Washington D.C. - Part 2

After our morning at Ford's Theater, we took to the streets to see what we could in the time we had left.  We headed towards the White House and were pleased to see this.

We both had grandfathers who served in the War and had never been to this memorial before so we spent some time walking through it.  That's the Treasury building in the background.

General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (1860-1948), aka "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer.  He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Western Front during World War I, from 1917-1918.  

Pershing is the only American to be promoted in his own lifetime to General of the Armies, the highest possible rank in the US Army.  Allowed to select his own insignia, Pershing chose to continue using four stars.  After creation of the five-star General of the Army rank during World War II, his rank of General of the Armies could unofficially be considered that of a six-star general, but he died before the proposed insignia could be considered and acted upon by Congress.

We kept walking and passed a beautiful hotel, Waldorf Astoria.  I can just imagine the dignitaries who have walked those halls.

And then we were at the White House.  I remember once when we were on a tour we were told they do not refer to the entrances as 'front' or 'back' but rather 'north' and 'south'.  We found ourselves standing at the south entrance, but really the back because the other entrance is located on Pennsylvania Avenue which as we know is the address.

The balcony is called the Truman Balcony because it was built while he was in the White House.

We turned around and saw the Washington Monument.

We kept walking to the front north entrance.  A few days before we visited, there was a huge lightning storm in the area - we were staying in College Park, Maryland and experienced Mother Nature at her worst.  And, unfortunately, so did four people who were in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House when they huddled under a tree to take cover from the storm and were struck by lightning.

Photo by yahoo.com

Sadly, three died and the fourth survived thanks to two ER nurses from Texas and the Secret Service.

It was eerie to come upon the tree which was easy to spot and because of the flowers and wreaths.

In the background you can see the White House - it was pretty close.

While we were in the park we spent quite a bit of time talking with a man from India who has been a citizen for five years along with a member of his family from Dubai.  It is so interesting talking with people from other countries.

The monument below is located in the center of Lafayette Park and portrays Major General Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) as he appeared while reviewing his troops at the Battle of New Orleans on January 8, 1815.  Thirteen years later he became the seventh president of the United States.

Pennsylvania Avenue, in front of the White House, is closed to traffic other than Secret Service and other officials.  There were lots of people milling about, handing out pamphlets for their 'cause', taking photos, etc.  

We stood outside the gate by the media tents.  I just noticed that it looks like the gate is open but I swear it was closed while we were standing there.

We talked with a man from Maryland who was house-sitting his brother's house in the District and had ridden his bike throughout the city.  He told us that about 1/2 hour before we arrived a small child had slipped through the fence which brought the Secret Service out quickly.  In the time we stood there we didn't see any of the press.  

 

As we walked on we stopped for photos of the north side of the White House.  Not too bad considering we had a fence in front of us.

It was hot and humid but we pressed on.  And then we stumbled upon this.

 

Coincidentally, the concierge (yes, a concierge!) at the RV park recommended this place as a historical place to eat but when we were looking for a lunch spot, we didn't realize it was so close to our destination.  So, of course, we went inside.

The Old Ebbitt Grill, Washington's oldest saloon, was founded in 1856 when, according to legend, innkeeper William E. Ebbitt bought a boarding house.  Today, no one can pinpoint the house's exact location, but it was most likely on the edge of present-day Chinatown.

As a boarding house, the Ebbitt guest list read like a Who's Who of American history.  President McKinley is said to have lived there during his tenure in Congress, and Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt and Warren Harding supposedly refreshed themselves at its bar.

There is a plaque recognizing some of the famous patrons.

Time to head back to the RV park so we took a "scenic" route to the Lincoln Memorial.  Unfortunately, we couldn't find a place to park but we were able to snap a photo or two as we waited at a stop light.

Always an impressive sight!