Weekend Warrior Part 3

Today, I set off on the third installment of my weekend excursion. It was a great day. Here is how it went:

Arlington Cemetery: We started off by catching the Metro down to Arlington National Cemetery. It was one of the most appropriate and touching memorials I have seen. I was overcome by the proximity of the landmark to the rest of DC. It is easy at times to forget how close it all is together.

I couldn't help but imagine Robert E. Lee looking towards the White House his last time at home wondering what the future held for his life.

I was able to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the memorial of the USS Maine, a memorial to those who perished in the Challenger, those who perished in the Columbia, John Kennedy and the eternal flame, where Bobby Kennedy is buried, and many more.

It is an amazing testament to this nation.

Watergate: Next, we took a stop near the campus of George Washington University where we ate a Potbelly's sandwich at the student union and walked the three or four blocks to see Watergate. That has to be the ugliest office building/landmark I have ever seen .

U.S. Capitol: We then made our way down to the U.S. Capitol where we took a good look at it doing a lap around the entire building before heading into the newly completed Visitor's Center. We lucked into a few of the last tickets for a tour of the building.

I was able to see the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and the Crypt. I was excited to find out that there is now a Ronald Reagan statue in the rotunda. I also enjoyed the subtle irony of the Jeff Davis, John C. Calhoun, and Robert E. Lee statues. It is a beautiful building that is truly the Temple of Liberty.

Other miscellaneous sites:
We made it to the Library of Congress via the underground tunnel that was added along with the new visitor's center. This exchange actually happened:

Random Lady: "How many people use this tunnel (speaking of the mysterious underground tunnel)?"
Security Guard: "Definitely not $60 million worth"

Then, we walked by the Supreme Court building and stopped by the White House to round out all three branches of government.

Mission 3: Success.