We spent a bit of time coming up with the logistics of getting Jimmy to West Point, getting us to Washington D.C., getting us to New York City from Washington D.C. and getting us back to West Point to pick him up. We flew non-stop from Phoenix to Newark, NJ, airport. We rented a car there and drove north to West Point staying at the West Point Inn that night. We drove into West Point that evening to have an idea of where to deliver him for check in the following morning and just to see the grounds, the housing and building architecture - beautiful.
The following morning we arrived at West Point before the 9 a.m. check in time to visit the historic West Point Cemetery with a goal of finding Custer's grave. Initially buried on the battlefield of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, Custer's body (an 1861 West Point graduate, who graduated at the bottom of his class of 34 cadets by the way) was relocated to the West Point Cemetery (officially established as a military cemetery in 1817) in 1877. Interesting though is a myth that it isn't really Custer's body buried at West Point. The question is, are those his bones - the family refuses an exhumation to confirm it is Custer's body.
West Point! In 1801, Thomas Jefferson was responsible for establishment of West Point as the United States Military Academy, which was authorized and funded by Congress in 1802 as a result of the Military Peace Establishment Act. West Point admitted its first female cadets in 1976 following Congress' authorization for their admission in 1975. Women currently compose approximately 15% of entering new cadets.
After Jim checked in for the leadership experience, he was given reading material and directed where to wait to be taken to where he would be storing his gear for the next six days. He is 5th from the right.
We attended a briefing for parents/guardians and then made the return trip to Newark Airport where we took Amtrak to Washington D.C. Bye Jim...see you next Friday for the closing ceremony.
The Amtrak trip took about 3 1/2 hours (with many stops along the way) and was a relaxing and comfortable way to travel to D.C. We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn a short few blocks from the White House. We used the metro system to travel to our hotel upon arrival in D.C., checked in to our hotel, dumped our luggage and headed out to see the White House. I loved finally seeing the White House. There weren't a lot of people but there was a police presence and we could see snipers on top of the White House. This was the view from the south? and the following picture is a view from the north?.
We walked and walked on this vacation - even using the metro - we walked and walked...but it was great! I loved getting to see all of these monuments after having seen pictures. The White House was probably my favorite...just because.
So, we took off walking for the Washington Monument, onto the National World War II Memorial, onto the Reflection Pool, onto the Vietnam Memorial, onto the Vietnam Women's Memorial, onto the Lincoln Memorial, onto the Korean War Memorial (a favorite), onto the Jefferson Memorial and then it was time for some air conditioning so we headed for the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. That would have been a good experience except there were a lot, a lot! of people and kids! School was still in session there and evidently all of the schools had field trips to the Smithsonians! Think...loud and crowded!
Construction of the Washington Monument began in 1848 and was completed in 1888 due to funding issues, the Civil War, etc.). A difference in shading of the marble approximately 150 ft. up, shows where construction was halted.
Onto the WW II Memorial and Reflection Pool.
The National World War II Memorial opened in 2004. It includes pillars inscribed with the name of one of the 48 U.S. states of 1945 as well as the Freedom Wall that has 4,048 gold stars, each representing 100 Americans who died in the war. In front of the wall lies the message, "Here we mark the price of freedom."
The Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was constructed in 1922-1923 following the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. It is over 1/3 mile long.
The Vietnam Veteran's Memorial was special to see as well. It was dedicated in 1982. A name I remember to this day is of a young man from Chadron who died 1968 in the war. I would have been 7. I think it is interesting that it impacted me to that degree...that his name and his sacrifice continues to be remembered. We were able to find his name.
Danny Hudson's name is on the 6th row in the center.
The Three Soldiers Statue near the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial.
The Vietnam Women's Memorial was dedicated in 1993.
The Lincoln Memorial is majestic.
You see the Washington Monument almost every where you go.
I'm tellin' ya...I find selfie sticks annoying. What, you can't be bother to ask a fellow tourist to take your picture!? Really, that is a better picture!? Okay, I'm done....
The Korean War Memorial was captivating. It was dedicated in 1995.
It felt like a long walk to the Jefferson Memorial. It was warm that day and we'd already done a lot, a lot of walking. The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was dedicated in 1943 with Jefferson's bronze statue installed in 1947. We'd love to visit when the Japanese cherry trees surrounding the area are in bloom - a gift from the people of Japan in 1912.
I'd had my fill of walking by this time but we still had to make our way to the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum. I enjoyed the museum - just a lot of people and noisy. We returned to the hotel to rest up a bit - me longer than Larry. He took off for the Smithsonian American Indian Museum. When he returned, we went for dinner and then walked to the United States Capitol.
Construction of the United States Capitol began in 1793 and, I think, continued until 1826. The Capitol was expanded in the 1850s including the "wedding-cake style" cast-iron dome that stands today. Rebuilding to support the weight of that dome occurred in the early 1900s with another major expansion occurring in 1958. The dome underwent a restoration in 1960. The current dome restoration project began in 2014 with completion scheduled before the 2017 presidential inauguration.
What a first day!! Our first two days, the weather was warm and humid. I even resorted to using an umbrella the second day for shade from the sun. Our second day took us back to the National Mall to visit the Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Martin Luther King memorials, the White House Store and more museums.
The White House Store was fun. Sister-in-law Liz had put in a request for a White House Christmas ornament which is what took us in the store. We had fun.
Our third day brought rain! Temperature dropped and we loved it. We went to Arlington Cemetery, the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial and the botanical gardens.
Visiting the grave site of President Kennedy was high on our list of things to do in Washington D.C. We were impressed with the respect displayed by all the tourists (young as well).
Being present for the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was important to us. Again, we were impressed by all of the tourists show of respect.
We visited the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial - there was hardly anyone else there. Each monument (called memorial units) had the name of the person who had died (184). Those monument facing away from the Pentagon were people who died in the Pentagon. Monuments facing towards the Pentagon were people who died on American Airlines Flight 77. Monuments are clustered as to the year the person was born beginning on one end with the youngest people who died moving towards the other end with the oldest.
That evening we took a bus tour to view the monument at night. It was chilly and drizzly but truly pretty to see.
And then it was time to make our way to New York. We again took Amtrak and enjoyed the comfortable, relaxing means of travel only to arrive at Penn Station and the amped up volume of people in a hurry and the noise of Manhatten.
We braved the NYC metro system and were glad we had gained some experience while in D.C. But this was a whole different level! We arrived within blocks of our hotel, checked in and then went out to experience...Times Square. We were able to get discounted tickets to Beautiful - The Carol King Story and then experience Times Square as the night wore on.
We ventured to Central Park and the Museum of Natural History the following day but most importantly, we visited the tourist area outside of where they film Good Morning America. Larry tolerated it and I loved it. We enjoyed meeting the friendly tourists all around us. Nephew Joel took this picture from his television.
Friday we took the metro to an area near the George Washington Bridge - another interesting experience. We rented a car there, crossed the bridge and were on our way to West Point to collect nephew Jim. We had to be there by 9 a.m. for the closing ceremony.
The three of us reversed the trip, dropping off the rental and then taking the metro back to Times Square. The following day our agenda was to take the Staten Island Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty, we stumbled upon Wall Street, we visited the 9/11 Memorial, the church near the Memorial, we admired the architecture of the One World Trade Center, walked the Highline, saw the Empire State Building and visited the Intrepid Museum - a busy day.
Whew! What a trip...for all of us. We loved delivering nephew Jim to West Point and being able to visit that historic institution. We loved visiting Washington D.C. We liked the New York City Times Square experience but won't need to repeat it! We'd return to Washington D.C. and incorporate tours into that trip as well as visits to the surrounding area. We'd return to New York but would rather visit the countryside and neighboring states. Thanks Jim for getting us to these destinations as a result of your achievement!
We returned home after 10 days and were glad to feel that Arizona dry heat! A few days following our return, Larry left for southeastern Arizona for a business trip and I went with sister-in-law Liz for two nights at a time share in south Phoenix to celebrate her birthday with her friends, Lisa and Patti.
Next trip: road trip to Nebraska and South Dakota via Colorado. In the meantime, we're watching progress on our back yard remodel.
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