Washington, DC, USA - Iva Boishin

National Mall MemorialsGeorgetownDuPont CircleThe Society of CincinnatiWhite House Scandals

A special thanks to Michael from DC by Foot.

To start off, let's distinguish a monument from a memorial. A monument is built while the person is alive or the event is going on. A memorial is built after the death of the person or the end of an event.
<p>This is the Washington Monument. It was completed in 1888. Now you may be wondering, <i>well didn't George Washington die in 1799?</i> He did. But, while construction of the Washington Monument didn't start until the early 1830s, the plans for the monument were already in effect in the early 1780s. Furthermore, construction of the monument paused during the Civil War. This is the reason for the two different shades of stone. The stone was originally sourced from Maryland queries and, after the Civil War, the stone was sourced from Texan queries. Thus, the monument is two different colors due to the two different types of stones.</p> — To start off, let's distinguish a monument from a memorial. A monument is built while the person is alive or the event is going on. A memorial is built after the death of the person or the end of an event.
This is the Washington Monument. It was completed in 1888. Now you may be wondering, *well didn't George Washington die in 1799?* He did. But, while construction of the Washington Monument didn't start until the early 1830s, the plans for the monument were already in effect in the early 1780s. Furthermore, construction of the monument paused during the Civil War. This is the reason for the two different shades of stone. The stone was originally sourced from Maryland queries and, after the Civil War, the stone was sourced from Texan queries. Thus, the monument is two different colors due to the two different types of stones.

The World War II Memorial (with the Lincoln Memorial in the background)

The small pillars are dedicated to the country's states and territories while the large pillars represent the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans to show the magnitude of the war.

Two wreaths hang on each side of the small pillars. One of the wreaths is made of oak to represent the industrial efforts and another of wheat to represent the agricultural efforts.

Relief pieces depict the various realities of the war

As men moved out to be soldiers in the Second World War, women moved into the manufacturing jobs. Women caught on to the skilled labor jobs very quickly. They were producing one ship every four hours, which was a significant accomplishment for even an experienced team.

Close up to show the intense detail of the relief pieces

This quote from Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby shows just how demanding the war was and how women entered the work force by the hundreds of thousands

Sculpture of American bald eagles setting laurel wreaths over the victory medallion in the floor

The Freedom Wall is at the end of the war memorial. There are 4,048 stars for the more than 400,000 soldiers sacrificed to the war. Each star represents 100 soldiers. The wall is inscribed with "Here we mark the price of freedom."

Riveters were paid based on the number of rivets they produced. In order to count them, chalk marks were placed on the rivets. The workers realized that if they wiped off the chalk, they could get paid twice as much the next day. One of the inspectors noticed the workers' scheme. Instead of chalk, he began using a razor. He would carve out <i>Kilroy was here</i> in the rivets so that it could not be erased. The workers drew the cartoon (in the bottom right of this picture) to make fun of Kilroy. Soldiers noticed this on the side of their ships. They appropriated it and began using it as a safety code. Whenever they would see the graffiti, they knew that American soldiers has passed through and assumed it was friendly territory. — Riveters were paid based on the number of rivets they produced. In order to count them, chalk marks were placed on the rivets. The workers realized that if they wiped off the chalk, they could get paid twice as much the next day. One of the inspectors noticed the workers' scheme. Instead of chalk, he began using a razor. He would carve out *Kilroy was here* in the rivets so that it could not be erased. The workers drew the cartoon (in the bottom right of this picture) to make fun of Kilroy. Soldiers noticed this on the side of their ships. They appropriated it and began using it as a safety code. Whenever they would see the graffiti, they knew that American soldiers has passed through and assumed it was friendly territory.

The reflecting pond is only about one and a half feet deep. So, the Forest Gump scene was a bit exaggerated.

An architectural contest was conducted for the design of the Vietnam War Memorial. The design had to meet four requirements: (1) had to have no political statement, (2), couldn't be too big, (3) needed to have all of the names of the fallen soldiers and (4) had to gives space for visitors to reflect.

Maya Lin was 21 when she designed the Vietnam War Memorial. She was a design architect major at Yale and was required to enter by the professor. At the end of her semester, the professor (who had also entered the contest) gave her a C- for the class. It's rumored that he gave her a low grade due to his resentment for losing the competition. She argued for a higher grade, given that she had won the contest, and he increased it to a B-. Nonetheless, with her 5 page proposal (as opposed to the average of 30 pages), she fulfilled the four requirements for the contest. First, in order not to make a political statement, she designed a wall. Second, to avoid making it too big, she dug it down into the ground. This gave the illusion like the wall was a gushing wound.

When Lin was considering how to fit all of the names on the memorial, she didn't want it to be alphabetical as that would result in a big clump of Smiths. Instead, she fulfilled the third requirement by writing in everyone's name chronologically. She felt that soldiers who died together should be remembered together. Finally, she made it a place of reflection by literally using reflective material. Because the war was very controversial, some people wanted to disrespect the memorial. Yet, it's much harder to disrespect something if you see your eyes staring back at you.

The Three Women Memorial honors the women who died in the Vietnam War. In sum, eight women were killed at Vietnam; five of those deaths were because the women ran into combat.

The Three Soldiers Memorial remembers the soldiers who came back to find all of their brothers dead. From left to right, an African American, a Caucasian and a South American are depicted. Showing such a multi-racial group during a time for the fight for civil rights highlights that war knows no race. When you go to war, everyone on your side is your brother.

The Three Soldiers are staring at the memorial in horror. Next to each name on the memorial, there's either a circle, a cross, a diamond or a combination thereof. A circle is reserved for a person who was missing in action but who has since returned. (There are no circles on the memorial.) A cross is for someone who is missing in action. Finally, a diamond is for a confirmed killed in action.

The Lincoln memorial is full of symbols. First, and most obviously, the Lincoln Memorial is designed in the Greek Doric style. The memorial was originally going to be a pyramid with President Lincoln dead on top but the architects wanted to create an allusion to democracy, a concept that Lincoln fought hard to uphold. Thus, the design was changed to reflect Lincoln's dedication to democracy by imitating a building from the location where democracy was created. The 36 columns represent the number of states that were part of the Union at the time of Lincoln's death. At the top of the Memorial, the 48 states part of the United States in 1922, i.e. during the construction of the memorial, are inscribed, along with the roman numerals depicting the year that the state entered the union. The two missing states, Hawaii and Alaska, are commemorated in a plaque on the stairs of the memorial.

The stairs feature another plaque recognizing Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech.

The reflecting pond was intended to reflect the Washington Monument in the same way that the Potomac River did. The pond was a bit shorter than necessary and the reflection of the Washington Monument is cut off.

The statue is bordered by Greek Ionic-styled columns, continuing the Greek theme. Moreover, as Abraham Lincoln was the first president to recognize a school for disabilities, his hands were designed to rest in the sign language position for his initials, A and L.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial depicts 19 soldiers as a platoon.

At any given location around the platoon, there is always one person looking at you. This is how the platoon stayed aware of all of their surroundings.

Reflected on the wall next to them, there seem to be 38 soldiers. This symbolizes the 38 parallel that separates North and South Korea.

The wall is sandblasted with images of the people who participated in the war and the landscape of the nation. A German shepherd is also depicted as it was the first time that dogs were extensively used during a war effort.

The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial is located at 1964 Independence Avenue SW. The street number was chosen as a direct reference to the 1964 Civil Rights Act, in which MLK played a large role. The memorial was created by Lei Yixin who was inspired by a line from MLK's "I have a Dream" speech: "Out of a mountain of despair, a stone of hope".

Here MLK is clearly depicted as that stone of hope. He's only partly out of the stone to depict the idea that the battle is not yet over. Also, the fact that the statue looks incomplete mirrors the idea that his life and his life's work was incomplete.

The walls of the memorial bend towards MLK's statue to show that the people bend towards justice.

The walls are filled with quotes arguing for equality.

At the FDR memorial, a statue of the president greets the visitors as they walk up to the memorial. Because FDR didn't want anyone to remember him for his disability, he always hid it from the public. This statue was so controversial that it was only added two years after the memorial was built. While FDR didn't want to be remembered for his disability, current disability groups wanted it to be an inspiration to everyone and a reminder that anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind to.
<p>So FDR's wishes were ignored. But it wouldn't be for the first time. This entire memorial is against FDR's wishes. When asked what he would like his memorial to be, he said he'd simply like a slab of marble on the green lawn in front of Archives. A slab that would simply say "In memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt". While that memorial was the original FDR memorial, this memorial was built in 1997--32 years after the original at Archives--and is now the more famous one. In the end, it seems like that slab was erected for him while this memorial was built for the people.</p> — At the FDR memorial, a statue of the president greets the visitors as they walk up to the memorial. Because FDR didn't want anyone to remember him for his disability, he always hid it from the public. This statue was so controversial that it was only added two years after the memorial was built. While FDR didn't want to be remembered for his disability, current disability groups wanted it to be an inspiration to everyone and a reminder that anyone can accomplish anything they set their mind to.
So FDR's wishes were ignored. But it wouldn't be for the first time. This entire memorial is against FDR's wishes. When asked what he would like his memorial to be, he said he'd simply like a slab of marble on the green lawn in front of Archives. A slab that would simply say "In memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt". While that memorial was the original FDR memorial, this memorial was built in 1997--32 years after the original at Archives--and is now the more famous one. In the end, it seems like that slab was erected for him while this memorial was built for the people.

In 1921, FDR was left paralyzed as a result of a polio attack. Because of this condition FDR regularly underwent water therapy. This aspect of FDR's life is depicted through the various water elements of the memorial.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial is covered by famous quotes from the 32nd president of the United States. The memorial consists of four rooms, representing his four terms. FDR is the only president to run for four terms. There is no rule stating that you can only run for two terms, but it is an unspoken understanding. George Washington was urged to run for a third term but he believed in a cycling of ideas and declined to run again.

The first is dedicated to his work during the Great Depression.

The second room is focused around the New Deal. It is characterized by the fireside chats, where listeners at home could call the radio station and speak directly to the President about national issues.

The fourth room is characterized by large slabs of granite with the inscription <i>I hate war</i>. FDR's third term took place during the Second World War. As president, FDR was torn over the war because he wanted to help the Allies but he disliked wars. — The fourth room is characterized by large slabs of granite with the inscription *I hate war*. FDR's third term took place during the Second World War. As president, FDR was torn over the war because he wanted to help the Allies but he disliked wars.

In the back of the third room, FDR is depicted as he was to the public: sitting down with a cloak draped over him to hide his disability.

The fourth room is dedicated to his death and to his wife. FDR is quoted to have said that he has lost all of his arguments to one person: his wife. For this reason, he appointed her the first US representative to the UN.

The Tomas Jefferson Memorial rests across the Tidal Basin. Thomas Jefferson loved books. He had over 7000 books and was in debt because of it. When the Library of Congress burnt down, he sold his books to the Library for $30,000. While the bank hoped that he would use that money to repay his debts, he instead bought books from Europe for $40,000.

Thomas Jefferson believed that his greatest accomplishment were his letters to Virginia discussing the separation of church and state. For this reason, those letters are reproduced under the dome of his memorial.

In 1632, a fur trading post was established on what would soon be known as Georgetown. In the 1700s, tobacco production became the business of choice in that area. In 1751, Georgetown was officially founded in the province of Maryland and named after King George II. After the Revolution, the country’s capital was in Philadelphia. Southern states, however, felt very neglected as the capital was very far north and thus seemed to favor the north. In the late 1700s, Georgetown, with its growing economy and more southern location, became an attractive place to move the country’s capital. Originally, DC was a perfect diamond sitting on both Maryland and Virginia territory. In the 1840s, though, Virginia wanted its land back so that it could count the densely populated area toward their House of Representatives allocation. For this reason, DC now sits only on the northern bank of the Potomac, on what was once Maryland territory.

A special thanks to Colin from DC by Foot.

The canal that passes through Georgetown played a large role in the history of the neighborhood. It was built during John Quincy Adams' presidency. It was intended to stretch a couple thousand miles. Instead, it reached only until Cumberland, Maryland. Nonetheless, the canal was significant as Cumberland was coal country. Because of this canal, transport of coal into DC was relatively easy. Besides this, though, the canal was mostly a fail. First, around $21 million (in today's money) was allocated towards building this canal. In practice, it took about twice as much funds to build it. Later, in 1890, the canal flooded and destroyed many surrounding businesses. As businesses started to go under, the area became a dangerous place to be at night. Finally, the canal also had to compete with the emergence of a faster mode of transportation, the railroad.

These are typical houses built around the canal. The houses were built in the 1760s. During World War II, professionals started to flood into DC. There was no space in DC so Georgetown became the first gentrified neighborhood.

Back in the day, houses would have those round signs on the side of their building to indicate that the house had fire insurance. This caused various problems. One of the main issues was that these signs are hard to spot when there's a fire blazing. Another issue was that, since these are row houses, fire spreads very quickly. Even if one house didn't have insurance, the whole row has to be put out if the fire is going to be stopped. Benjamin Franklin was the one to propose that the municipality takes care of fires.

This little blue house is called a spite house. Spite houses were built in alleys to anger annoying neighbors.

This little blue house stands next to two large four story buildings. It was recently sold for one million dollars. The tan house to the left was sold for $5 million.

This spite house is super adorable. I can almost picture it yelling "Pick me! Pick me!", as it sticks its façade further out.

In 1950, Congress passed a law that says that the exteriors of the houses must be maintained to look nice. Houses in Georgetown cannot be painted crazy colors or radically changed in any way as they can be fined an upwards of a thousand dollars per day.

Lydia English owned this building and ran a school for girls. During the Civil War, it was converted into a hospital. Lydia was offered to keep a room at the corner of the building but she refused.
<p>In this hospital, Mary Edwards Walker won the Congressional Medal of Honor for life-saving surgeries during the Civil War.</p> — Lydia English owned this building and ran a school for girls. During the Civil War, it was converted into a hospital. Lydia was offered to keep a room at the corner of the building but she refused.
In this hospital, Mary Edwards Walker won the Congressional Medal of Honor for life-saving surgeries during the Civil War.

It is believed that Robert Todd Lincoln, who lived in this house, was cursed. He wanted to fight in the civil war but as the only surviving of four sons, his parents didn’t want to lose him to war. Nonetheless, his life was regrettably filled with death. He had close relationships with three presidents who died within a 36 year period. Abraham Lincoln, Robert's father, was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Later, Robert Todd was Garfield's Secretary of War when President Garfield was shot dead by Charles Guiteau. Twenty years later, Robert Todd was travelling toward Buffalo, New York when President McKinley was shot down by an anarchist. Robert visited McKinley in the hospital and was reassured that McKinley would be fine. Unfortunately, McKinley died a couple days later from infection. Finally, President Harding invited Robert Todd to the Lincoln Memorial inauguration. A year later, in 1923, Harding died and it is believed that he had been poisoned by someone, possibly his wife.
<p>If you'd like to read about this theory in more detail, <a href="http://werehistory.org/robert-todd-lincoln/" rel="noopener" target="_blank"><u>werehistory.org</u></a> has a great explanation. — It is believed that Robert Todd Lincoln, who lived in this house, was cursed. He wanted to fight in the civil war but as the only surviving of four sons, his parents didn’t want to lose him to war. Nonetheless, his life was regrettably filled with death. He had close relationships with three presidents who died within a 36 year period. Abraham Lincoln, Robert's father, was shot by John Wilkes Booth. Later, Robert Todd was Garfield's Secretary of War when President Garfield was shot dead by Charles Guiteau. Twenty years later, Robert Todd was travelling toward Buffalo, New York when President McKinley was shot down by an anarchist. Robert visited McKinley in the hospital and was reassured that McKinley would be fine. Unfortunately, McKinley died a couple days later from infection. Finally, President Harding invited Robert Todd to the Lincoln Memorial inauguration. A year later, in 1923, Harding died and it is believed that he had been poisoned by someone, possibly his wife.
If you'd like to read about this theory in more detail, werehistory.org has a great explanation.

John F. Kennedy was urged by his father to succeed at politics after his older brother, Joe Kennedy Jr., was killed in a World War II plane fight. JFK's father wasn't taking any chances when it came to getting JFK elected to a seat in Congress. To split the opponent's vote, JFK's father paid another man with the same first and last name (i.e. Anthony Rousseau) to enter the race. That effectively split the opponent's vote, leading JFK to win the House seat.
<p>Unfortunately, JFK later gets assassinated. When his wife Jacqueline returned to live in their house in Georgetown, the paparazzi did not leave her and her children alone. For this reason, Jacqueline moved out of DC. (The house is clearly under renovation.)</p> — John F. Kennedy was urged by his father to succeed at politics after his older brother, Joe Kennedy Jr., was killed in a World War II plane fight. JFK's father wasn't taking any chances when it came to getting JFK elected to a seat in Congress. To split the opponent's vote, JFK's father paid another man with the same first and last name (i.e. Anthony Rousseau) to enter the race. That effectively split the opponent's vote, leading JFK to win the House seat.
Unfortunately, JFK later gets assassinated. When his wife Jacqueline returned to live in their house in Georgetown, the paparazzi did not leave her and her children alone. For this reason, Jacqueline moved out of DC. (The house is clearly under renovation.)

These houses both go all out for Halloween. One year, the house on the right had a far superior decoration plan. The house to the left just hung the white flag on their house, as a sign of surrender for that year.

The DuPont Circle area was very agricultural until around the 1860s. At that time, what is now downtown DC started getting crowded so new money settled in what we now call DuPont Circle.

A special thanks to Matilda from DC by Foot.

The Patterson's built this house in 1903. A year later, they hosted the social debut of their daughter, Sisi. She married a cruel Polish count and had a daughter with him. Sisi came back to the United States and divorced the man. Even though her family owned a newspaper, as a woman, she had to work her way up the journalism ranks to prove herself. Eventually, Sisi became the first female editor. She had a very isolationist view of politics and often butted heads with the political administration. FDR even tried to sue her for treason.
<p>Upon her death, Sisi left the building to the Red Cross. Since the organization had no use for it, it sold the house to a social society for $450 thousand. That social society just recently sold the house to a condo group for $23 million. The mansion will now be redone into micro-apartments. These micro-apartments start at 200 square feet and half a million dollars.</p> — The Patterson's built this house in 1903. A year later, they hosted the social debut of their daughter, Sisi. She married a cruel Polish count and had a daughter with him. Sisi came back to the United States and divorced the man. Even though her family owned a newspaper, as a woman, she had to work her way up the journalism ranks to prove herself. Eventually, Sisi became the first female editor. She had a very isolationist view of politics and often butted heads with the political administration. FDR even tried to sue her for treason.
Upon her death, Sisi left the building to the Red Cross. Since the organization had no use for it, it sold the house to a social society for $450 thousand. That social society just recently sold the house to a condo group for $23 million. The mansion will now be redone into micro-apartments. These micro-apartments start at 200 square feet and half a million dollars.

DuPont Circle is named after Admiral Samuel DuPont. There used to be a statue of the admiral in the middle of the circle but the family thought that the statue of him was too ugly. Instead, they replaced it with a fountain that contains the three essential things for a sailor: a vessel, wind and the stars. Here we see the vessel statue (left) and the wind statue (right). This fountain was designed by Daniel Chester French and Henry Bacon, who will later go on to design the Lincoln Memorial in 1921.

The Blaine mansion was built by a senator who had made a fortune in mining. He later sold it to George Westinghouse in 1901. It is now used for lawyers' offices.
<p>Massachusetts Avenue was nicknamed <i>Millionaires Way</i> because of all the new money settlers. Besides requiring a fortune to build one of these buildings, it cost quite a lot to keep these buildings maintained. So when the depression hit, the prices of these buildings plummeted as taking care of them became too costly. Owners simply wanted to get rid of them at any price. Embassies and other organizations took advantage of the low prices to turn them into offices.</p> — The Blaine mansion was built by a senator who had made a fortune in mining. He later sold it to George Westinghouse in 1901. It is now used for lawyers' offices.
Massachusetts Avenue was nicknamed *Millionaires Way* because of all the new money settlers. Besides requiring a fortune to build one of these buildings, it cost quite a lot to keep these buildings maintained. So when the depression hit, the prices of these buildings plummeted as taking care of them became too costly. Owners simply wanted to get rid of them at any price. Embassies and other organizations took advantage of the low prices to turn them into offices.

Alice Roosevelt Longworth lived in the little beige building behind the bus stop. Alice was the first daughter of Teddy Roosevelt. Unfortunately for Teddy, his mother and his wife both died within four days of the girl's birth. Teddy vowed to never pronounce his late wife's name. Unfortunately for Alice, she was named after her mother. As a result, Teddy was very distant with her. Alice always tried to get his attention, especially after he remarried and had five other children. Always in search of finding new ways to get Teddy's attention, Alice was always the life of the party. When she attended parties, she carried around her pet snake. When she threw parties, she always sat women who were fighting right next to each other just to create drama. It is believed that she always said, <i>if you have nothing nice to say, come sit by me</i>. Alice loved living in the White House because it made it easier for her to get attention. Since her father forbade smoking in the house, she smoked on the roof of the White House. She also regularly interrupted Teddy's meetings. His colleagues asked him once why he doesn't control his daughter. He told them, <i>I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.</i> They never asked again. — Alice Roosevelt Longworth lived in the little beige building behind the bus stop. Alice was the first daughter of Teddy Roosevelt. Unfortunately for Teddy, his mother and his wife both died within four days of the girl's birth. Teddy vowed to never pronounce his late wife's name. Unfortunately for Alice, she was named after her mother. As a result, Teddy was very distant with her. Alice always tried to get his attention, especially after he remarried and had five other children. Always in search of finding new ways to get Teddy's attention, Alice was always the life of the party. When she attended parties, she carried around her pet snake. When she threw parties, she always sat women who were fighting right next to each other just to create drama. It is believed that she always said, *if you have nothing nice to say, come sit by me*. Alice loved living in the White House because it made it easier for her to get attention. Since her father forbade smoking in the house, she smoked on the roof of the White House. She also regularly interrupted Teddy's meetings. His colleagues asked him once why he doesn't control his daughter. He told them, *I can either run the country or I can attend to Alice, but I cannot possibly do both.* They never asked again.

Evalyn Walsh McLean lived in the mansion that now houses the Indonesian Embassy. She was the wife of an Irish immigrant, who literally struck gold when he came to the New World and became a millionaire overnight.
<p>Evalyn was also the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. It was originally bought by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1666. The stone was then sold to King Louis XIV and passed on to his grandson and his wife, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After the couple's beheading, the diamond disappeared. Eventually, Pierre Cartier acquired the stone in 1910 and resold it to the McLeans the next year.</p>
<p>The Hope Diamond is said to be cursed. For example, Evalyn's oldest son was killed in a car accident at the age of 8. The unfortunate coincidence is that the child had been named after one of his uncles who also died in a car accident. Her husband later left her for another woman. He eventually went crazy and was accepted in a mental asylum. Finally, Evalyn's daughter committed suicide. Many believe that the curse is the cause of Evalyn's misfortunes. Evalyn never believed that though. Regardless, the stone is now in the Smithsonian and seems to have lost its power. While it was being driven to the Smithsonian, the driver had a car accident and broke both of his legs but survived. — Evalyn Walsh McLean lived in the mansion that now houses the Indonesian Embassy. She was the wife of an Irish immigrant, who literally struck gold when he came to the New World and became a millionaire overnight.
Evalyn was also the last private owner of the Hope Diamond. It was originally bought by Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1666. The stone was then sold to King Louis XIV and passed on to his grandson and his wife, King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. After the couple's beheading, the diamond disappeared. Eventually, Pierre Cartier acquired the stone in 1910 and resold it to the McLeans the next year.

The Hope Diamond is said to be cursed. For example, Evalyn's oldest son was killed in a car accident at the age of 8. The unfortunate coincidence is that the child had been named after one of his uncles who also died in a car accident. Her husband later left her for another woman. He eventually went crazy and was accepted in a mental asylum. Finally, Evalyn's daughter committed suicide. Many believe that the curse is the cause of Evalyn's misfortunes. Evalyn never believed that though. Regardless, the stone is now in the Smithsonian and seems to have lost its power. While it was being driven to the Smithsonian, the driver had a car accident and broke both of his legs but survived.

In front of the Indonesian Embassy stands Dewi Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of Knowledge. Given that Indonesia has the largest Muslim population, this statue serves as a reminder that the government is accepting of various religions.

The Society of Cincinnati is named after the roman farmer general, Cinncinatus. Cinncinatus wanted to fight for his country and do his civic duty. He was such a good general that the people wanted to make him their ruler. He, however, just wanted to go back to his farm. They almost named it after Washington as he exhibited the same ideals but in the end, they chose to make the classic reference.
<p>This building was built by Lars Anderson and was given to the Society by his wife after his death. The house served as the family's winter house, otherwise, they lived in Boston.</p> — The Society of Cincinnati is named after the roman farmer general, Cinncinatus. Cinncinatus wanted to fight for his country and do his civic duty. He was such a good general that the people wanted to make him their ruler. He, however, just wanted to go back to his farm. They almost named it after Washington as he exhibited the same ideals but in the end, they chose to make the classic reference.
This building was built by Lars Anderson and was given to the Society by his wife after his death. The house served as the family's winter house, otherwise, they lived in Boston.

Across the street from the Society of Cincinnati is the Cosmos Club. In order to get in, you have to do something incredible in your field. The selection process is carried out by the current members. One of the current members has to nominate you before you can get in. And I know what you're thinking but no you can't just bribe someone in the Club because the members are kept very secret. It isn't until their passing that it's announced that they were in the club. Mark Twain was a member of this club.

There are two theories of why there's a cat statue on the roof of this house. The first theory is that it was a symbol of good luck. As this house belonged to an admiral, cats were a symbol of good luck because they killed rodents on board, which decreases disease. The second theory is that a cat lived in this house and that was its favorite resting spot. (The cat is perched above the fourth level of the house so it's rather high up.)

Down "Millionaires Ave" at Sheridan Circle is located this memorial stump. Orlando Letelier was exiled from Chile for criticizing the dictator. He was murdered in a car bombing along with Ronni Karpen Moffitt. Ronni and Michel Moffitt were good friends of Letelier and were in the car at the time of the attack. There are many conspiracy theories that suggest that the government knew of the assassination plot. For one, the bomb was intended to blast vertically so as to reduce the collateral damage. If a country was planning to place a bomb in a foreign country, they're already in hot waters and most likely wouldn't care how many casualties there are. So, conspiracy theorists believe that the US Government approved the attack so long as the bomb was designed to only kill Letelier. Unfortunately, it also killed Ronni Moffitt. Michael comes to this memorial every year on the eve of their death to place flowers and remember them.

St. Jerome the Priest is sitting in front of the Croatian Embassy. He's the one who translated the Bible into Latin.

Next to him is the Embassy in Cameroon. You will notice that the windows are covered. The embassy is actually under renovations and has been so for about three years. According to the Matilda, it seems like the embassy ran out of finances for the renovation. This is understandable as these palaces are very expensive to maintain. In order to encourage embassies to stay in these buildings instead of moving to more modern ones, the government offers them a tax break by not requiring them to pay property tax.

Around the corner is the Woodrow Wilson Museum. It's a very authentic museum as everything inside was left the way that it was when it was donated by the Wilson family to become a museum. Wilson's children even sit on the board to make sure that everything is accurate.
<p>Woodrow Wilson is commonly depicted with a whiskey in hand. So, it comes as no surprise that he vetoed Congress' prohibition law. The law stated that the movement and selling of alcohol was illegal. For this reason, when Congress overturned Wilson's veto and passed the law, Wilson stocked the White House full of whiskey to last him a couple years. Unfortunately, the prohibition law lasted longer than Wilson had expected. When he had to vacate the White House, he didn't want to leave his whisky behind. So, Congress passed another law making it legal to move alcohol from 2 pm until 6 pm on the day that Wilson was moving out of the White House.</p> — Around the corner is the Woodrow Wilson Museum. It's a very authentic museum as everything inside was left the way that it was when it was donated by the Wilson family to become a museum. Wilson's children even sit on the board to make sure that everything is accurate.
Woodrow Wilson is commonly depicted with a whiskey in hand. So, it comes as no surprise that he vetoed Congress' prohibition law. The law stated that the movement and selling of alcohol was illegal. For this reason, when Congress overturned Wilson's veto and passed the law, Wilson stocked the White House full of whiskey to last him a couple years. Unfortunately, the prohibition law lasted longer than Wilson had expected. When he had to vacate the White House, he didn't want to leave his whisky behind. So, Congress passed another law making it legal to move alcohol from 2 pm until 6 pm on the day that Wilson was moving out of the White House.

Right next to the Woodrow Wilson Museum was the Textile Museum. The Textile Museum however went bankrupt and the artifacts were purchased by and moved to Georgetown University. The 27,000 square feet premises sold for $23 million to Jeff Bezos.

These Spanish Steps were part of the City Beautiful movement. The idea was to improve the city by increasing the people's pride in the city. If they were proud to call DC home, they would also take care of it better. These Spanish Steps are the smallest national park in DC.
<p>Moreover, it is located in the Kalorama district. Kalorama means beautiful view. The area was named so because, before all of the construction and neighborhoods, you could see all the way down to the Potomac from this hill.</p> — These Spanish Steps were part of the City Beautiful movement. The idea was to improve the city by increasing the people's pride in the city. If they were proud to call DC home, they would also take care of it better. These Spanish Steps are the smallest national park in DC.
Moreover, it is located in the Kalorama district. Kalorama means beautiful view. The area was named so because, before all of the construction and neighborhoods, you could see all the way down to the Potomac from this hill.

These posts used to serve as 911 calls. Users would break the glass and be dispatched to the nearest station. With the advent of cell phones, these posts became useless. Instead of tearing them down, they were turned into either art, as is the case with this one, or historical information slabs about the area that they were in. There are plenty of these posts in the DuPont Circle area.

Alberto Santos-Dumont is a French Brazilian aircraft pioneer. Some believe that he was the first to invent a true airplane as Wright Brothers' machine needed a rail to take off. Santos-Dumont made regular trips around the Eiffel Tower in his blimp. He's probably the blimp depicted in many of those Parisian paintings.
<p>Another fun fact about Santos-Dumont is that he was the first male to make the wristwatch popular. Until then, only women wore wristwatches and men had pocket watches. Yet, fiddling with a pocket watch while flying is likely not the safest idea. For this reason, Santos-Dumont wore a wristwatch.</p> — Alberto Santos-Dumont is a French Brazilian aircraft pioneer. Some believe that he was the first to invent a true airplane as Wright Brothers' machine needed a rail to take off. Santos-Dumont made regular trips around the Eiffel Tower in his blimp. He's probably the blimp depicted in many of those Parisian paintings.
Another fun fact about Santos-Dumont is that he was the first male to make the wristwatch popular. Until then, only women wore wristwatches and men had pocket watches. Yet, fiddling with a pocket watch while flying is likely not the safest idea. For this reason, Santos-Dumont wore a wristwatch.

Edward Lind Morse had his art workshop in this house. At the time, the northern part of DuPont Circle was becoming very hipster and many artists were moving in. You can still see his initials on the metal decorations on the door. (Edward was the youngest son of Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse code.)

Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Anne Eleanor Roosevelt had a very respectful marriage. It was more politically strategic than anything else. Eleanor was Teddy Roosevelt's niece and Alice's first cousin. FDR and Eleanor were also related; they were fifth cousins.
<p>Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with being the first First Lady to take on a social justice role. They loved in this house before moving to the White House.</p> — Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Anne Eleanor Roosevelt had a very respectful marriage. It was more politically strategic than anything else. Eleanor was Teddy Roosevelt's niece and Alice's first cousin. FDR and Eleanor were also related; they were fifth cousins.
Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with being the first First Lady to take on a social justice role. They loved in this house before moving to the White House.

The Philips Collection is America's first modern art museum. The Philips family was very rich and collected art as a hobby. When the father and son died within a year of each other, the Philiips' house was opened to the public as a memorial art museum for the two men.

The Anderson House is truly gorgeous. The pictures below do not even come close to doing it justice. Even if a bit kitsch, the house is a definite must-see.

The Society of Cincinnati was created after the Revolutionary War. Named after the Roman General Cincinnatus, the society wanted to highlight civic virtue. Cincinnatus, depicted as a statue on the table, was a Roman farmer who proved to be a great general. When the war ended, the people wanted to make him their ruler. Cincinnatus told them that he’s not interested in power. He just wanted to serve his country and then go back to his farming.
<p>All Society members were given a jeweled eagle with the slogan <i>He gave all for the republic</i>. The brioche/medal can be seen in the portrait to the left.</p> — The Society of Cincinnati was created after the Revolutionary War. Named after the Roman General Cincinnatus, the society wanted to highlight civic virtue. Cincinnatus, depicted as a statue on the table, was a Roman farmer who proved to be a great general. When the war ended, the people wanted to make him their ruler. Cincinnatus told them that he’s not interested in power. He just wanted to serve his country and then go back to his farming.
All Society members were given a jeweled eagle with the slogan *He gave all for the republic*. The brioche/medal can be seen in the portrait to the left.

The Society was intended to keep all of the soldiers in touch. Out of the 4500 individuals who were eligible, about 2000 men signed up. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and Pierre L'Enfant were members. Many French were members as they helped fight the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was the first President General of the society. The men in the paintings are the most recent president generals.
<p>These stairs lead to 14 bedrooms upstairs. These bedrooms are reserved for members of the Society to stay in for free (in exchange for their steep dues).</p> — The Society was intended to keep all of the soldiers in touch. Out of the 4500 individuals who were eligible, about 2000 men signed up. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr and Pierre L'Enfant were members. Many French were members as they helped fight the American Revolutionary War. George Washington was the first President General of the society. The men in the paintings are the most recent president generals.
These stairs lead to 14 bedrooms upstairs. These bedrooms are reserved for members of the Society to stay in for free (in exchange for their steep dues).

Lars and Isabel Anderson had the house built in 1905. The Andersons furnished the house with relics from their international trips. They were particularly fond of Japanese art, as evident by the Japanese painting behind the chandelier. A year after Lars' death, Isabel donated the house to the Society. The Society kept all the furnishings as Isabel had left them.

As the Andersons had no children, they rarely entertained in their ballroom.

In the library hang a couple portraits of generals from the Revolutionary War. Generals in the Revolutionary War were around 20 years old. More soldiers died from disease or from being held prisoner than did of actual battle wounds.

The grand dining room had an adjoining servant’s room where servants would keep meals warm until they were ready to be brought out.

The rugs in this room are from Belgium while the sculpture between the rugs is from South America.

Isabel loved parrots and loved being painted with them.

The entire house is full of intricate little trinkets.

A special thanks to Ingeborg from DC by Foot.

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