Washington DC – Day Two
On our second day in Washington my husband had to finish some work . So being the good wife that I am – I got him Starbucks and went for a walk with plans to meet him latter .
A Long Walk
I started by visiting the White House . It was the landmark we visited most on our trip . Passed by many interesting buildings along the way .
We mainly visited the North Lawn . This is the side facing Pennsylvania. This specific day I walked past the North Lawn , passed many other buildings and reached the park area in front of the South Lawn .
The White House wasn’t too visible from this side , I imagine due to security concerns . There was a Christmas display at the park in front of the South side of the White House . It consisted of a tree for each state of United States Of America. The decorations for each tree was made by childrens of that state . Interesting concept .
George Washington Monument
After spending some time at the Christmas trees I made my way to the George Washington Monument. As I walked toward it I passed the African American Museum and long range views of the Capital building .
The George Washington Monument is one of the symbols of DC . You can see it from many different locations . It is a monument built to celebrate George Washington and is located in the National Mall ( landscaped park with many presidential monuments) . You can take an elevator to go to the top . However you need to book the tickets ahead of time. We didn’t and it was sold out . So we just some photos outside and reflected on George Washington before heading toward the Lincoln monument.
Bus
The National Mall covers a large area and there are different buses that loops around stopping at different stops. There is a small fee for it . We decide to walk since it was relatively early in the day and we had energy.
World War Two Monument
Between the George Washington Monument and Lincoln Monument are a few other monuments. The first one we came across was The World War Two Monument. It is well designed. We paid our respects to those that have lost their life’s . Great place for reflection.
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
Right after the WWII monument you come across the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool . One of the largest reflecting pools I have seen . We were visiting on a bright December Day and was able to take some incredible photos of the reflections .
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Right before the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial . It is a long reflective wall with many names on it . Families of lost soldiers had left mentos by the walls . Heartbreaking to see .
Lincoln Memorial
After the Vietnam memorial we made our way to the Lincoln Memorial. It’s probably the grandest of all the presidential memorials. Built like a Roman temple with massive columns it’s a sight . We climbed up the stairs to see the statue of Lincoln. This was also the most crowded presidential monument!
A massive Lincoln sits on a his throne watching over anyone who enters . There are writing on both sides . After taking a selfie with Lincoln make sure to walk around the building before climbing down the stairs .
Korean War Memorial
From the Lincoln memorial we made our way to the Korean Memorial. It’s very close by . The Korean memorial is statues of soldiers in different states in a garden .
This was our last stop for the day at the National Mall . We caught the bus to get closer to our lunch spot . The bus dropped us off near the Washington Monument and we caught an Uber from there to an Ethiopian Restaurant in Adams Morgan area .
We decided to have Ethiopian food . Zenebech is decorated with authentic pieces and cozy seating . We settled in . My phone battery was dead and they offered to charge ur for me .
We had a sambusa ( it’s very similar to a samosa) for appetizer, curries and injera and is Ethiopian coffee . The food was flavourful and delicious. We truly enjoyed our experience. Most of the restaurants in Washington had excellent food !
Exploring On Foot
After lunch we walked around the Adams Morgan neighbourhood. Came across many different homes . Made our way to the Kalorama Neighbourhood. Again lots of nice houses . Some related to different country’s embassies .
We walked back toward our hotel . We enjoy the random walks . It gives us a deeper view into how the locals live .
Once we became tired we caught an Uber back to our hotel .
We relaxed at the hotel before a late dinner . Was feeling like trying something different so ended up at Rasika – a highly recommended Indian Restaurant.
We were able to walk to it from our hotel . The food was incredible. They have this Kale chips and it was probably the best kale dish I have ever had . We had the kale dish , kebabs, biryani, butter chicken and a modified cream brûlée. Everything was made well and a good marriage of flavours . It is a bit pricy but worth it .
We are the last people to leave . Highly recommend for Indian food in DC.
Goodnight
We walked back to our hotel and called a night .
