Monday, July 27, 2015

DC Landmarks at Night

A recent work related trip to Washington DC presented an opportunity to see some of the landmarks at night.  Although the evening brought rain, the sights were still wonderful.  It had been over twenty years since I was last in DC and this quick trip made me want to go back for a longer visit.

Marine Corps War Memorial 

"He was wonderful in Gangs of New York"
The Lincoln Memorial

Washington Memorial and Reflecting Pool

Korean War Veterans Memorial

The the sheer size of the Marine Corps Memorial takes you by surprise, it is unexpectedly larger than life.  The actual flag raising on Iwo Jima in 1945 was somewhat staged but remains an iconic symbol of victory in the South Pacific.

Similarly, the sheer size, scale and grandeur of the Lincoln Memorial is awe inspiring.  A fitting tribute to a truly larger than life leader.  On the walls either side of Lincoln the words to his two most famous speeches are inscribed: the Gettysburg Address and his Second Inaugural Address.   

It was somewhat fitting that we visited the Korean War Memorial in a downpour.  The darkness and rain added to the eerie scene of 19 soldiers creeping through the jungle, aware that a wrong step or noise could end their lives.