Monday, April 14 -- Vacation Day 4

My daughter, Catherine, and I rode into Crystal City and took the Metro into D.C. I photographed “Freedom,” Thomas Crawford’s 1855 Statue (NGS Benchmark) standing on top of the Capitol cast iron dome. We saw The Summer House on the Capitol grounds by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted (Virtual Cache).

A walk down Pennsylvania Avenue took us on the same route followed by presidents on Inauguration Day. We passed the National Gallery of Art East and West Bldgs., National Portrait Gallery, and the Tariff Bldg.(Hotel Monaco). I found “Neighbors” (Virtual Cache). I discovered an Inukshuk by Artist David Rubin. We passed the recently opened Newseum, National Archives, Department of Justice, and F.B.I. Building.

The restored Old Post Office Building (NGS Benchmark) had a great view from the tower. I took a photo of the Washington Monument 1913 (NGS Benchmark). Farther up Pennsylvania Avenue was a plaza laid out as a map of the old plan for the city (Virtual Cache). I found the statue of a General (Virtual Cache). I laid my geocaching and benchmarking papers on a bench to take some photos only to chase after a few of the pages on a very windy day. The Department of Treasury completed the view; behind it was the White House.

We found a NGS Benchmark near the Old Executive Office Building. We wandered past Lafayette Square and walked south to The Ellipse. We were not able to get near the Zero Milestone Marker (NGS Benchmark) and the Colorado Blue Spruce (Virtual Cache) as the area was blocked off for security. The Meridian Stone (NGS Benchmark) was fenced off for construction.

We saw the historic building at 17th St. NW and Constitution Ave. NW (Virtual Cache). Catherine and I split a Club Sandwich at Constitution Gardens while sitting on a park bench. We walked to the Lincoln Memorial (Waymark) with Daniel Chester French’s massive seated Lincoln. We were way too tired to climb the stairs. We walked back past the Korean War Memorial (Virtual Cache), Reflecting Pool, Declaration of Independence Memorial (Virtual Cache), and Washington Monument to the nearest Metro Station.