View From The Road - Day 2, Museums, Monuments, and Cubbies

What a day! Up at 8AM (and glad for the sleep) followed by a marathon day:

- The Smithsonian American History Museum
- The White House and the Washington Monument from afar
- The WWII, Lincoln, Roosevelt, Korean, and Jefferson Memorials up close
- And A Cubs game to end it all

With almost three hundred pictures to choose from, these are the handful I thought were the best. I hope you enjoy. Once again, in pictures, with brief comments:

- The US Capitol Building from across the Mall


- The outside of the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit at the Smithsonian. The actual flag that flew over Baltimore and inspired the song was displayed inside. Pretty awesome.

- The original Washington Monument ... A.K.A. Washington on steroids with a sword, attending a toga party. My mind in blown ...

- This exhibit is in bankruptcy...

- I'm so happy Stephen Colbert has a painting hanging at the Smithsonian that I can't even begin to describe it. God bless this man.

- The Red Sox ... giving hope to Cubs fans the world round.

- The ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz.

- At this point I couldn't believe I was actually looking at the top hat that President Lincoln wore to the theater the night he was shot. Way too cool ... and eerie.

- This is the desk which Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence on. In a final note contained in it he wrote about how politics and religion are alike, in that they place meaning in funny objects, such as his desk. You are correct sir!

- Steel column from the 70th floor of the World Trade Center. Got a bit emotional looking at this one. I also told my dad that I found it interesting that the most choked up I got at Arlington National Cemetery was when I saw a plane flying over the Washington Monument. I guess that tells you what generation I've grown up in. My Parents have JFK's assassination; my Grandparents have Pearl Harbor. I have 9/11/01.

- The "real" Washington Monument

- The closest we could get to the White House on this day. I guess Obama didn't want to meet with me to discuss Iranian foreign policy after all...

- I want to meet the person who drives this car.

- The World War II Memorial, which was moving as well. In the distance, through the fountain, you can see the Lincoln Memorial.

- The Washington Monument through the World War II Memorial.

- The Lincoln Memorial

- The Jefferson Memorial

- The Nationals Ballpark, entering from centerfield

- Lou!

- Entering this game Milton Bradley had the best nickname a player wasn't using for reasons inexplicable to me: "The Toymaker." Nobody could top that, right?

- The first pitch of the game, with Rich Harden on the mound. Six strong innings from Harden tonight. A promising start to his second half. And, yes, there were that many open seats.

- The Nationals have a second baseman named Alberto Gonzalez. Seriously, how is this guy not known as "The Attorney General?" Done, and done. Sorry Milton, you lose again. The Attorney General got a triple in his first at bat, and had the first two Nationals' hits.

- 'Nuff said...