Sunday, September 7, 2014

My Trip to Washington, D.C.

Over my summer break, my mom and I took a train to Washington, D.C. On the first night we checked in, unpacked our bags, and met our family friends Ryan and Ryan's mom, Kathy. Ryan and I have been best friends since we were little. Right after we unpacked, the four of us walked to the Lincoln memorial. My mom and I expected us to stay in the hotel and chill because we had only just gotten there, but we also wanted to look at as much monuments as possible in the time that we went.

The Lincoln Memorial

A gigantic statue of Lincoln himself stood before us. It was amazing (and enormous)! After that, we walked over to the Korean War Memorial.

The Beginning of the Korean War Memorial

There were 19 statues of Korean Soldiers. Most of them were army soldiers, but some were air force and navy soldiers. The Vietnam War memorial was next on our list of things to do.

A Tiny Chunk of the Vietnam War Memorial

The Vietnam War Memorial is a long wall that lists all the names of the people who gave their lives fighting for us in the Vietnam War. 

Can you see my reflection?

After that, my mom and I headed back to our hotel while Ryan and Kathy went to an Orioles-Nationals game. I flopped down on my bed and was out-cold in five seconds. The first day was fun, but the next day was going to be even better!

My mom and I woke up at 7:00AM and met Ryan and Kathy at the breakfast buffet. We took the metro to the Washington Monument. At 9:30, Kathy, Ryan and I took the elevator to the top of the monument. My mom was too scared. There were four windows to look out. Here's what I saw out of each one:

 Window 1. The Capitol Building way in the distance

 Window 2. The White House

 Window 3. The Lincoln Memorial

Window 4. The Jefferson Memorial

The Washington Monument was my favorite monument to visit because we were so high up and we could see all the way into Maryland. It was not scary, surprisingly. We took the elevator down and looked up at where we had just been. I couldn't believe we had been up so high!

Wow, that's high up!

For the next part of the day, we took a trolley around Washington, D.C. and looked at all the monuments. We took the trolley to the Capitol building which was our next tour. 

See the statue at the top? That is the Freedom Statue.

At 3:00, we took a tour of the House of Representatives building. There were so many chairs in that room, and there had to be because every representative needed one. You weren't allowed to take pictures in that room, unfortunately. Next, we toured the actual Capitol building. Sadly, the Dome was under renovation so it looked like this:
Big renovation on the dome

Our trip to the Capitol building was still really interesting. There were paintings and murals everywhere. The day was over so we took the metro back to our hotel. Again, I flopped down on my bed and was out-cold in, this time, in three seconds! I was so tired from the day of sightseeing, and I couldn't wait for tomorrow, because we were going to the U.S. Mint.

Again, we woke up early in the morning and met Ryan and Kathy down at the buffet. As quick as possible, we took the metro to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (where they make the money). We got tickets for 9:45, and it was 8:30, so we went to the Jefferson Memorial to pass the time. 

The Jefferson Memorial

Inside the memorial, there was a giant statue of Jefferson himself. He was really big and sort of scary, but cool and interesting at the same time. It was time for the Bureau, so we made our way over to the doorway of the Bureau. When we got inside, we watched a short video about how the money is made, and then we got to actually see it in action! No pictures were allowed whatsoever. The money was printed, sorted, checked for defects, cut, and boxed. Then it was shipped to the banks around the country. It was really interesting to watch the money go through all sorts of processes before it was sent out. There was even a guy fanning himself with a sheet of money. The Bureau was my second favorite thing in Washington, D.C. (besides the Washington Monument), and I would go back there if I ever went back to D.C. again. 

We didn't have anything else to do that day, so we went back to the hotel and chilled out. Ryan and I made a video about Washington, D.C. That night was more relaxed, and I got a good night sleep. The next morning was relaxed too. We went down to breakfast at 9:00 and took the metro to the National Archives at 10:00.
The National Archives

The National Archives is where the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights are kept. I couldn't take pictures because it would damage the important documents, but they were bigger then I expected them to be. They were each about four times the average sheet of paper, and they all had a lot of writing on them. I wonder how long it took for Jefferson to write the Declaration of Independence. The Archives were a very interesting thing on my trip, but I still liked the Washington Monument best. 

Later that day, the four of us went to the Air and Space Museum. It was all about the stars and the universe, and also about the history of planes. 
This is a replica of one of the first planes ever.

Ryan and I became addicted to a space trivia game. We played that for an hour straight! Ryan and I had a lot of laughs during our endless games. Unfortunately, it was time to go. It was our last day in D.C, so we decided to make it count. At 8:00PM, we took the metro back out and saw all the monuments at night.

 This is the Washington Monument at night. Look at the moon!

By far, the most beautiful monument of them all at night was the World War 2 memorial. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life!


Look at it- so beautiful!

We were done with Washington, D.C. the next day. It was incredibly fun, but we had to leave. I hope you get a chance to go.

Mrs. Yollis, I hope this post helps you in deciding what you want to visit when you go to Washington, D.C. I hope you have a great time there. 

Have you ever been to Washington, D.C?

If so, what was your favorite monument?

If not, what would you like to see there?



15 comments:

  1. Hello Royce,

    I am one of Mrs. Yollis' current students. We have seen your post about Washington D.C today it was very interesting. Everything you wrote had so many details. Mrs. Yollis is going to Washington D.C . You sent the post about Washington D.C at just the right time! Our class is helping Mrs. Yollis plan her trip. I know your sister Tabitha and she is nice. You should comment back to Mrs. Yollis.

    Bye,
    Aryana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dear Aryana,

    Thank you for posting a comment!
    You are so lucky you get to be in Mrs. Yollis' class. She was the best teacher ever! Last week Mrs. Yollis told me she was going to Washington D.C.. I had just visited there and I had a ton of pictures so why not make a post!�� Thank you for saying that Tabby was nice. She says thank you.

    Sincerely,
    R♠yce

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Royce,

    Thank you so much for sharing the photos and information about Washington, D.C. As Aryana just mentioned, and as you know, your timing is excellent! I'm heading to Washington, D.C. soon!

    You and I have similar tastes as far as sightseeing. All of the places you mentioned are on my list of things to do. I hadn't thought about viewing the monuments at night, but now I have added it to my list!

    We have been researching facts about the Washington Monument in class. I have been teaching the students how to take notes without plagiarizing. Many times people think you can just copy and paste text in your blog posts and comments. As you recall from my class, plagiarism is illegal!

    One fact about the Washington Monument that caught my attention had to do with the building of it. At times, the building committee did not have enough money to continue building. In fact, they stopped building in 1854 and didn't start back in until 1876. The Enchanted Learning website said that you can see a slight color difference between the bottom third and the upper two thirds of the monument. Did you notice that color difference in the marble?

    We also learned that the Washington Monument is an obelisk. Can you help us? What is an obelisk?

    Your proud former teacher,
    Mrs. Y♥llis

    P.S. I added you back to our class blog roll and I hope we can continue to learn with you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Royce,

    I really liked reading about your trip to Washington D.C.. I think the pictures are great! I like the way the Monument looked at night. I have never been for Washington D.C. but I hope to visit one day. My favorite monument is the World War II Memorial. I would like to see the white house and the Jefferson Memorial.
    Thank you for sharing about your trip and for posting the beautiful pictures!
    Sincerely,
    Noa

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Royce,

    Thank you for commenting back. You are right that Mrs. Yollis is an amazing teacher. I have learned a lot about Washington D.C on your post. I think you have a great blog! How did you earn your blog?

    Bye,
    Aryana

    P.S. I love how many pictures you have in your post.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Royce,
    I do see your reflection in the wall.Your blog is awesome!

    Happily,
    Aryana

    ReplyDelete
  7. Dear Aryana,

    Thank you for commenting back! You are a great commenter!

    Well, Mrs. Yollis didn't just come up to me and say, "Here's your blog! Have fun!" I had to work incredibly hard to earn my blog. It also took me a while to come up with a name for it! I worked hard the entire year, and I commented on almost every post on Mrs. Yollis' blog. I was really trying to earn the blog, and I finally did! When it comes time for Mrs. Yollis to give out blogs, I hope you get one! It will be really fun to explore your blog and create posts!

    Dear Mrs. Yollis,

    I really enjoy how you are teaching the class about Washington D.C! Tabby said she loves doing it. But they have to remember not to plagiarize! I support that and I like how you are teaching your class about it.

    The monuments at night are a MUST-SEE! Thank you for adding them to your list! Yes, I did notice the color difference. The park rangers told us why the colors were different. I thought it was interesting! An obelisk is a four-sided stick of stone that's top is a pyramid.

    Thank you for adding me to your blog list! Soon, I am going to do a post about my new oboe!

    Dear Noa,

    Thank you for reading my post! I am glad you like the monuments at night! I would also like to see the White House if I ever go back. If you visit, you should see the Washington Monument, the White House, the Bureau, and the monuments at night! Those are must-sees.

    Sincerely,
    R★yce

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Royce,
    I am one of Mrs.Yollis' students this year. We read your blog in class today. It is very long! I became interested in it because it had a lot of details.
    I want to visit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing because they make money!
    Did you get to touch the money?
    Sincerely,
    Ruby

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi Royce,
    Thank you for telling me how you got your blog. Did Mrs.Yollis ever give out jobs when you were in her class? If she did was there a personal assistant job? I have gotten the personal assistant job. Thank you for how you keep commenting back to me and explaining to me all the questions I ask! You are a great commenting buddy.

    Sincerely,
    Aryana

    ReplyDelete
  10. Dear Aryana,

    Thanks for always commenting back to me!

    I honestly can't remember if Mrs. Yollis gave out jobs. Personal assistant sounds like a great job! What do you do when you get it?

    Your welcome! I am always looking for a commenting buddy!

    Dear Ruby,

    I loved the Bureau of Engraving and Printing! I hope you can go there one day! Unfortunately, we couldn't actually touch the money, but we saw sheets of them! I did get to touch money shavings though. Those are rejected dollars that have been shredded.

    Thanks for commenting!

    Sincerely,
    R♚yce

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dear Royce,
      Thank you for commenting back to me! Did the freshly made money shreddings feel different from regular money? As you can see, I really like money!
      Sincerely,
      Ruby

      Delete
  11. G'day Royce,
    Great to see you continuing with your blog even though you are no longer in Mrs Yollis' class.

    I went to Washington DC last year. What I found most interesting was riding on the metro - where I live in Australia we don't have any passenger trains let alone subways - we have to drive, ride a bus or bicycle everywhere.

    The most interesting and thought provoking museum I visited was the Holocaust memorial Museum. I had taught about the Holocaust to grade 8 students a few years ago and had used the resources online from this museum.

    I also visited many of the Smithsonian museums and monuments by using the hop on hop off buses.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Royce,
    Sorry I haven't been commenting back lately. When you get the personal assistant job you basically help Mrs.Yollis with things she needs help with. For example
    If she needs you to get something or if she needs you to arrange something. It is very fun. I know it's early but what are you going to be for Halloween? I will be Maleficent for Halloween. If so please tell me who you are going to be for Halloween soon. Do you know about the announcements at chaparral? If you do I did the announcements this morning and it was about Francis Scott Key writing our national anthem and the person who put it to music. It was a very fun experience!

    Happily,
    Aryana







    ;

    ReplyDelete
  13. Royce
    What a fabulous post. So much detail about the wonderful places that you visited in Washington DC. I really enjoyed how you linked it with all the photographs that helped explain the text. You obviously explained about some world famous monuments, which I recognised despite being on the other side of the world. I really enjoyed reading about the elevator in the Washington Monument because I never knew that there was an elevator in it and you could go all the way to the top.

    I have never been to Washington DC, I have a brother who lives in Maryland, in Washington DC, but I have not been able to visit him yet, although I do really enjoy my history so I would have to say that I should.

    What a fantastic detailed post and what a great blog that you have created.

    Mr Webb and Room One, Auroa Primary School, Taranaki, New Zealand.
    mrwebbauroa.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Dear Royce,
    Sounds like you had a great trip. If I were there I would so want to see the World War II Memorial. Hope to hear more from you.

    From,
    Isaac

    ReplyDelete

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