W is for... The White House, the Washington Monument, and the World War Memorials

No tour of D.C. would be complete without stopping by our next few sites.








The White House is the home of the President and his family.  It also houses the Oval Office, where the President conducts business.  The first White House was built in the 1790's, and was burned by the British during the War of 1812.  The current White House was built right after the war, although there have been additions and renovations over the years.

Here's one view...

While the building is open for public tours (I can personally recommend the Christmas holiday tour), there is a bit of a protocol for getting on the list.  If you plan well enough in advance you should be able to get in.

And here's another.

Next up is the Washington Monument.  Standing at 555 feet, 5 and 1/8th inches tall, this is the world's tallest obelisk.  While usually open for tours, an earthquake damaged the monument in 2011, so it is currently closed for repairs.  Even though you can't go up to the top observation deck, this is still a great monument, one you can see from several places in the city and across the Potomac.

The view from the Lincoln Memorial

And from the WWII Memorial

Finally, we have the memorials dedicated to the two World Wars.  The World War I Memorial is just off the path from the WWII Memorial. Built first, it is tucked away in the trees and doesn't see many visitors, unless they happen to stumble upon it.  A shame, because this is a beautiful structure in its own right.

WWI Memorial.  Small, but lovely.

The World War II Memorial is one of the newer memorials, built at the end of the Reflecting Pool, opposite the Lincoln Memorial.  It's a large, detailed structure with lots to explore.

The Wall of Stars, commemorating the dead

Each state gets its own pillar.

An overview of the memorial

That wraps up our tour of the letter W.  Come back tomorrow for the letter X!