Mt. Vernon, Arlington, and Washington- Friday, March 13, 2015

Our first stop this morning was Mount Vernon (which felt rushed compared to last time, and certainly crowded).  After that we went to lunch at the same mall as last time (It was filled with busses, and still under construction.  Can this be the only food court within 20 miles?)  I had McDonald's, without even trying to deal with the "vouchers" we were supposed to have.  

We headed towards Arlington, but with stops at two memorials I've never stopped at before.  We saw the spires of the Air Force Memorial up close, with its view over the Pentagon.  It's an impressive memorial when you're just driving by, but has an entirely different feel when you stop at it.  Then we went to the Marines Memorial, with its famous statue of the soldiers raising the flag on Iwo Jima.   We made the mile or trek up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where four of our West Seneca students placed a wreath, after the changing of the guard  It's not the first year the students have placed one, but it is the first year I've gotten to see it.  

Two helicopters flew over Washington when we were in Arlington, and we wondered if one was Marine 1, carrying the President, but it turns out that Obama is out in California and Phoenix today.  We stopped at the White House for pictures by the North Entrance.  The students seemed more interested in  Concepción Picciotto, the protestor who has camped outside the White House since the 1980s.  Dinner was next at Buca de Beppo's which was ok, but our huge group made it crowded an noisy.

Next came a whirlwind tour of the major monuments, Mr. Lake style.  Our bus went to the Vietnam Memorial (where we did find 3 of the 4 names of soldiers from West Seneca), the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial (which I haven't been able to visit since... I don't know when.  Maybe when we lived in Virginia?), the Martin Luther King Memorial, and the FDR Memorial.  

The weather was as good as we could ask for today.  In 50's I think, with no rain (at least until very late in the evening).  Many of the kids seem to be enjoying the trip, but there are so many others..  They seem to be here just to be out of school. and they make things tough.    The tour guide for our bus has been sorta meh-- not the worst I've ever had, but we've got her for sooo long.  Of course I recognize the fact that I've also been tired and grumpy today, so there is that too.