![\"The](\"https:\/\/fromabirdseyeview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/IMG_6135-e1397238802353.jpeg\")
<\/a>The Watsons at the Washington Memorial<\/p><\/div>\n
Several weeks ago my niece, Shelley, asked me if I’d like to accompany her and my two great-nieces to Washington DC<\/strong> over Spring Break. It took me a day to mull it over – not because I didn’t want to go but because I was afraid that “Old Aunt Sue”, as I am affectionately known, might drag down the trip. \u00a0After all, my two great-nieces, Katie and Abby, are elite athletes and Shelley is an ace tennis player. \u00a0I try to walk 10,000 steps per day, which is about 5 miles, but the sport I excel at is sitting on the couch, knitting and watching re-runs of Downton Abbey. \u00a0Often when I move the snaps, crackles and pops that emanate from my back, hips and knees are reminiscent of Rice Krispies. \u00a0But what the heck, it was the chance of a lifetime so I packed my ibuprofen and off I went. \u00a0Through some cosmic coincidence, my niece’s husband is also a Watson so the trip was dubbed “The Watsons\u00a0Go To Washington”. \u00a0We met up in Dallas and flew into Reagan airport<\/strong>, landing at 12:30 a.m. \u00a0I was already way out of my element…even though my “body time” was 9:30, I was ready for bed. \u00a0We hopped in a cab and made the rookie mistake of telling our cab driver we wanted the “fastest” route to our Bethesda hotel. \u00a0He interpreted that as “speediest” so he took us the long way via freeway vs. the short way via city streets. \u00a0So it took 20 minutes and $30 more than it should have. \u00a0The rubes had arrived.<\/p>\n The WWII Pacific Memorial<\/p><\/div>\n The next day we set off to see the sights. \u00a0We quickly learned the Metro<\/strong> system, which is pretty much like every other rail system in the U.S. – it’s crowded, makes frequent stops, and is\u00a0full\u00a0of\u00a0“interesting” people . \u00a0After a 20 minute ride we disembarked in downtown Washington and began our walk to the National Mall. \u00a0The first thing that struck me was the sheer size of it. \u00a0It spans two miles from the Lincoln Memorial<\/strong> on one end to the Capital Building on the other. \u00a0We decided to split up our tour – half one day and half the other. \u00a0Since the Lincoln and War Memorials were high on our “must see” list, we began there. \u00a0First up was the Washington Memorial. \u00a0Unfortunately, it was under construction or as the guides told us, it was undergoing a face lift. \u00a0Aha! \u00a0Something I could relate to – I felt like I was back in Scottsdale. \u00a0We ventured on to the World War II Memorial<\/strong> which is \u00a0massive and beautifully thought out. \u00a0One side is devoted to the Atlantic theater and the other to the Pacific. \u00a0The countries where the fighting occurred and the names of the major battles are listed on the fountains under each cupola. \u00a0The most sobering feature was the wall of stars – over 450 gold stars on a field of blue, each star representing 100 men who died in the war. \u00a0No WWII vets were visiting when we were there but I imagine it must be overwhelming for them to see such a stunning tribute.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Abby’s perfect picture<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n From there we walked along the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to the (you guessed it) Lincoln Memorial. \u00a0Let me just say …it is HUGE. \u00a0Oh sure,we’ve all seen it in text books and movies but really, you cannot grasp the scale of it until you’re standing on it. \u00a0My knees and I would like to report that there are 145 steps from the Pool up to the Memorial…and another 145 back down. \u00a0But the trip was totally worth it. \u00a0The Gettysburg address<\/strong> is carved on the left chamber and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address on the right. \u00a0I was struck by how moving both of those speeches are; they were artfully crafted and in language that is plain yet eloquent. \u00a0And most importantly, you get the sense that Lincoln labored over every word until it exactly reflected his beliefs and hopes for the nation. \u00a0A bit different from the “double speak” we hear today, written by professional speech writers and delivered via teleprompter. \u00a0When we walked around the perimeter of the monument, \u00a0Abby, a budding photographer, took the picture (right) that perfectly frames the Washington Monument in the distance.<\/p>\n Next up was the Vietnam Wall.<\/strong> \u00a0I’m not sure that anything can prepare you when faced with all of those names on the wall. \u00a0It is truly overwhelming. \u00a0I knew five boys from my small home town that died in that war. \u00a0Seeing their names carved in marble is something I will never forget. \u00a0I’ll write more about that experience in another blog. \u00a0We sat on a bench near the memorial to rest and plan the remainder of our day. \u00a0By this time I was exhausted (mentally and physically) so we ventured to the Reagan Commerce Building<\/strong> for lunch. \u00a0I eased myself down in my chair, every bone in my body aching and desperately in need of serious drug intervention. \u00a0Alas, I had forgotten to put my ibuprofen in my purse but Shelley saved the day by giving me some of hers. \u00a0I don’t think anything has ever felt so good as when those pills started to take effect. \u00a0So, now laced with pain-killing drugs, I was ready to go. \u00a0We decided to visit one of the lesser-known museums – the National Portrait Gallery<\/strong>. \u00a0It is a fabulous museum and, among other things, holds the most extensive portrait gallery of American presidents outside the White House. \u00a0I didn’t read the fine print on the information panel and took a picture with my cell phone with the flash feature on. \u00a0Apparently this is frowned upon and brought immediate action by the security guards. \u00a0I had visions of being hauled off to the hoosegow. \u00a0Luckily, they have seen hopelessly ignorant people before and gently told me to turn off the flash. \u00a0As if I knew how to do that. \u00a0I did notice that they followed me at close range for the rest of the day.<\/p>\n By the time we left the Gallery it was early evening so we headed for the Metro station and back to Bethesda. \u00a0I checked my pedometer when we got back to the room and was amazed to see that we had walked NINE <\/em>miles. \u00a0No wonder I was moving like a hippopotamus in three feet of mud. \u00a0A break was definitely in order. \u00a0Abby worked on editing her photos, Katie went to the gym for a 50 minute run on the treadmill (because nine miles just wasn’t enough exercise), while Shelley and I exercised our arms lifting wine glasses in the bar. \u00a0That night I flopped into bed, took more ibuprofen, and prepared for the next day and my real<\/em> reason for coming to Washington.<\/p>\n To be continued next week…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Suzanne Sparrow Watson Several weeks ago my niece, Shelley, asked me if I’d like to accompany her and my two great-nieces to Washington DC over Spring Break. It took me a day to mull it over – not because … read more<\/a><\/a>