did i mention

I'm in Arlington, Virginia, this week for a class for work.  Operating Administration for Government Contracts.  Yes, I know.  Whoa.

Today I got all brave and daring and took the metro after class from Arlington over to DC.  Thanks to my new iPhone, I have actual photographic evidence of my walking tour.

When I got off the metro, I walked myself across the plaza near the Ronald Reagan building and followed the signs directing me toward the White House.  I thought I was paying such close attention, following all of the arrows, but I didn't think the sign could be right when it pointed me across the street to the White House, so I kept going straight down the sidewalk.  And then I crossed the street as soon as I realized I'd apparently just passed the White House.  While waiting for the light to change, I looked down another road and spotted the Capitol Building off in the distance.  If you look closely at this picture, you can see it, right? 

After circling the block and passing the White House Visitor Center (closed), I eventually came upon this view.  My oh my but they keep that lawn looking good, don't they?

This is when I realized I needed to get myself in the pictures so people wouldn't think I'd made up this whole excursion.  So, here I am with the White House behind my right shoulder...barely visible, but still, it's there, right?  You may be able to sense my disappointment when I realized I would not be allowed to go inside to use the restroom...

This one is what I saw when I turned around and faced the view that I'd see if I'd gone into the White House.  Seems to me they can see the Capitol out one side of the White House and the Washington Monument (under construction) out the other side.  If I had better skills with the iPhone camera, you'd be able to see not only the Washington Monument, but also the Jefferson Monument, which is behind my head in this shot.

I wandered past the Washington Monument and the WWII Monument, by the reflecting pool, the Vietnam Monuments for both women and men who served, and ended up at the Lincoln Memorial.  By this time, I was a bit overheated (apparently normal for me in DC while walking about), so I bought a couple of bottles of cold water, one to drink and one to drizzle over my head, my arms, hands, and perhaps a little down my back.  Sadly, it didn't work all that well, I guess the humidity was just too high. But I got this shot of the Lincoln Memorial.

As I walked by the Lincoln Memorial, I got this great idea that I'd head over to a nearby refreshment stand, because, I thought, what truly is more American than eating a hot dog in Washington, DC, right?  So that's what I did, bought a big old $5 hotdog and sat down in the shade to eat it.  Sorry no pictures of the hot dog, but trust me, it seemed pretty much like just the right thing at the time.

Next, because I was pretty much totally overheated and feeling a slight bit off from the hot dog, I caught a cab back to Arlington to my hotel, the Key Bridge Marriott (located near the bridge that is named for Francis Scott Key, writer of the words to the Star-Spangled Banner), where I immediately cooled off in a tepid bath.

Maybe tomorrow I'll hop on the metro again and go find the Supreme Court building or get a closer view of the Capitol.  I'm telling you, this place has patriotism everywhere.  Seriously.