natural History Museum, and then regretted that we didn't have more time at this museum, our favorite, the National Museum of American History.

Whether you're a history buff or not, there will be something to interest you at this museums. Into fashion? They have a whole collection of all of the First Lady's inaugural gowns. Like classic movies? They have the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz. Is Abraham Lincoln your favorite president? They have a whole are devoted to him, including his suit and his signature hat. Are you a Seinfeld fan? They have the Puffy Shirt there. Play with Barbie or G.I. Joe growing up? They have originals. They have artifacts from all of the wars, George Washington's uniform from the Revolutionary War even, the original Star Spangled Banner, and so much more that we didn't get to see!

There's truly something that anyone in your group would enjoy seeing at this museum, so don't overlook it next time you're making the difficult choice of which Smithsonian to visit.

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This memorial is dedicated to all the sacrifices of the men and women of the United States Air Force and including the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps; the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps; the Division of Military Aeronautics, Secretary of War; the Army Air Service; the U.S. Army Air Corps; and the U.S. Army Air Forces.

More than 54,000 airmen have died in combat while serving in the Air Force and these historical service arms of the military, the second highest of any of America’s four armed services.

Designed by James Ingo Freed, which features three stainless steel spires that reach for the sky and the tallest is 270 feet. It represents the airstreams of the United States Air Force Thunderbird Demonstration Team.

These three spires also represent the three core values of the Air Force - integrity first, service before self, and excellence in all that is done - and the Air Force’s total force - active, guard and reserve, which you can see etched into some beautiful black granite.

The wonderful bronze Honor Guard statue sculpted by Zenos Frudakis. There are many granite walls with many inscriptions located at either end of the central lawn. There is a another beautiful Glass Contemplation Wall that honors fallen airmen.

Restrooms are located towards the end of the lawn towards the back of the building.

OPERATING HOURS
The Memorial is open every day of the year. Hours are 8 a.m. – 11 p.m. April 1 – September 30 and 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. October 1 – March 3

IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a very small area designated just across the street as visitor parking. It is easily missed because the parking is just next to the Handicap parking and the signs are Blue with White lettering like the Handicap Parking. Warning: The rest of the parking you need passes or you will be towed. So really look.

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On January 21, 2013 President Barack Obama will be inaugurated for his second 4 year term as President of the United States.

During the last Inaguration in 2009 there were 1.8 million people on the Mall. They are expecting somewhat fewer visitors this time, probably in the neighborhood of about a million. However the challenges of putting together an event for that many people seem daunting to me.

Hotels- right after the election hotel rooms in Washington were selling for twice their normal price. Fancier hotels naturally are much more expensive. I heard that some hotels were charging up to 600 dollars a night during the Inaguration (with packages). Needless to say, if you haven't made hotel arrangements by now you will either have an enormous amount of money in which case it wont make any difference OR you will end up having to stay a good ways away.

Transportation- unless you are coming in on a charter bus (who will arrange the drop off/pick up) you will most likely have to depend on public transport since downtown DC just doesn't have sufficient parking for that many people. Parking at Metro. Metro has 60,000 parking spaces spread out over 42 stations, unless you park at metro very early you wont find a space. Be prepared for waits that could last hours on the Metro.

Eating- you will always be able to get a hot dog on the Mall, but restaurants! Oh mercy...that will be challenging.

Finding a cab- too many street closures and preparations. Will be difficult, to say the least.

Besides that,, there are security regulations. Last time out you were not allowed to bring strollers onto the Mall. No backpacks, large cases etc.

To all the visitors that will be coming to Washington for this great event- thank you for coming, please be as patient as possible. A huge crowd like that sort of stretches things to the limit.
Have fun and take lots of pictures:)

If you are interested in theater then you must watch My Fair Lady, which is a musical play. It is an adaption of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.

Manna Nichols plays the main protagonist, Eliza Doolittle, and is the soul and spirit of the play. Not far behind is Prof. Henry Higgins, amazingly played by Benedict Campbell.

Sign up with the Arena Stage for special deals and offers and watch the play at a discounted rate. It runs for approximately 3 hours with a 10 minute intermission.

It runs till January 6, 2013.

Originally dedicated in 1931 to honoring the service in World War I of citizens of the District of Columbia, the national capital. It is one of the lesser known memorials, located in West Potomac Park, the only District monument on the National Mall. In the cornerstone you will find the names of 499 Washingtonians who lost their lives in the Great War. The last surviving US veterans of World War I petitioned Congress that the DC War Memorial be expanded to serve as a memorial to World War I for the nation.

The memorial was refurbished and reopened on November 10, 2011 after a year of work.

The West Potomac Park is National Park in Washington administered under the US National Park Service. It is located adjacent to the National Mall and easily accessible. I believe we walked the length of it as we toured the many outdoor monuments and attractions; it stretches to the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, from the Lincoln Memorial and the grounds of the Washington Monument.

The park hosts most of the outdoor attractions/ monuments/ statutes, including the Korean War Veterans Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Roosevelt Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and the surrounding land on the shore of the Tidal Basin. In the nineteenth century, an artificial inlet of the Potomac River was created and it links the Potomac with the northern end of the Washington Channel.