Washington DC: Day Three

We accidentally saw Hannah, President Bush, and the Memorial Day Service at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was wonderful to think of my Grandparents and their relation to the service. We watched twenty minutes of it, the announcer would say the name of a group (Gold Star Mothers, Blue Star Mothers, Purple Heart, Sons and Grandsons of the Union Army, etc.) Four members of that group carried a flower wreath to the guard who would salute them, and click around to the lay the wreath on the stairs. It was a wonderful place to go on Memorial Day, I think it was the first Memorial Day were I really did memorialize my loved ones who are not with us anymore.

Thanks to our hosts! (You can see the Capitol and the Washington Memorial in the background)

We took the metro to Pentagon City and had lunch. Now, a few thoughts on the Metro Vs. the Subway:

• The Metro stops are clean and spacious. The Subway stops are not clean or spacious.
• The Metro stops do not smell. The Subway stops smell (even the elevated ones do.)
• The Metro stops are really far apart. There is always a Subway stop at least three blocks away. (The subway wins this one if you are counting.)
  
• The Metro trains are large, clean, and comfortable. There are some Subway lines that are better than the others, but I haven't found a Subway train as nice as the Metro trains.
• The Metro trains are not as crowded, (we rode it back to Alexandria during early rush hour, and there were a few people who had to stand, but it was not body to body. The Subway is only not crowded on early saturday morning.
• The Metro stops long enough to board and deboard with ease (this might also be due to the crowdedness factor). The Subway is a act fast or miss your train or stop kind of thing.
  
• EVERY Metro stop has at the very least escalators. We would get off, and I would think "Thank goodness, an Escalator!" and then most of them have an elevator too, which was even better. The Subway, well, lets just say the Metro won this won with out any competition for the other side.
  
• The Metro elevators smell like cleaning products. The Subway elevators smell like vomit.
• The Metro stops aren't always close enough to think you can make it. The Subway was going to have its feelings hurt if I didn't mention that I do like how convenient the stops are.
  
• The Metro Day pass cost 7 dollars but doesn't count buses. The Subway Day pass costs 7.50 but includes buses.
  

We accidentally saw Miss America at the Parade. It was a nice excuse to stop and rest, but I took Justin to go to the street vendors to buy a visor because I needed some shade. By the time we got back the parade was over and the walking started again. Now, I walk, alot, but I don't walk for 12 hours none stop. I usually keep my walking to 4 hour minimums.