Start Spreading the news (We already went)

I wrote all about our trip to Washington DC and New York City in my journal, but thought I should post a few pictures.  So here you go!

On my first day in DC, Bryce was in meetings and I took a metro ride and then a long walk around the Mall.  The Washington Monument is getting repaired after the earthquake last year.  Notice the scaffolding around the base?

 None of the fountains were operating, it was too early in the year.  But I love the World War II memorial.  I like to see the states listed that I've lived in and loved.

Lots of other people were out visiting as I was.  It's a lovely view from the Washington Monument looking forward to the Lincoln Memorial,

 And then turning back around the other direction.  I was testing my new camera, and it knew when my face appeared in the shot.  Nobody held the camera for this picture.

 I really enjoyed basking in this "temple" honoring Abraham Lincoln.

 I learned something very interesting about the Vietnam memorial even though I've been here several times.  Notice the cross next to Robert's name, and the diamond next to James and John?  Cross means Robert is missing in action.  Diamonds are for killed in action.

 Daniel, in the picture below, was originally missing, and then found dead, so the diamond was superimposed on the cross.  If anyone is found alive, they superimpose a circle.  There are no circles on the monument at this time.

I always love the Korean War Memorial.

This is the new Martin Luther King Memorial.  In the background, you can see a large stone and to its left is another matching one.  Coming in from the mall side, you enter between those two stones.  Dr. King is facing the water and the Jefferson Memorial.

 After leaving the Martin Luther King memorial, I walked around the tidal basin.  The cherry trees weren't blooming yet, but were still lovely as a backdrop.

 This lovely pagoda was really special to me.  It was a gift from Japan in 1957.  Guess where I was in 1957?  In Japan!

 I've never walked all the way to the Jefferson Memorial.  In fact, until this trip I wasn't sure you could walk there.  Again, I felt a feeling of peace to stand and read the inscriptions and be in this special place.

I didn't take many pictures of my second or third days in DC.  The weather got cold and rainy over night (I'm glad I did my outside stuff the first day.)  I spent the second day at the National Portrait Gallery and the third day reading a book while Bryce was in his meetings.  That night we got on the train at Union Station and had a delightful train ride to Penn Station in New York City.  It took about three and a half hours.

  The weather continued cold after our arrival in New York.  We had planned a double decker bus tour of the city, and wanted to be up on top of the bus, but it took some bundling up to stay warm.  Some of the buses had plexiglass covers, but others were open to the air.

 Our stop at the 9/11 memorial was a highlight of the trip.  I was astounded at the size of the fountains, which were made on the footprints of the two towers. 

 Bryce was anxious to find the name of his childhood neighbor, Sister Wahlstrom, and we were amazed to find her so easily.

 Walking around the streets of New York City feels like being down in a concrete canyon.  Everything is very close together and it's hard to see the sky.  Another favorite stop was our trip to the top of the Rockefeller Center building, to see the city from 67 stories up.

 Suddenly we got to see the city, and the sky.

 In the evening, we went to see Cinderella on Broadway (such fun!) and since that day was Pi day (3.14) we stopped across the street at the "Pie Face" bakery for a late meal.  They decorate all their little pies with faces.

 The next day of our trip started on the South Street Pier where we got on a ferry and went to see the sights along the waterfront.  Here's the famous Brooklyn Bridge.

 The tower on the left is one of the new World Trade Center towers that is going up.  It just became the tallest tower in the United States, but not in the world.

 What a delight to see Lady Liberty in person!  At this point the song in my head changed from New York, New York, to "Give Me Your Tired, your Poor."

 When we passed Ellis Island, I felt a strong sense of family and ancestry.  It is another very special place.

 Back on land, we got back on that double decker bus, but had to stay inside because this one didn't have any wind protection up on top.  We decided to ditch the bus at Central Park, checked out the food court at the Park Hotel (mainly to use their restrooms) and decided that a hot dog from the corner vendor was more our style.  You just have to check out the local food, right?

 The horse drawn carriages were equipped with nice warm blankets, which looked like fun, so we took a short ride through the park,

 And afterward gave Pickles the horse a couple of carrots.

 We then walked off the hot dog, going to the other side of the park to see the temple.  It's just another tall building tucked in between the others, unless you look way up to see Moroni.

The street vendor near the temple had pretzels. Ours didn't have enough salt on it, but it was fun to share as we walked back to the hotel.

 That night we found a nice restaurant just around the corner from our hotel, and right across the street from the Eugene O'Neill theater where "The Book of Mormon" was playing.  It was interesting to talk to the restaurant's hostess about her experiences having this show across the street.  Of course we didn't go see it.  We have been told how vulgar it is.  The best thing I can say about that show is, the book is always better.  (Thanks to the church's ad campaign for that saying.)

We spent our last day in the city (and my birthday) at the temple, avoiding the crowds on Fifth Avenue who came for the St. Patrick's Day parade.  And yes, that's snow falling on us as we left.  We had a long flight back, arriving at home early the next morning.  It was a great trip, and a wonderful surprise greeted us when we arrived home.

I have a great daughter!