The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pond

We take a ride in to town at least once a week. It’s great for a morning walk and also helps me get photos for the weekly 52Frames photo challenge that I belong to. Last week we visited the Tidal Basin and walked by the WWII Memorial to see the D-Day memorials, then took a turn by the Constitution Gardens Pond. Then we headed towards the Lincoln Memorial that is undergoing major renovation - like everywhere else in DC! We always delight in all of the bodies of water around the city including the reflecting ponds. The Lincoln Memorial reflecting pond extends from there to the WWII Memorial and it is a very pleasant walk from one end to the other. There are also tree lined covered sidewalks along the pond that is always better to take in the blazing sun. It wasn’t exceptionally busy on this day but it’s always interesting to see the people traverse the area. There was a group of four girls taking photos in what looked to be a graduation get together and others riding by on bikes. Still other larger tour groups were coming and going on their way to the Vietnam memorial or the Korean Memorial. When we got back to the WWII Memorial there were several people taking photos of the ducks and ducklings. This is the time of year where the ducks steal the scene and always get a lot of attention. Regardless of the time of year there is always something to see at the reflecting ponds. And it’s great for a morning walk. 

Lincoln Memorial

We like to drive in to town from northern Virginia at least once a week. When we don’t want to take a morning walk on the National Mall we oftentimes will take a spin near the Lincoln Memorial. Last week we walked around the Tidal Basin. This week we parked by the Tidal Basin, then headed out towards the Washington Monument. Then we crossed over to the WWII Memorial, through the circle of remembrance and on to Constitution Gardens. Following the path we veered over to the Viet Nam Memorial and then on towards the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial looks different every time we visit. Sometimes there are tons of people all over. But at this time of the year it is quite sparse. And that’s the way I like it. My husband prefers knocking elbows. We are also on the lookout for spots to take photos for my weekly challenge. So we spent a bit of time walking up the steps towards the giant columns. The view from there towards the Washington Monument and the Capitol is magnificent. And the view of the grounds below is stunning. And of course the reflecting pool adds a bit of character to the whole place. There are walkways that take you from the Lincoln Memorial back to the WWII Memorial. They were deserted but made for stunning images as well. When we lived on Capitol Hill we spent most of our time hanging around that end of the Mall. It was very convenient to walk the grounds there living so close. At least we still have to option of visiting at least once a week. 

Morning Walk near Constitution Gardens

Every week we drive in to town for a morning walk and also to take photos for the weekly challenge and for this blog. We haven’t been to the Lincoln Memorial for quite a while so we parked by the Tidal Basin. It’s a great place to park and isn’t very well known. It’s also less busy than the National mall. First we stopped at the WWII Memorial. Then we walked along the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool and made a turn to the Korean War Memorial. This is a great time of year in the city because it’s the least busy. Then we headed up the steps to the Lincoln Memorial where there were a lot of people gathering. One of our favorite spots is Constitution Gardens. Someone was painting the gardens and I asked her if I could take her photo. She said she wasn’t from around here and seemed almost out of place. We are always on the lookout for the blue heron that has made its home there. But there was also what I thought was a white egret hanging around too. The little island that has a monument to the constitution always has a great view of the Washington monument. This area is usually very quiet as most people don’t seem to know it exists. Then we looped back to the WWII Memorial and headed back over to the tidal basin. It’s always a nice ride in and an even better walk. There is always something to see and it feels like home. When we lived on Capitol Hill for thirteen years we usually walked near the Capitol and the mall, rarely making it all the way to the Lincoln memorial. I always think about all the people who come here to visit. We get to visit all of the time. 

Walkabout the WWII and Lincoln Memorials

Every once in a while we take a morning walk along the tidal basin. There is a great place to park which helps. But rather than always walk around the tidal basin, we walk over to the WWII Memorial. Last week we did just that for the purpose of finding photos for the challenge. The subject was water and there were many opportunities. We particularly like the view looking towards the Capitol in the distance. I always think of my parents when we go there. My dad was in the Coast Guard and my mom was in the Navy during WWII. I can only imagine what and how they would think today about world affairs. After milling about this area we then walk along the reflecting pool toward the Lincoln Memorial. It’s about a mile round trip. This time the Rutgers football team was visiting - one hundred plus red shirted people were quite visible including Rutgers police officers. You couldn’t miss them if you tried. The Korean War Memorial was also recently updated with a memorial pool and wall. There is always something to see around here. It’s great for photo ops, a morning walk, or just reminiscing. 

Presidential Dogs at the Lincoln Memorial

We never expected to see sculptures of president’s pooches at the Lincoln Memorial. But we did. We took a ride in to DC for the weekly photo challenge. Because it was Presidents’ Day it was unusually busy for a weekday. But being a holiday there were a lot of visitors, children and school groups milling about. It was also a simply beautiful sunny day. Afterwards I found out later that Jinx - a dog food company - rolled out the one day exhibit at the Lincoln Memorial as a reminder of “how much we depend our pets for emotional support.” So we checked out Fido Lincoln, Bo Obama, and Pushinka Kennedy. I wondered how they decided which dogs to highlight. The sculptures were getting a lot of attention. So today when we went back in to town for a morning walk we stopped by the same spot and the dogs had disappeared. It was indeed a one day exhibit. I thought there was something tacky about having these “sculptures” in front of such an historical memorial. It was all in good fun and I’m glad we had the opportunity to see them. 

Lincoln Memorial Visit

Last week we drove in to town. It had been a while since the last snowstorm. We felt quite trapped in the house for a few days so it was a breath of fresh air to finally get out of it. We took our usual route down the GW Parkway and over the Arlington Memorial Bridge. This time we parked on the Potomac River side, then walked over the couple of blocks. The last time we were at the memorial was in November to visit with friends from the Midwest who were there for an honor flight. It was a really nice opportunity to see people we knew after two years of zoom calls. This day was sunny and cold. There were a few visitors. I love the view from the memorial looking east towards the Washington monument and the Capitol beyond. We walked a bit by the reflecting pool then got back to the car to drive down to the Capitol where we happened upon the Harry Reid service. We always like to spend time in the city. After all, we lived there for thirteen years and it’s close enough to visit just about any time we want.