Washington Monument

One of the great things about having guests in town is that you get to do all of the cool stuff you don't ordinarily do. Tonight I spent the rainy evening visiting the Washington Monument.

Designed by the architect Robert Mills, the monument to our first president began construction in 1848 and was finally completed in 1884. The interior is made of up beautiful plaques donated from around the world. This one is the largest - from NYC in 1852. One was donated by the pope but was ripped out and trashed by soldiers at one point!

An observation deck is at the top. You can see the interior face of the stone -which is protected by glass panels seen here.

The obelisk rises 555 feet and 5 inches high, the tallest structure in DC. It was the tallest building in the world, beating the Cologne Cathedral and held this distinction until the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889.The views are spectacular as one would imagine. Visibility was low due to the rain and fog, but you can see the WWII memorial at the base of the following picture, with the lincoln memorial closer to the top.Each view is labeled above the window, as you see here.

The cap at the top is made of aluminum -which was the most precious metal at the time the building was completed due to its' rarity. Now we use it to wrap up leftovers!

Quote by George Washington written in glass inside the observation deck:

"My first wish...is to see the whole world in peace, and the Inhabitants of it as one band of brothers, striving who should contribute most to the happiness of mankind." (1785) AMEN!

The monument was recently renovated with a barrier creating an outer ring for security. An inner ring is made up of American flags.