"The Nations Front Yard"

Whats described as "The Nations Front Yard" by the National Parks Service is known more regularly as the National Mall. The National Mall includes a majority of the cities large mounments and the NPS is undertaking a large program to rebuild and restore it. Some of the buildings in and around the Mall are over 100 years old and due to the massive amount of human traffic that the area sees every day they are in need of restoration. The Mall sees over 25 million people each year through everyday tourism as well as through their 3,000 anual events. The plan as a whole has three objectives:
1) Define a vision for preserving an evolving historic landscape

2) Define a character for concession and visitor facilities that is compatible with the historic development of this public space

3) Stage for demonstrators and special events

Along with the pedestrian adjustments to the space. There will also be the addition of the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, a African American History memorial, and the Vietnam Veterans Momentos Memorial.

Here is a link to the National Parks Service Promotion Video. It is a good video to also show all of the monuments around the mall.

The National Mall

With major monuments to that have been descripted so far being located on or near the national mall. I figured it would be important to give a visual feeling to exactly where a majority of those are located. The Lincoln Memorial is represented by #1. The Jefferson Memorial #3, and the Washington Monument #2. Not represented by any numbers are the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is just north east of the Lincoln Memorial, and the World War II Memorial which is just east of the Washington Monument. Here is a link to a much more detailed map of the downtown area of Washington DC as it is today.

Tourist Destinations: National World War II Memorial

The National World War II Memorial is the latest addition to the 7 Icon memorials on the National Mall In Washington D.C.. It was opened to the public in 2004 on the former site of what was known as The Rainbow Pool in between the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. The memorial was construed to honor everyone who was involved in the entire World War II effort which includes the 16 million that served in the armed forces, all of those who supported the effort at home, and the 400,000+ that died during the fighting. Its design was meant to honor those who fought to preserve world freedom and to continue the lasting legacy of the entire generation. There are 56 pillars that represent all of the Nation's States, the District of Columbia and our other territories during the war. There is also two columns that represent both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters of the war. The memorials main piece is what is known as the wall of stars (shown in the picture to the right). There are a total of 4,048 Gold Stars on the wall, each representing 100 Americans who died in the War.

Here is a video put together by the National Parks Service to show the dedication that Americans had to the entire war effort and how they are all represented in the memorial.

Source: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=home.asp

Tourist Destinations: Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is also one of the 7 icon landmarks on the National Mall in Washington D.C. The Memorial was paid for by a number of private donations and a design contest that was won by architect Maya Yin Ling who was a college student at the time. I was finally dedicated by President Ronald Reagan to all of those who have fallen in the Vietnam War in 1982. The picture on the left shows the black granite monument at night looking from the apex of the wall toward the Washington Monument. All of the names of the 58,159 soldiers who died in the Vietnam War are represented in chronological order on the wall.
After the design was presented to the public it was met with a fair amount of controversy, most saying that it didnt celebrate the soldiers who gave their lifes. Instead it only fed the fire more that the War was a black mark on American history. In response the memorial heads decided to erect a statue of three soldiers, shown in the picture below. This new statue was a comprimse to help lift that black mark of the entire Vietnam experience and was unvieled two years later in 1984. Represented is a Hispanic American (Left) White American (Center) and Black American (Right). The statue and the wall interact with each other as the 3 soldiers are looking down at the wallen and their fallen military brothers. The memorial is open 24 hours a day an sees millions of tourists each year. Because many of the family and friends of those who died during the Vietnam war are still alive the millions of visitors leave pieces daily to remeber those lost, some of those pieces can be seen at an exhibit in the Smithsonian.

Source: http://thewall-usa.com/information.asp

Tourist Destinations: Lincoln Memorial

The Lincoln Memorial sits on the west end of the National Mall opposite of the World War II Memorial and the Washington Monument. Construction was started in 1914 and was finished, and opened to the public in 1922. The Memorial was Designed by Henry Bacon as a tribute to the nations 16th President Abraham Lincoln, His design is now ranked 7th on the American Institute of Architects list of all time American Architecture. The exterior is surrounded by 36 columns which represent the 36 states that were apart of the union which Lincoln fought to save during his Presidency. On the inside there is a 19 foot statue of Lincoln that is viewable from outside of the memorial. Also, on either sides of the statue there is the transcript from his 2 most famous speeches. His second Inaugural Address and the Gettysburg Address.

The Memorial served a different purpose during the tumultuous times of the 60s where it served for a gathering place to protest human rights. Protests of the Vietnam war as well as Martin Luther Kings I Have A Dream speech were both held on the memorials steps. Today the memorial sees millions of visitors annually. It is open 24 hours a day and is one of the the 7 Icon Memorials in D.C. by the National Parks Service.

Source: http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc71.htm

Major Events: Veterans Day 2008

Today is Veterans Day across the country but due to the many war and veteran memorials around the metro area, Veterans day is a great day to visit Washington D.C. to pay respects to those who have served in our country's wars. Almost all of the major memorials will hold special ceremonies today to honor the troops, below is a list of the events across the city.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Dr. NW, Washington, DC. Color guard, speakers and a wreath-laying ceremony will take place at 1 p.m.

Arlington National Cemetery Across the Potomac from Washington at the west end of the Memorial Bridge, Arlington, Virginia. This is the national Veterans day service with a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 11 a.m. Seating in the amphitheater is limited, so visitors should plan to arrive at least a half hour before the ceremony.

Vietnam Women's Memorial Constitution Avenue and Henry Bacon Drive, NW Washington, DC. Storytelling at 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.

World War II Memorial 17th Street, between Constitution and Independence Avenues, NW Washington, DC. Wreath laying

Source: http://www.dc.about.com/

Washington D.C. Cultural Centers

With the numerous embassy's around the D.C. area there is a number of opportunities for residents and visitors alike to take advantage of the many different cultural events that take place on a regular basis. Two centers that play a major role in the city are The Chinatown Community Cultural Center, and The Mexican Cultural Institute. The Chinatown Community Cultural Center portrays the cultural heritage of Chinese and other Asian American groups. Its main role is to help create a mutual understanding between Chinese and American cultures, and promote DC's Chinatown to its visitors. The Mexican Cultural Institute can be found in the building that used to be the Mexican Embassy. Inside you can find culturally significant murals that depict the traditional Mexican way of life. On a regular basis you can find art exhibits from historical and contemporary Mexican artists. The Institutes mission is to help bridge the understanding of Mexican culture in DC as well as sponsor festivals and other special events.

Source: www.culturaltourismdc.org

Major Travel Events: Inauguration 2009

Following the Historic 2008 Election Washington D.C. will be hosting a day in History 0n January 20th 2009 when President Elect Barack Obama and Vice President Elect Joe Biden take the oath of office on the capitol steps. This will mark the 56th Presidential inauguration in American History, and has been given the theme "A New Birth of Freedom". The planners of the Inauguration party have decided to also tie in the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincolns 200th Birthday. which is where they get the theme, which was a line from Lincolns Gettysburg address.

Source: http://www.destinationdc.com/

2008 Global Cities Index

In The 2008 Global Cities Index out of the 60 top Global Cities Washington D.C. ranked 11th overall and 4th among cities in the U.S. behind New York (1st) Los Angles (6th) and Chicago (8th). The group ranked the 60 cities on 5 different categories Business Activity, Human Capitol, Information Exchange, Cultural Experience, and Political Engagement. Washington ranked lowest in Business Activity at 35 overall and ranked highest in Political Engagement at 1st overall. The Political Engagement category was focused on the way in which the city influences global policy making and global dialogue. That was done so by examining the number of embassies and consulates, major think tanks, international organizations, sister city relationships, and political conferences there are in the Washington D.C. metro area. One thing that was interesting is that Washington easily beat out Paris, Brussels, London, and New York, which are the other major political cities around the world in global policy. I think that that really reiterates the dominance of the American Political system and its policies.

Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4509&page=1

Tourist Destinations: Jefferson Memorial

The Jefferson Memorial (shown above in the photograph taken at night), like the Washington Monument is one of the most visited tourist spots in all of Washington D.C.. It is located across the Potomac River away from where a majority of the monuments are located. The memorial which is dedicated to the main writer of the declaration of independence and the 3rd President of the United States Thomas Jefferson was on the table for for years starting with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1925. It was finally put to life with President Franklin Roosevelt in 1939 and completed in 1942.
During the construction process there was a major criticism of the project. First of all many objected the million dollar project when the nation could have used those funds to help with the money needed to fund WWII. Also, architecturally the project came under fire because it was constructed during the modernist movement of the early 10th century and those who opposed it disagreed with is Romanesque design.

After its dedication on Jefersons 200th birthday in 1943 the memorial immeadiately became a tourist destinations, and in 1966 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The memorial is free to all visitors and today is listed #4 on the list of Americas Favorite Architecture by the American Institue of Architects.

Source National Parks Serivce www.nps.gov

Tourist Desitinations - Washington Monument

The Washington Monument was one of the cities first major attractions and is arguably the popular monument inside the city of Washington D.C.. It is definitely the most distinctive it stands and 555 feet tall and lets its visitors see for upwards of 30 miles from the observation floor. The monument was made built in remembrance of the country's first President George Washington and completed in the year 1884.
The History of the monument is filled with a number of interesting facts. The first is it took 36 years to finish, due to lack of funding because of the civil war. When the nation came back to finish the monument after the war the marble they were using for the exterior was pulled from a different quarry, the two sections closely resembled each other at the time but after years have passed they different stones have weathered differently causing the naked eye to see different colors. (which can bee seen in the picture above about 1/3 of the way up) The stairwells which are no longer used to get to the top of the structure are lined with 199 commemorative stones that were given as gifts, most by states and other countries.

Even before it was opened the Washington Monument drew large groups in the 6 months after it opened it drew over 10,000 people all who had to climb the 900 steps to the top. The original elevator installed took 20 minutes to get to the top, today it takes 70 seconds. Today the monument continues to draw crowds more than any other place in D.C. as it sees 800,000 visitors each year and is one of the National Parks Service 7 Icon Washington D.C. Memorials

Source: National Parks Service http://www.nps.gov/