Got my ticket reserved!

Today's plan: The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Really excited about this one because the last time I was in DC the monument was closed for repairs.


Well it's a good thing I reserved my ticket in advance. When I got to the momument they were turning people away because they'd already distributed their tickets for the day. One of the rangers said they'd actually run out quite early in the morning. I got there a half and hour before my tour time as the website stated, but apparently it wasn't a necessity. The tours were running late so I sat outside at the base of the monument enjoying the view and the weather. When it was time, one of the rangers gave us some history and stats, we went through security and started our ride to the top. The volunteer in the elevator gave us another quick history and some more stats. Once we got to the top, the view was amazing. I got some great shots of the sites around the area. Inside the monument on the floor under the viewing area I read more of the history and saw some cool displays. There's an original donation box from when the memorial was in dire need of funding to be completed and a recreation of the capstone complete with its original inscription. Once back in the elevator, the volunteer slowed down so we could see some of the stones that were sent from each of the 50 states located in the monument. Obviously theres no way to see them all so he directed us to the monument's website, where they have photos of each one.  Once back on the ground a snapped some pictures of the inscription and statue on the bottom floor which I missed on the way up, then headed outside. I was able to snap one more picture of the Lincoln Memorial from the base of the monument before my camera's battery died! :-[ I thought it was charged up the night before but the cord must have come loose because I didn't have much battery life. Needless to say I didn't get any pictures while at the Lincoln Memorial :-( It was still really cool, although a little crowded with children running and screaming.