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Created by Team Frosick
172 people like this trip

The DC Quickie

A trip from September 08, 2005 to September 08, 2005, travelling to Washington
A one-day tour of DC courtesy of the Old Town Trolley Company.
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Rounding the Mall

We had some friends in town over the weekend. Being the ever-gracious hosts (or at least that's what my wife tells me we're SUPPOSED to be...), we took them on the Old Town Trolley Tour through DC. Contrary to what the name implies, the tour never gets down to Alexandria, instead winding its way by all of the major sights and monuments in DC.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I have NOT taken the time to properly tour DC prior to this. The trip ended up being as interesting for me as it was for our guests. We emerged from the Metro at Union Station - certainly one of the more impressive train stations I've seen in the U.S.
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Matter of fact, the view from outside the station was as impressive (if not more so) than the view from inside. We particularly liked the large American flags, billowing in the breeze as they hung from the front of the building:
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Something about the interior of the trolley reminded us of our trolley rides in Hong Kong (although the ride in DC certainly cost more than the 50 or so cents we spent on the Hong Kong version).

DC:

P1010632    And Hong Kong:  Inside the tram
The DC trolley tour is hop-on and hop-off. What does that mean? For us, it meant we never got in the rhythm of our tour guide/drivers (all of whom seemed knowledgable and capable of entertaining their passengers). When Mel's mom was here, she liked the tour guide so much, she never got off. We, however, jumped off at the first stop (the Capitol building).     Image Image

 









There are also some interesting Civil War statues around the Capitol. Image


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And, of course, a great view toward the Washington Monument. 


After investigating the outside of the Capitol building, we began wandering down the Mall, stopping in for quick looks at the Air and Space Museum, the Hirshhorn outdoor artwork, and some great signs scattered along the Mall that graphically demonstrate the distance between planets of the Solar System (courtesy of the Air and Space Museum, of course). ImageImageImage
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We slip through a small, well-maintained garden adjacent to the Smithsonian castle to catch the Trolley for a ride out to the Jefferson Memorial.      ImageImage
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ImageIt's a short walk from the Jefferson Memorial to the FDR Memorial so we hoof it on over. I'll be honest...I didn't even realize there WAS an FDR Memorial. And I CERTAINLY didn't realize how elaborate it was. I guess that's what a man gets for serving four terms as president, huh?    

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We jump back on the Trolley for the short trip over the the Lincoln Memorial, with its spectacular views down the Mall. From here, it's also a short walk to both the Vietnam Memorial and the newly commissioned WWII Memorial. We check out all of them.   ImageP1010707
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We all decide it's time for lunch. After passing quickly by the front of the White House, we head for the Old Post Office Pavilion, grab a quick lunch, and head up top for another photo opportunity.      
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P1010755 With time running out (and a dinner reservation to make), we jump back on the Trolley, return to Union Station, and head home - after stopping off for a quick pint at Capitol City Brewing Company. Overall, a highly successful day of touring.Image

 
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Talk about this trip (10)
the pictures really help tell the tour story. Thanks!
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Looking forward to an extended week-end trip to DC. The last time I was there my daughter was graduating from Howard Univesity so the trip was not about me.
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Your trip sounds great! I will be going on a rail trip accross the USA in late April with a two to three dayt stay over in DC. My mother is 79 years old and is very excited about visiting DC. Does the tolley allow a few minutes to get on and off when touring the city? I would love to take her on this day trip, I just dont want to have any problems with jumping on and off a trolley San Francisco style. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks
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I live in D.C. most of my life and did not see all you showed. Thank for the memorys.
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I took this trip and it was great!
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A Yahoo! Contributor
i never been to the vietnam memorial,but is on top of my list to do ,i want my granchildren to go with me so they can see all the sacrifices these fine good solduers had to do, so we can live in peace and keep our freedom alive. A VET
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I thought your trip was very helpful! We are driving through and dropping someone off and didn't want to waste a day at the capitol w/o even seeing any of it. This seems like the perfect way to see a lot of sites in a short time. Thanks!
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Marlene, because of the difficulties with parking downtown, the horrific traffic, and the distance between sites, I think it's easiest to take in a wider variety of the sites with something like the trolley (or another of the tour buses). We ended up walking between a number of the different venues and then hopping back on to the trolley at a later point; that seemed to work best for us.

Difficult to comment on what isn't worth the time - much of it depends on one's tastes. I love the Air and Space Museum...it drives my wife nuts. Same with modern art - she can look at it all day and I often just don't get how it can be termed "art..."
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Did you find that the trolley was invaluable for covering all the activities you listed, or could you do as well without the trolley? I see you did not include the Arlington Cemetary.........is there anything that you would suggest not including (worth the time,) or something that you would suggest to definately include........we are traveling with two teenage boys.........thanks so much!
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A Yahoo! Contributor
Your pics are great! Thank you, my children are to young to take to D.C. to appreciate it, so I am grateful for taking a little photo tour it is so important to remember where we have been. And all of the many soilders. Thank you and God Bless America!
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