We had beautiful weather on Day 2 in DC. We decided to drive into DC and park at Union Station. The cost was a tad less than parking at Pentagon City and taking the Metro combined. Plus, it was an easy in, easy out and we didn't get stuck trying to find the car when it was time to leave.
We again took the Old Town Trolley as our ticket was for 2-days. We absolutely wanted to see the monuments and the National Cathedral. Our first stop was the Jefferson Monument which was a short walk from the Trolley stop. Jefferson's statue is quite tall and imposing. In our Day 2 photos, you will see quotes that are inscribed on the walls surrounding Jefferson.
From there our next stop was near the Lincoln Memorial. In this area we also visited the WWII Memorial, Korean Memorial and Viet Nam Memorial. We spent quite a bit of time here as the WWII Memorial is at the opposite end of the reflecting pool from the Lincoln Memorial. It was a very pleasant walk from one end to the other. Every memorial is absolutely stunning and unique as well as heart-touching.
The Korean memorial is a group of statues "walking through the grass". Alongside is a walking path flanked by a black granite wall. When you first walk into the area, the wall looks blank but covered in fingerprints. Those "fingerprints" are actually engraved pictures of men and women who served in Korea. This was amazing - it's as if you are there with them.
Our next stop was the WWII Memorial which is dedicated to the millions of men and women who served in WWII. The center piece of the memorial is oval fountain and is flanked on each end by a semi-circle of of tall 'monuments' for each state (in order of their admittance to the Union). The hole in each state monument represents those men and women who did not return. The reflecting pool waterfalls over a wall into a smaller pool where there is a wall of 400 gold stars. Each star represents 10,000 men and women who died in the war.
From there, we went to the Viet Nam Memorial. This is a black granite wall with the etched names of the men and women who lost their lives in Viet Nam. This was extremely touching for me as many of my friends fought in Viet Nam. The names are etched onto the wall but by a computerized typesetting process called photo stencil gritblasting. I do not personally know any who died but being at the wall brought back memories of that time in our history. The wall was built in 1982, but the latest name was added in 2009.
Our last stop was the Lincoln Memorial - very imposing and awe inspiring. Etched on one wall is the Gettysburg Address. There's not a lot to say about this memorial as I think it speaks for itself.
We later boarded the Old Town Trolley again and headed for their Welcome Center where we boarded a new trolley on the green line. From here we went to the National Cathedral (Cathedral of Sts Peter and Paul), which is in a completely different part of the city. Now we went through very residential areas - a change of pace and a new view of the city as it pertains to daily life for those who live there. The National Cathedral sits on Mt. St. Albans hill and is the highest (not the tallest) structure in DC and can be seen from many miles away. This is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful churches I have ever visited. It took 83 years to build the church - the cornerstone was laid in 1907 and the final finial was placed in 1990. The church has no congregation and is fully supported by donations and gifts. 
We arrived in time for the last tour of the day - wonderful tour and we highly recommend it. One of the stained glass windows is dedicated to the 1969 moon landing and contains an actual moon rock brought back by the astronauts. Enlarge the picture to the left and see if you can find it. There are quite a few famous people who are buried in the tombs below and only one is named - Helen Keller. 
There are several small chapels within the church - one is a children's chapel. Another contains seats with embroidered pillows. By looking at them, you should be able to tell who it represents. Do you now who this pillow is for? Our tour guide kept showing us examples of how you learn its history and stories through the various depictions in the church. Before people knew how to read, they learned through pictures (icons).After we left the church, the trolley drove through Embassy Row, Georgetown, Foggy Bottom (the Watergate Hotel is here) and around Dupont Circle. I was very impressed at quickly he could name each embassy as we passed - to your right is..., to your left is...., to your right is...., to your left is.... This went on non-stop for quite a while. Some of the embassies are marked and some are not. We chose not to get off at any other stops on this loop as it was gettng late in the day and we were on the last trolley. After we got back to the Welcome Center at 10th Street, we walked around that area for a while. We went to the Old Post Office but it was closed and the restaurants in the lower part of the building were primarily fast food. We went to Harry's Cafe (very famous in DC circles) but they were very busy and the hostess kept trying to put us at tables crammed up against a wall and in a corner - we decided to pass. We started walking in the direction of Union Station and came across a restaurant with outdoor seating. This turned out to be a good dinner choice and the weather was just right for outdoor dining.
From there, we headed to the Metro to get back to Union Station. On a corner across from the Metro was a group of guys playing jazzy New Orleans-style music so we watched them for a while. Their "money card" was a little boy about 2 or 3 yrs old with his own pint-sized trombone - he was the hit of their whole show. This was our cap to the whole day.
Stay tuned for our final travel day....
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