The Marriner Museums and Monuments Tour 2009 :: Washington, D.C. :: The Lincoln Memorial
Posted on August 2, 2009
“In this temple, as in the hearts of the people for whom he saved the Union, the memory of Abraham Lincoln is enshrined forever.” Beneath these words, the 16th President of the United States—the Great Emancipator and preserver of the nation during the Civil War—sits immortalized in marble. As an enduring symbol of freedom, the Lincoln Memorial attracts anyone who seeks inspiration and hope. (National Park Service website)
I always enjoy visiting the Lincoln Memorial. It’s such a grand and dignified structure, honoring my favorite president.
The Marriner Museums and Monuments Tour 2009 :: Washington, D.C. :: The Jefferson Memorial
Posted on July 25, 2009
Next on our tour was the Jefferson Memorial. And since my collaborator on these posts, the guy responsible for the words, no longer has anything to say about these pictures ( 
), I will instead introduce them with a quote from the National Park Service website:
“The words of Thomas Jefferson, some written more than 200 years ago, have shaped American ideals. Today, many of these impressive, stirring words adorn the interior walls of his memorial. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial stands as a symbol of liberty and endures as a site for reflection and inspiration for all citizens of the United States and the world.”
And of course there can’t be a post without pics of Grant and Griffin…
The Marriner Museums and Monuments Tour 2009 :: Washington, D.C. :: The Capitol
Posted on July 22, 2009
Our next trolley stop after the White House was the Capitol area. The Capitol building never fails to impress me, and I’ve never even seen the inside! Here are a bunch of shots of the Capitol, including one from the night of the fireworks…
Just in front of the Capitol is the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial.
Since part of the inspiration for our Grant’s name came from this famous general, this photo seemed only natural.
As I was standing in front of the Capitol building snapping away with my camera, I heard some familiar music coming from the area behind me. I knew that there was a stage set up for the next day’s 4th of July festivities, but when we had arrived the stage was empty. I recognized the song that was being sung, and said to myself, “Is that really…?”
Yes, it was really.
Barry Manilow, that is. He was rehearsing for his appearance on PBS’ broadcast of “A Capitol Fourth.” I’m not a huge Manilow fan, but it was a treat to see him perform!
The Marriner Museums and Monuments Tour 2009 :: Washington, D.C. :: The White House
Posted on July 18, 2009
(I finally have some time to post more pics of our vacation!)
After our day in Philly, we headed down to Washington, D.C. We didn’t really have any specific plans once we got there, so we slept late, had brunch at Bob Evans, found our hotel and just hung out and relaxed for the evening. The next morning we bought our Metro tickets and took the train into DC. We chose one of those hop-off, hop-on type tours for the first day, so that we could hit most of the monuments. We went with Old Town Trolley Tours and were pleased with them. A bit pricey, but that’s to be expected, I guess.
Our first stop was the White House. We knew something was going on right away, because the part of the sidewalk along E St. that is directly in front of the White House was closed off. We had to trek halfway back on The Ellipse to get a decent view. This first pic shows you how far back we were (and is also the obligatory picture of the kids)…
Thanks to my zoom lens, I was able to see a little bit closer. There’s the president’s motorcade lined up out front. And see the person directly behind the middle car? I think that’s President Obama. He did get in that middle vehicle. And those two guys on the roof of the White House look like snipers to me!
After a few minutes the motorcade left, and we saw it heading southward towards the Washington Monument, accompanied by lights and sirens. Shortly after that we looked behind us and saw Marine One (and Two?) taking off.
So if that was Obama, then Vance and I have seen three of the past four presidents (we saw Clinton on our last visit to DC, and Bush Sr. on a whale-watching trip in Kennebunkport, ME).
This last picture was taken by Griffin. He tried to focus on the White House between the fence posts but it didn’t work. But I like it this way!
The Marriner Museums and Monuments Tour 2009 :: Philadelphia :: National Constitution Center
Posted on July 8, 2009
After our Duck Tour, we walked over to the National Constitution Center. It’s something that Vance and I have wanted to do for a while now, but on previous trips to Philly we did not have enough time. I highly recommend a visit if you get the chance, even though the “no photography” rule throughout most of the building was a bit irksome to the photographer.
I love that they have the Preamble written on the outside of the building.
The lobby features this exhibit, which encourages people to add their thoughts on what they will do with freedom.
Grant and Griffin added their Post-It notes to the display.
I don’t know what Griffin wrote, but I’d be willing to be that it has something to do with Transformers.
At this point we were ushered into a theater for a multimedia presentation called “Freedom Rising” which is, according to their website, “designed to connect the audience in a direct, engaging and unforgettable way—to the story of the U.S. Constitution.” I thought it was a very moving production, and the kids thought it was “awesome.” After exiting the theater we were able to view some of the permanent exhibits (no photography allowed), but we were all pretty tired at that point and didn’t check out everything. The last exhibit is the Signers’ Hall, which contains life-sized statues of all of the signers of the Constitution. I think photography was allowed in that room. If it wasn’t, then I was a very bad girl. 
Here Grant and Griffin take turns standing next to George Washington, and we all got to sign the book on the table and become “signers” as well.
The flags of all of the US states and territories.
And on the floor under each flag is the name of the state and the date it was admitted to the union.
