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Washington Monument

We've lived in the D.C. Metro area for about two-and-half years, but until this week we'd never toured the tallest and arguably most noticeable site in that city: the Washington Monument. It is usually the first thing we see as we drive in, and is a little over 555 feet tall. It is also, according to a park ranger, the tallest obelisk structure made solely out of stone (without metal supports) in the world.

The kids had off from school the first two days of the week, so I reserved some free tickets online (though there is a small fee when you do it like that) and we headed into the city for the afternoon. After a short wait in line, we rode an elevator up 500 feet or so and gazed down on the city through small windows on each side of the building:

To the west, you look down on the Lincoln Memorial and the Reflecting Pool (and also one of my favorite sites in D.C.).

To the south, you look down on Jefferson Memorial (and that's the 14th Street Bridge behind it, which I take into the city every time we drive in).

And to the east is the other half of the Washington Mall, with the Capitol Building at the far end. Most of those buildings along either side of the Mall are museums, most of which we've at least stepped foot in--and all of which, I believe, are free. (From the north window, and from which I didn't get a good photo, you can see into Maryland.)

I know I've said this repeatedly but I really do love living so close to D.C. I always feel fortunate whenever I stroll among its collections of museums, monuments, history, politics and people--it feels impossible to leave without having seen something new.

(Images: mine)