Washington D.C. Photographs (from March 2022)

In March 2022, my wife and I traveled to Washington D.C. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the museums and touring the nation's capital, absorbing the bustling culture and appreciating the vibrant history of the United States. I realized that I have not shared photographs of that trip on this blog, so this post is a photo "dump" of my trip to D.C. in the spring of 2022 - it is a city I highly recommend a history buff or cultural enthusiast to visit!!

My wife snapped this photograph of me admiring the Capitol. The House of Representatives and Senate are located in this premier building - unfortunately, owing to Covid regulations and the January 6 attack on the facility, we were not allowed to see the interior of the Capitol... this will be achieved in the future! I am happy, giddy and full of emotions that I get to live and work in a country that protects individual liberties and is proud of its heritage! I love teaching history and inspiring future generations to change the world one step at a time... and, maybe one day I'll be able to continue giving words of advice to thousands of constituents as a politician... (author's collections)

Dwight Eisenhower was the commander of allied forces during the D-Day landings and later president during the 1950s. There is a memorial in D.C. (dedicated in 2020) that honors this brilliant military general and strategic politician. Did you know... although Ike grew up in Kansas, he was born in Denison, Texas! My wife and I have visited his birthplace. (author's collections)  

Standing beside a statue of George Mason, America's forgotten Founding Father. Mason wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights in May 1776, the first document to protect individual liberties in the United States. Jefferson was inspired by Mason's work and wrote the Declaration of Independence several weeks later. Mason's patriotic ideas were also heavily borrowed by James Madison during the writing of the Bill of Rights. (author's collections)

A photograph of the Jefferson Memorial in D.C., commemorating the distinguished legacy of our 3rd president and primary author of the Declaration of Independence (which my wife and I got to see in person at the National Archives - you can barely see the writing since the ink has faded over time). (author's collections)

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of FDR, is one of my favorite first ladies! She was a fierce advocate for women's suffrage and professional advancement (and took a keen interest in global politics - she was America's delegate to the United Nations prior to her death). This statue of Eleanor is located at the FDR Memorial. (author's collections)

One of my favorite sightseeing hotspots in the capital was the memorial honoring Franklin D. Roosevelt, president during the Great Depression and WWII. As an educator, historian, and citizen, I admire FDR for his strong and stable leadership during America's darkest days. The memorial was dedicated by Bill Clinton in 1997 and showcases FDR's presidential accomplishments over his four terms. Here I am standing in front of an elderly 1945 FDR with his beloved dog Fala. (author's collections)

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was dedicated by Barack Obama in 2011 and honors the profound legacy of the Civil Rights activist from Georgia. The inspiration for the memorial design (a large granite statue that measures 30 ft) came from MLK's "I have a dream" speech: "Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope." (author's collections)

Standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. - the statue was very impressive! In 1867, Congress passed the first of many bills creating a commission to erect a monument for our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Owing to insufficient funds, the issue of a Lincoln memorial lay dormant until the early twentieth-century when Senate Bill 9449 in 1910 charged President William H. Taft and a newly-conceived Lincoln Memorial Commission to propose a location and design. A plot of land west of the White House on the Potomac River was approved as its location. As for the design of the memorial, a national competition ensued, where many renowned artists submitted drawings of what they believed the memorial should look like to the commission. The commission settled on a simple, yet elegant design, fitting for the man who had led the nation through its darkest day. The memorial “temple” that we see today was created by Henry Bacon (1866-1924) and the massive seated Lincoln statue (which measures 19 feet in height) was sculpted by the Piccirilli Brothers. Construction finished in early 1922 after more than 7 years of labor, and the memorial was dedicated on May 30, 1922 - Robert Todd Lincoln, Abe’s eldest son, attended the ceremony. (author's collections)

I do not know much about the Korean War, yet I was eager to see and learn more about the Korean War Veterans Memorial. George H.W. Bush conducted the groundbreaking ceremony in 1992 when he was president and his successor Bill Clinton opened the memorial in 1995. Despite being a war that many overlook, the Korean War (1951-1953) saw over 36,500 Americans lose their lives as well as major political changes in Asia at the height of the Cold War. (author's collections)

The District of Columbia War Memorial is a monument not many known about. This is located next to the Lincoln Memorial and honors the United States soldiers who died during World War I. The structure - funded by D.C. citizens and organizations - was built in 1931 and opened by Herbert Hoover (many know Hoover as the president who presided over the early years of the Great Depression). (author's collections) 

A beautiful shot of the Washington D.C. Mall, the stretch of grass/paths between the Capitol and Lincoln Memorial. This is where the audience stands during the presidential inaugurations. Note the Smithsonian Castle in the foreground - next year I will be posting a couple of blog posts on the D.C. museums we visited. (author's collections) 

Mini-cheeseburger meal in D.C. - YUM!! (author's collections)

My wife and I took a liking to the D.C. monuments at night, especially the Washington Memorial. Built to commemorate the tremendous legacy of our first president, the memorial stands at a whopping 555 feet tall and was the tallest structure in the world for five years (prior to the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 1889). We did not go up the memorial but would like to in the future. (author's collections)

Every sitting president has lived in the White House except George Washington (who approved the final design). The executive mansion has evolved and expanded over the years, and now visitors can no longer get really close to the house... tall fences and extra security have beefed up in recent times, for obvious reasons. I tried to wave to Joe, yet I am not so sure he saw me... (author's collections)

The Blair House, across the street from the White House, has been used as the president's guest house since the 1940s. Harry Truman famously stayed in the residence when the White House was being renovated in the early 1950s. It appeared that an Irish ambassador was staying at the Blair House during our visit. (author's collections)

We walked around Lafayette Square outside the White House on the first evening of our trip and I snapped this beautiful photograph of St. John's Episcopal Church. The parish was established in 1815 and the classical facility was built a year later. Owing to its close approximate to the Oval Office, every sitting president since James Madison has attended a service at the church. In recent memory, the church is best remembered as the backdrop to Donald Trump's Bible photograph during the 2020 summer Black Lives Matter movement. (author's collections)

I am a fan of steak and my wife & I ate at a delightful restaurant in D.C. called Founding Farmers. (author's collections)

Food was definitely part of our trip to Washington D.C. - here, I am about to indulge myself in some hot, powered beignets (great but not as delicious as the donuts I had in New Orleans). (author's collections)