The District of Columbia

Now that OWOP is over I will share some sightseeing photos from my trip here. I've been here two weeks already, with one more to go. My parents joined me this weekend and between Friday night and Saturday I think we walked 100 miles. That's just a rough estimate...

Just to give you an idea of everything I have seen these two weeks (both with my parents and with classmates), here's a map with stars on the major things we saw. We've of course seen A LOT of buildings from the outside, like the FBI, EPA, State Department, and all kinds of neat stuff. The stars mark the more touristy sights we've been to. For scale, the Lincoln Memorial to the US Capitol is three miles.

The US Capitol is at one end of the National Mall.

We went in for a small tour of the center section, which included the gorgeous dome.

Saw the South Lawn of the White House.

Here they are BOTH on their cell phones talking to family back home. "We're in DC!"

I'm pretty sure this is the Occupy DC camp ground.

That sign says "Human Need Corporate Greed."

This is part of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial.

It says, "The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much, it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

And the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial is very neat.

This one says, "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." Here's what it looks like with the "mountain" pieces. His part is the center and is in front of the two other pieces.

The city at night is beautiful. Here's the Washington Monument at night.

And Mr. Lincoln, three miles down on the opposite end of the National Mall.

It's clear that this city is build with the express purpose of making visitors feel the POWER of the United States. that's what you get from these buildings. From the Department of the Interior, which looks like a fortress, to the ornate beauty of the Capitol, you get this feeling like yes, I'm small in this big country, but I have a voice. Very interesting city. I'm very glad to have gotten the opportunity to be here, and that it was long enough to see so many amazing things!