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While
enjoying the Sumerduck hospitality of my RVing buddy, Houston (along
with some Great Gary meals), we took the time to go into downtown
for a DC Ducks tour.
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DC
Ducks
Union
Station
Washington, DC
(800) 213-2474
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Since
this tour was run by the same company (Trusted
Tours) as the trolley ride I enjoyed so much in Savannah,
I was happy to see them here. But, unfortunately, the trolley ride
was sold out the day we visited. The Ducks tour is not as comprehensive
as the trolley tour where you can get on and off for up-close exploration
of the monuments. But the benefit of the Duck is you can just ride
around and enjoy the informative narration from the guides on the
ground, and then you get the view from the Potomac as well.
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The
tour starts right outside of Union Station. With its massive domed
ceiling and Roman-esque statues, it's a worthy destination itself.
We had a 3 hour wait for the first available tour, so had plenty
of time to explore it fully and grab a bite to eat.
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We
then walked the 7 or so blocks to the capital grounds. For some
reason I expected cooler temps in this part of the country even
in the summer, but with temps in the 90's and what felt like 100%
humidity, we were quite hot and exhausted by the time we started
walking back to the station. But getting to see the capital in person
was even more of a thrill than I thought it would be. It is much
more imposing than I expected and the architecture is absolutely
spectacular!
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With
security as tight as it needs to be these days, it was a bit disappointing
that we citizens can't get closer to our nation's White House. I
couldn't help but think back on 9-11 and be so grateful that those
nut cases didn't get the chance to destroy these beautiful and meaningful
symbols of our history and freedom.
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We
went past the Jefferson Memorial and Washington Monument and again
I hoped I will have time to go back and visit again for a closer
look.
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It
was also interesting to see the city and its icons from the banks
of the Potomac River.
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Malia's
2 cents: Learn
a lesson from my experience and make your reservations in
advance so you can get the time and type of tour you want.
This is a great way to get an overview of this impressive
city, but allow enough time and energy to really get around
for up-close views of these amazing accomplishments of architecture.
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