Day 17: Washington, DC

Finally Washington delivered a gorgeous day.  I'd been watching the predictions and it looks like the forecasters got it correct.  First up on today's agenda was a visit to the Arlington National Cemetery, which was established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, that was once the former home of Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

Some of the major points of interest I saw included:

• Eternal flame and grave site of John F Kennedy & Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
• Grave-site of Robert F. Kennedy
• Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial - Dedicated to the seven astronauts who lost their lives on 1 February 2003
• Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial - Dedicated to the seven astronauts who lost their lives on 28 January 1986
• The Iran Rescue Mission (Operation Desert I) Monument - Dedicated in honor of Members of the United States Armed Forces who died during an attempt to rescue American hostages held in Iran 25 April 1980
• Changing of the Guard Ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknowns

From Arlington, it was a short metro ride to the Pentagon where I visited the National 9/11 Memorial in the grounds of the Pentagon. The memorial honors the 184 victims from when American Airlines Flight 77 bound for Los Angeles, California crashed into the Pentagon at 9:37:46am on September 11, 2001.  184 illuminated benches have been arranged according to the victim's ages, starting with the youngest aged 3, to the oldest aged 71, in a landscaped 1.93-acre (7,800 m2) plot. Each bench is engraved with the name of a victim.  In tribute to the victims that were inside the Pentagon the benches are arranged so those reading the names will face the Pentagon's south facade, where the plane hit; while benches dedicated to victims aboard the plane are arranged so that those reading the engraved name will be facing skyward along the path the plane traveled. If instances where more than one member of a family died during the attack, family names are listed in the reflecting pool under the bench, which is in addition to the separate benches that have been created for each individual. A wall along the edge of the Memorial begins at a height of 3 inches and rises to a height of 71 inches, the ages of the youngest and oldest victim of the attack, and approximately 85 paperbark maple trees are planted on the memorial grounds.

Next stop was the White House.  My view was from the North Lawn near Lafayette Square. Ironically, while I was visiting his home town, Mr Obama was visiting Australia.

For lunch I headed back to the Capitol Hill are to try out the Good Stuff Eatery (303 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Washington) which is owned by Spike Mendelsohn from the tv show "Top Chef" that is screened here on Arena (Foxtel).  I had a pretty good burger and fries.  From here it was back to the Mall, where I spent the afternoon at the National Museum of Natural History.  Such a shame I couldn't take home the "Hope Diamond"- now that would've been one awesome souvenir.

Then it was time to visit the National Archives which holds original copies of the three main formative documents of the United States and its government: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.  When I last visited in 1997, you were able to take photographs inside  (without flash), but the rules have changed and now all photography/videotaping is banned.  From here I wandered back to the hotel and passed by the J. Edgar Hoover building, otherwise known as the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

After a pretty full-on day, there wasn't any time to rest as I had arranged to do a 3 hour DC Light - Washington By Night tour.   Highlights of the tour included stops at:

• the US Capitol Building
• outside the White House
• World War II Memorial, honoring the more than 400,000 who died in the war
• Martin Luther King Memorial (with views of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial)
• Korean War Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Vietnam Memorial
• The Marine Corps (Iwo Jima) Memorial

Once back at  the hotel, I had to pack to be ready for a very early start tomorrow morning.