Washington, DC
I was fortunate enough to have attended the 2007 Horatio Alger Alumni Summit which was held at the nations capital, Washington, DC. During my 4 day stay, I met amazing people, ate fancy food and had a once in a lifetime experience. I cannot express the important message the Horatio Alger Association has bestowed upon me. Never give up, reach for the stars and give back to those around you. I'd like to share pictures I took of the beautiful city. Ad astra per aspera.
The streets are convenient and easy to follow for the most part. This was the intersection my hotel was at. They also had countdowns on every street that begins when the light turns green, so both pedestrians and drivers known when the lights will turn orange and red.
The great Fairmont Hotel. The room was spacious had everything I could ever need (except for a computer). It was my sanctuary from the busy days spent in DC. I will never forget.
The courtyard was absolutely gorgeous. The view was much better than the rooms facing the street. I had a small balcony to spend time on.
The great building 1899. I have no idea what this building was but I liked it.
The Lincoln memorial in the middle of the day. The structure was so large it made me dizzy just walking up to it.
The monument was busy during the day and night. I wonder if any modern legends will eventually be immortalized like Lincoln was.
The Vietnam war memorial was unreal. The number of names on there were unimaginable. It's easy to get a sense of just how emotional that period of time must have been.
I learned that people who were KIA had a diamond next to there name and people who were MIA had a cross. When the status of MIA was changed to KIA, they would carve a diamond out of the cross.
The experience at the memorials differed from day to night. This shot was taken in the day with the colors desaturated.
The reflecting pool and the Washington monument can be seen from the steps of the Lincoln memorial.
The World War II memorial is between the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument. It's a beautiful monument with several fountains.
The famous White House. It looks like something out of a movie. It is surrounded by bars and there are guards constantly watching it. Luckily the bars are spaced far enough for a camera to capture the building.
The other side of the White House.
The Fairmont Hotel was on the outside edge of Georgetown. I had the luxury of seeing the beautiful place during the day and night. It was a very young feeling area with lots of small family owned restaurants mixed with larger
I went on a pleasant walk through Georgetown and passed by many beautiful sights. The sky was blue and absolutely clear. The weather was perfect for 2 people to enjoy the nature, architecture and activities in Georgetown.
One of the nicest shopping areas in Georgetown was The Shops at Georgetown Park. The building had a very classic feel to it. The shopping area had a nice mix of traditional shops as well as specialty stores. I saw my first H&M there after hearing about it from my friend Jason. Seattle doesn't have one and I was very excited to see it. Unfortunately, I had too much fun in DC and ran out of time. I guess now I have an excuse to come back!
One of the stops I went on was the National Zoo. The zoo is free and even has Panda bears! It was definitely worth going to although it was 90 degrees out. Now isn't this Panda bear sleeping the cutest thing you've ever seen?
What beautiful creatures. Tigers are an amazing balance of elegance and power.
The HAA was kind to invite us on a night tour of some of DC's most famous memorials. Although I took the luxury of guiding myself during the day, I couldn't pass up on the opportunity to see it at night. The experience is different and one must see both during there time in DC.
The lighting at the Lincoln Memorial was beautiful. It's very peaceful at night although the crowd is still large.
The impact of the Lincoln Memorial is enhanced at night time. He becomes the absolute center of attention. He glows among his surroundings and stands out as a true hero. I wonder what it would be like to be the only person in the memorial at night. I imagine it would be an incredible feeling.
I set my camera on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to capture this shot. The Washington Monument shines bright among a very dark night sky.
The WWII Memorial consists of pillars recognizing each state. In the middle is a pool with two fountains. What you can't see too well in this picture is the gap within each pillars. Each one of those gaps were filled with hundreds of spiders. Not the most comfortable thing to walk next to.
The fountains were beautifully lit at night. The gentle sound of water surrounds you as you walk around the memorial.
The Washington Monument can be seen from all the memorials in the area. To the right are some of the pillars designating different states.
I hope that every man, woman and child born before and after WWII will never forget the times of war that existed in our history. It's important to understand these times and to respect the sacrifices that were made so that we can all live a free life.
