Back to D.C. & Pentagon

On Sunday, we went back into D.C. This time we drove. We had noticed the amble free street parking last week, so took our chance we would be able to find a close spot; and we did. Very little traffic on Sundays! We started at the Capital Hill steps. That's Andy "pinching" the government! And then walked over to the US Supreme Court.

Our plan was to visit as many of the Smithsonian Museums we could. And that ended up being just one! We spent the entire afternoon in the American History museum. We were so engrossed in the American Wars and Politics with "The Price of Freedom: Americans at War" exhibit. The exhibit surveyed the history of the US military from the Colonial era (Revolutionary/Civil Wars) to the present (Vietnam/Desert Storm/Iraq conflict). It was both informative and depressing. On the lighter side we also got to see the First Lady's Inaugural gowns, Jackie Kennedy's pearls, Archie Bunker's chair, Abe's top hat and the ruby slippers!

The most interesting fact was how the Smithsonian Institution began:

The founder was English scientist James Smithson who devoted his life to research chemistry, mineralogy and geology. He had never visited the United States, but bequeathed his entire estate ($12 million) to establish in Washington, D.C. an institution for the "increase and diffusion of knowledge". In 1903, Alexander Graham Bell had Smithson's remains brought from Genoa, Italy (where he was buried) to Washington. They are interred in a crypt in the Smithsonian Castle. Still, so much more to see. We will be back!

The highlight of our afternoon though was visiting the Pentagon Building. Because it was Sunday, no tours were conducted. The Pentagon is the largest office building, by floor area, in the world. It has five sides, five floors above ground (plus 2 basement level) and five ring corridors per floor. It also has a five-acre central plaza shaped like a pentagon and informally known as "ground zero". I read that all in our tour book!

What we did discover was the Pentagon Memorial commemorating the lives lost during the terrorist attack on the Department of Defense headquarters on Sept 11, 2001. On the west side of the building where the American Airline Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon are 184 cantilevered benches. Each extends over a rectangular pool of illuminated water; collectively, the dramatic carvings create a timeline representing the victims' ages. The benches are inscribed with the names of the 59 passengers and crew killed, are backed by the sky. In the opposite direction, overlooking the five-sided government structure, are individual memorials to the 125 military and civilian personnel who died. This was the first memorial constructed after Sept 11th, which was opened within the following year after the attacks.