Washington D.C. - by Aaron, White House, Capitol, Supreme Court, Washington Monument, National Archives, Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Ford's Theater, Lincoln Memorial, Library of Congress

Washington D. C.

 =Aaron



      Washington D.C. has many wonderful things. All 3 branches of U.S. Government are located here, the White House, Capitol, and Supreme Court. There are also many monuments, including the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial. The Library of Congress has some really old books while the Bureau of Engraving and Printing makes most of the Nation's paper money. Washington D.C. is very amazing.

      All the 3 branches of U.S. Government (the Capitol, White House, and Supreme Court) are located on Capitol Hill. The Capitol contains Congress, the part of Government that makes laws. The President, the person who decides if laws are passed or vetoed, lives in the White House. Justices, who work in the Supreme Court, make the final decision to pass or to destroy a law. The 3 branches of Government help make laws. Standing on Capitol Hill makes me proud.

White House





White House from the South Gate (zoomed in)

Can you see the White House?

      The White House is a world famous symbol of the U.S. We took the pictures from the north gate and the south gate, visited the White House Visitor Center. It was a great experience.

north gate of White House



Capitol






Capitol building

Capitol building

architecture of the Capitol

      I learned about the work of the Senate and the House of Representatives, and the impressive architecture in the Capitol. Unfortunately the Capitol building top was under construction, but we could still see the inside of the building. Do you know that Capitol building used to house the Supreme Court before the new Supreme Court was opened in 1935? It was amazing experience to see all the statues, painting and architectural design. A Lincoln head statue caught my attention. He has no left ear. The people in the Capitol made his ear facing the south, which meant he wanted to pay attention to the South. We also explored the center of the Capitol. The spot was designed to be George Washington's grave. But he wanted to be buried where he was born, in Mount Vernon. So it's now is just a star to show it's the center. The Capitol is very impressive.



marble statue of the
goddess Freedom

President Lincoln




the star is the center of the Capitol



beautiful view of Capitol

Supreme Court




entrance of the Supreme Court

this is where you can
see the court in action

staircase going up

      The Supreme Court was awesome. We saw a 25 minute film of the Supreme Court. From the movie I learned there are 8 Justices and 1 Chief Justice. There are some exhibits and portraits too. Unfortunately, the court door was closed because of 2 weeks renovation so we couldn't hear and see the actual debating going on at the Supreme Court. I saw the famous words 'equal justice under law' located on the top of the pillars.  There is a very beautiful library on the third floor, but only Justices can go there. The Supreme Court was pretty cool.

Washington Monument




early morning at Washington Monument




nice view from Washington Monument
lookout window

the stones of Washington
Monument tell stories

      The memorial for George Washington is a landmark of Washington, D.C. It is the tallest structure in Washington, D.C., and measures 555 feet tall 5 1/8 inches. They must have really loved the number 5 back then. It was built 50 years after George Washington passed away to honor our first president. The elevator lifted us up to the top floor. From the top of Washington monument, we had a beautiful view of the whole city of Washington D.C. We climbed down 1 floor to reach the elevator going down. The walls and stairs were very cool. Make sure pick a window spot of the elevator. The elevator got really slow in half way and you can see the real stone wall. To be on top of the Washington Monument and view the whole National Mall was extremely amazing.


the tip of Washington Monument

can you spot the Lincoln Memorial?
a view from Washington Monument





National Archives




National Archives

      The National Archives is another famous museum from my favorite movie Night at the Museum. It carries the real document of the Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and Bill of Rights. We arrived here around 1:30pm to avoid the crowd. The documents was written by ink and feather. It had faded a lot. The museum tried to preserve them for longer time. There are two gigantic pictures hanging on the wall. The left painting shows Thomas Jefferson passing Declaration of Independence to John Hancock,  while the right picture is the signing of U.S. Constitution. I am so proud to see all those important real documents to my country.

Navy Monument

Navy Monument in the afternoon

      Across the street, there is a Navy soldier monument. We walked along and saw them one by one. In the evening, a Navy concert band held a wonderful performance. We enjoyed the fresh and cool breeze along with the beautiful music.




Navy Concert Band performing in the Navy Memorial

Bureau of Engraving and Printing





sitting on a cool money bench

How tall I am in a $100 notes

entrance of Bureau of Engraving and Printing

       Visitors can see how U.S. paper currency is printed, stacked, cut and examined in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. It also prints White House invitations, securities, identification cards, and other special security documents. We went through 3 stations to watch how they print the sheet, exam the sheets, and cut into the real money. I learned that money had a lot security things to prevent from counterfeiting. It was so cool.

Ford's Theater





a storyteller saying a story about the day Lincoln was shot

entrance of Ford Theater

This is the spot where
President Lincoln got shot,
in the booth at the top.

      The theater where Lincoln was killed is now a national landmark. On the lower level, the Ford's Theater Museum displays exhibits about Lincoln’s life. Luckily we just in time for a ranger story time about what happened that night President Lincoln got shot, and what was behind the scene. Visiting the museum was interesting. We also visited the Petersen House right across the street to observe President Lincoln's last 9 hours. There was a four-story high stack of books all about Abraham Lincoln! Ford's Theater was a very informational place.





This is where President Lincoln
died 9 hours after getting shot.
Petersen House



all of the books ever written
about President Lincoln
(4 stories tall)

Lincoln Memorial




Lincoln Memorial





In this temple as in the hearts of the people
from whom he saved the union.
The memory of Abraham Lincoln
is enshrined forever.
(words written above statue)

      The Lincoln memorial is one of Washington D.C.'s top attractions located in the National Mall. It is dedicated to Abraham Lincoln, who lead the fight for freedom to free all slaves during the Civil War, from 1861-1865. The Lincoln Memorial has been the site of many famous speeches and events since 1922. A statue of Honest Abe sits in the middle of the memorial. It is very impressive to see the carving of President Lincoln's speeches on the walls. It has a beautiful view to the Reflecting Pool and even further, Washington Monument.  Lincoln Memorial is on the penny!





lunch break to watch
the beautiful view
from Lincoln Memorial
through reflection pool
to Washington Monument

Thomas Jefferson Memorial



Thomas Jefferson Memorial

statue of president
 Thomas Jefferson

      Thomas Jefferson was one of America's Founding Fathers, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, and the third president of the United States. His memorial is just across the Tidal Basin from the Washington Monument. It was a perfect day during our visit with a blue sky, white clouds, nice breeze after a thunderstorm. The memorial is very beautiful.



nice view from Jefferson Memorial
to Washington Monument
across the Tidal Basin

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

 

President Roosevelt statue

people lining up for food (the Great Depression)

      The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial has three outdoor rooms showing his 12 years of presidency. He was the only president who had 3 terms of presidency because of leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic depression and total war in World War II. The memorial includes ten bronze sculptures of President Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt. President Roosevelt's health seriously declined during the war years, and he died three months into his fourth term of presidency. He is always considered to be one of the top three President, along with President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln.
  

World War II Memorial



World War II Memorial

our California pillar



relaxing at World War II Memorial
for a hot summer day

      The World War II Memorial is a memorial dedicated to Americans who served in the army during World War II. It is a plaza with a huge pool and fountain in the center. The memorial consists of 56 granite pillars along the Pacific side and the Atlantic side. Each state has a pillar. We had a great time relax and enjoyed afternoon sun.



Vietnam Veterans Memorial


 



statue of Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

      The Vietnam War Memorial was very sad place located beside the Lincoln Memorial. It lists all the soldiers name who died for their country during this war.

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial



out of mountain of despair
a stone of hope

      Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial shows Dr. King standing with his quote: "Out of mountain of despair a stone of hope." He delivered his most famous speech I have a dream right in front of Lincoln Memorial during 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Thousands of people listened to his speech. He was a great leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He received Nobel Peace Prize on October 14, 1964. Dr. King is one of my favorite heroes.

Library of Congress



entrance of Library of Congress

 

beautiful Main Reading Room

Jefferson Library

      The Library of Congress, the largest library in the world, has over 128 million items including books, manuscripts, photos, and maps. Our tour guide led us walked around the library. We even read books here at the Children' reading room. This library is famous for its architectural design as well as its collection of rare books and art works. The most famous collection is a world map. It shows the very first time that North American and South America were painted on a world map. A mosaic showing Minerva is on the east side of the second floor. A stair case leads to a special gallery where visitors experience a view of the Main Reading Room. It is hard to imagine how big Jefferson Library is until I saw it. Because the Library Congress once lost majority of the original books in Jefferson Library, when the books put back to the book shelf, librarians put on color ribbons to distinguish them. The green ribbon books are part of original Jefferson library. The gold ribbon Books are recently been purchased for Jefferson library. The books without ribbon are identical to books owned by Jefferson. The Library of Congress is the best library ever.



1st time America was on a world map



Minerva Mosaic on he east side of the second floor a staircase leads to a special gallery where visitors experience a view of the Main Reading Room.

      Washington D.C. has lots of interesting things. The nation's laws are made through 3 houses, the Capitol, White House and Supreme Court. Popular attractions among all are the Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial. Reading the original documents, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, in National Archives brought me back to the old days of American Revolutionary. Walking along the National Mall, I can spot famous landmark in every step. Trip to Washington D.C. was full of surprise.

New Jersey - by Aaron, Princeton University, Six Flags Great Adventures Wildlife Safari

 New Jersey

- Aaron

Princeton University



welcome sign at the entrance
of Princeton University

  



Princeton University campus

Princeton University's memorial
to the battle of Princeton

      Princeton is a very famous university located in New Jersey. It is the Ivy League research college. It used to be called the College of New Jersey. Did you know that the college was established as early as 1746? Many famous people such as our first lady Michelle Obama, some Supreme Court justices, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and President James Madison are all came from Princeton University. Albert Einstein used to gave occasional speech during his frequent visits. The site of Princeton's campus was changed a couple of times. Every change made it even more beautiful. All of its buildings look like castles. A battle even happened on the Princeton campus during American revolutionary war. Princeton is an extremely pretty place with full of history.



Alexander Hall, the main concert hall on campus
Princeton University

Six Flags Great Adventures Wildlife Safari




our cool truck to enter the Off Road Safari



Totem in Six Flags

entrance of Six Flags

      It was fun to play in the Six Flags Great Adventures Wildlife Safari theme park during our visit at East Coast. The Off Road Safari was new to us. We lined up for an hour to be on the big truck. It contains more than 100 kinds of amazing animals like tigers, goats, giraffes, lions, kangaroos, ostriches, parrots, and rhinos. Guess what, there is no cage. The animals move around freely. Isn't that amazing! I, as a visitor, sat on the huge cool truck to explore them. Animals are divided by habitat in the safari. There are lots of gates just like the movie Jurassic Park. I was so excited to spot lions, tigers, ostriches and even bison! There are also many other species of organisms like bamboo, grass, and bushes. Kingda Ka, the second fastest and tallest roller coaster in the world, is located here. We also enjoyed other rides. This is the biggest theme park I have ever been.

bison at safari

giant anteater with its 2 feet long tongue