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Additional Memorials
National Mall, DC, May 2026 This post is dedicated to the other memorials not already in a blog. The John Paul Jones monument commemorates him as a war hero and founder of the navy. His crypt is in the Chapel at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. You can read more about the memorial on…
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World War II Memorial
National Mall, DC, May 2026 I remember more facts about WWII than WW1. Still, I thought it would good to add a refresher. A major factor in WWII was the unresolved issues from WWI. The treaty of Versailles had harsh penalties on Germany. Penalties included territory losses, military restrictions and reparations. Germans were economically depressed,…
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National Zoo (5/5)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo, DC, June 2026 The last area to visit was the lower left portion of the map. This is the American Trail and Amazonia. The first thing we saw were River Otters. These are the kind that we saw in Yellowstone. They are adorable. The otter got tired of picture time (or too…
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National Zoo (4/5)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo, DC, June 2026 At the north end of the park, they have the Elephant Trail, Africa Trail, Visitor Center, Main Entrance, Asia Trail, and Bird House. The Africa Trail was closed for renovation, and we skipped the Elephant Community Center. Next, we headed for the most important thing in the National Zoo;…
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National Zoo (2/5)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo, DC, June 2026 We are still towards the bottom of the map. This and the next post will be slightly out of order. The Reptile house is in the middle of the primate area, but that will be in post 3 of 5. At the south (lower) edge of the primate area,…
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National Zoo (1/5)
Smithsonian’s National Zoo, DC, June 2026 We have visited the National Zoo in a long time. We have visited the National Mall and other Smithsonian museums more recently than the zoo. From the map, the zoo does not look that big, but Kate’s Fitbit showed that we walked about 5.5 miles (13,000 steps) at the…
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Washington Monument
National Mall, DC, May 2026 Like the Lincoln Memorial, we have been to the Washington Monument multiple times. We tried to get tickets to up to the top, but we were unable to acquire them. FYI – the free tickets are given out really fast, as in gone in microseconds. If you plan on visiting…
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Lincoln Memorial
National Mall, DC, May 2026 Both John and I have been to the Lincoln Memorial multiple times. I believe this is a staple that everyone must visit when in DC. As normal, the Lincoln Memorial was crowded both inside and out. I suspect the memorial would be even busier in the summer. I found the…
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Signers Island
National Mall, DC, May 2026 We had a day of firsts and this time it was the Signers Island. In the National Mall, you walk across a bridge onto a Signers Island. The island had people lounging around enjoying the cool summer day, ducks, geese, and other critters. The island was also the home to…
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Lockkeeper’s House
National Mall, DC, May 2026 The Lockkeeper’s House was another building that was a first time visit. The first time visit could be attributed to us not walking our normal path along the pool and walking along the outer edges of the National Mall. The Lockkeeper’s House came about because George Washington advocated for canals…