Monuments by Moonlight

It's a fact of life -- when you live in Washington, D.C., people come visit. And when they visit, they inevitably want to see the monuments. During the 15 years I lived in Washington, I've learned a few things about this subject.

1. Night is better. Period. Better parking, better views, better access, better everything.

2. If you must go during the day, you can't beat a bicycle tour.

3. If you can't do a day tour by bike, take the Tourmobile. Stop by the Hotel Washington (summer only) for a drink on their roof deck. The food is mediocre, but the view is awesome.

4. Whatever you do, don't drive during the day. You'll get a ticket.

Shawn likes to tell people that he fell in love with me the first time I took him on my Monuments by Moonlight tour. It doesn't have that effect on everyone, but it IS a good tour.

If you want to do it without a guide, I suggest parking along Constitution Avenue, and starting with the Vietnam Memorial. From there, move on to the Lincoln -- don't forget to turn around and look at the Washington Monument and the Capitol in the reflecting pool -- the Korean, and come full circle with the World War II Memorial. There is no need to get any closer to the Washington Monument, as it looks pretty much the same up close as it does from a distance.

From there, get back in your car and drive to the FDR Memorial. Don't forget to check out the views of the Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin. When you're done, drive around West Potomac Park to the Jefferson Memorial. You'll be able to see the White House (good luck getting a tour of that building!) from the steps.

When you're finished at the Jefferson, get back in your car and drive over to East Potomac Park and out on Hains Point to see the Awakening. It's not really a monument and they don't light it at night. But it is pretty cool to look at and kids love climbing on it. If you're lucky, you might even convince your tour guide to pose for a picture!

Dianne