First season two park Landia. There are a lot of first we're excited about, from the first guest interviews to the first time we called nine one one from a national park, of course, and today is another first. It's our first time covering in urban park and of course there's no better place to mark our first urban park than Washington, d C. It's a city filled with more
National Park sites than most dates have. Yeah. Plus the city itself is just so rich with history and culture, and the omnipresence of memorials and historic sites is inescapable. So if you're looking to come to d C and just have a chill, history free day, you'll probably lose your mind now. But really, why would you come here and not at least do a little bit of history. Yeah, it's so much fun. It's not the like boring school
trip typee stuff that a lot of people remember. Yeah, and that's definitely how I remembered it, mainly at first, from when I first came here in middle school or like whatever great that was. But my distance with DC at the time may have also been due to the fact that I had no friends during that phase of my life. So it's just me like this lonely sad child wandering around memorials. Fortunately we were able to go
together this time, and I'm happy to be your friend. Thanks, and we're able to take lots of cute selfies together too. That looks like you and I were part of some sort of awesome twin type directed DVD movie or something like Probably had we would have like these cute names like the Day in d C or District Dudes or something like that, d C Dudes for another podcast stop this today we need to really focus on this incredible legacy of national park sites in Washington, d C. From
the National Wall to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and beyond. Hi, I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This is park Landia, a production of I Heart Radio. We sold our loft in Chicago, moving to an RV, and now we're choving in the country full time with our dog Finn, exploring America's national parks. And today we're talking all about Washington, d C, the National Mall and Memorial Parks. So our trip to d C was another stop along the event trail that I
was working on earlier um with Burns Maplewood Farms. So like every week or two there would be a different craft market along the mid Atlantic coast. So we spent a couple of months visiting places like Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and one of those events UM was in Virginia in the suburbs of d C. So it was the perfect excuse to get here early and spend some time in
the capital city. Perfect excuse, and I was seriously very excited d C. It's just one of those cities that has really interested me for a while and I've been wanting to go. So the timing and location of your work schedule just really worked out. And I've always had an inkling that I would like d C, I think, which is also somewhat tortuous because it's one of those
cities that could never reford to live in. It's really a great city of all the big cities we've been to since living on the road, It's definitely one of our favorites. UM and I try not to use favorites anymore because there's so many wonderful places in this country, but I'll make this reception because it literally is one of our favorites. It's the perfect mix of a big city with culture, and neighborhoods with help feeling is busy
and overwhelming these places like New York or San Francisco. Yeah, I think a big part of the reason why I like it so much is, do you see kind of reminds me of Chicago in that way, Like Chicago is a huge city, but it still feels relatively calm and accessible at least when you compare it to those other places like New York or San Francisco, And it's not
like as dizzy as those types of cities. That's probably why we lived in Chicago for so long because we felt that way and why I'm constantly drawn back there. That and Chicago's incredible coffee scene and it's burgers and it's rooftop bars and two people short. Yeah, Chicago, we really do um and we crave cities like this. So d C was um a way to satisfy that craving. It was so it was an emotional time because going to see the history of that city, but also just
going into the city for this trip. We didn't drive over v R V and of course because it's DC um and there's a ton of traffic, I mean, it's crazy, and parking at twenty six RV would have been a nightmare expensive and if at all even possible, Yeah, I don't know that it would have been. And the traffic here is really no joke. I feel like I could totally speedwalk faster than most of the cars and traffic
trying to get into the city. Especially granted I do speedwalk faster than like Sonic the Hedgehog, but you get the gist. Like it's tedious, tedious traffic here, it really is. And that's why we took an advantage of DC's public transit to get in and out of the city, which was awesome. Um. It's another reason why we really love cities because when you're on the transit like this, um, it's much easier to get around. But also like there's this beautiful mix of culture. When you're on the transit
in big cities. You get to see who's living there, who's cohabitating, who's like the different personalities of that city. And I feel like their transit was just very diverse and it was a beautiful thing to see. Yeah, much more so than just like suit and high politicians and
stuff like that. There are a lot of people going in and out of DC when we were, and so not only is it a great option and economical option for traveling, but it's nice to be around them and see that, especially since we've been removed from Chicago for self all months at this point, and it was a nice reminder of being like, oh, this is a great asset of urban living and visiting urban places as well.
Because at the time when we were visiting DC, we were initially staying at some huge and kind of fancy RV park and campground on the Maryland side of the city, and conveniently, there was a bus stop literally right at the entrance of our r V park. So what we were able to do is just get up early in the morning, catch the bus, take that to the nearest train stop, which only took like ten or fifteen minutes, and then just hop on the train and go into town.
It was super easy. It was just a few stops um on the train to get to d C and it was super smooth and quick. And that's one thing like us being from Chicago, we understand how to use transit, So for a lot of people this might be confusing, sure for your first time, so you know, it's just about like like, oh, my gosh, I have to take a bus to a train to then like walk around or take an opera lip. It's really not that. Make
it a journey. Make it about the journey while you're doing this, because it really is easy and it's fun, and again you get to see the diversity and that culture. It is really fun and you don't have to stress about parking stuff like that dreamy nuts. I can't do that.
And it's like super smooth and it's really clean and cheap. Yeah, I know all of it, and I feel like DC's public transit has that that part over Chicago in a little bit, like I love the transit options when we're at home, but the al in Chicago is nowhere near as smooth and clean as DC's trains. Food. Yeah, for a first stomp in DC, we needed to feel for the day of exploring and touring, so we made a way to the d C location of milk Bar, because of course, God, we love milk Bar and we're truly
obsessed with it. So milk Bar is in New York City based mini chain of like dessert shops from this famous pastry shaff Kristina Tosi and she developed this reputation for these beautiful, whimsical, kind of quirky desserts. So she's known for things like cereal milk soft serve ice cream and corn flake cookies and like cake truffles stuff like that. So cookies are literally the best. And that Cerea monk so soft serve in Las Vega is she does like
a serium milk boozy cocktail thing. Yeah. Sorry, they had to jump over there, but but we really got into them when we were in Las Vegas last year and we went into the location of the Cosmopolitan Um probably half dozen times for cookies and those boozy lattapes. We went a lot, Yeah, the boozy lattes. And it's great too because it's like you have this cereal milk flavor which is like so nostalgic and it's like childhood. But then you can also get a boozy so it's like
pouring like vodka all of our childhood memories. It's really really nice, kind of fun. And I yeah, just talking about now, like I missed them dearly, those milkball cookies especially, I wish we had them do too immediately. So they have a few locations in d C though, which is beautiful but I went to the one in the city center location since it's like so central and right next to all the main historic sites and attractions where we'll be wanting to see, so you know, it's just like
three blocks from the train stop. I mean it literally perfection of where it was located. Yeah, it would have been silly not to go, honestly, like we needed to. It was preordained. I think I had one of my beloved Cereal milk Lauts there's no booze Jack, you got that. And then I probably had a corn cookie, which is my favorite cookie from Milk Bar and Jack Jack. I just love having cookies like this for breakfast or cookies in general. It's it's a great breakfast food museum, you know.
I think we first tried to go to the National Portrait Gallery because we wanted to see the new President Obama Michelle Obama portraits, but the gallery wasn't open until later in the day, so we just kept walking and exploring, which was kind of a bummer. Yeah, that was a bit of a bummer, and you know, we weren't able to see that one this time, but it was the
perfect day for walking and exploring. It was probably like mid toill late March at this point, so it was still chilly and we had light coats on, but it was sunny and comfortable for walking especially, and things warmed up into the afternoon. So at this point we decided to make our way to the U. S. Capitol building, since neither of us have ever been in. My main memory of this building is seeing it blown up an Independence Day. So I figured it was time to make
new memories, ones that aren't so destructive. That's a good idea. It wasn't. On the way there, didn't we pass where Lincoln was assassinating Oh yeah, the fourth not skipped the Ford's Theater that we kind of did, Yeah, I know, um, but yes we did again, Like gosh, we skipped a lot of there's a lot, there's ton We saw a lot, but we also skipped a lot. It's absolutely packed, um, all the way right through it. Yeah. But back with the U. S. Capital, you know, that's right up there
with the White House and the Washington Monument. Is one of the most iconic buildings in d C. And it really was the only one we were able to book a tour at, right, Yeah, because that stuff is not the easiest, like you didn't you try to like book at tour for the White House initially, but it was like probably too last minute and they didn't have availability
or something. Yeah, you need to email your state senator to set it up for both of these, but you can do this one is a walk in as well, the Capitol Building, but the White House you have to do like way, And I'm not surprised at all that one's difficult to do, but like the state senator thing seems so like and unnecessarily difficult. Yeah, inofficial, Like isn't that kind of shouldn't they be doing other things? Like
I'm sure they're busy. What I think it is is they're trying to educate people on who their senators are because a lot of people still don't vote, they still don't like, so they're kind of forcing contact or senator and they don't realize like you're supposed to have this trek window to them. So it's like this education thing. I can respect that. So you did that, you emailed
are like Illinois Senator. Absolutely, um, but I'm really just glad we got to get into the Capitol Building and it all worked out because it was an epic experience in case you need to refresh her. It's a huge dome topped building at the eastern end of the National mall right, it's impossible to miss. It's a huge building looming over the whole park, the entire city, and it's super important building obviously. It's basically like if you think of DC as kind of the circulatory system, this would
be the aorta of d C is. It's home to the U. S. Congress, plus the seat of the legislative branch of government, and it's the center of the city's for geographic quadrants in numbered streets, so it's really central in more more ways than one here every way. So for some background here, the Capitol Building was built way back in the eighteen hundreds and it was expanded in later years with that iconic dome and extra chambers. But an important fact is it was made mostly by Savory
m hmm. Yeah, we learned that in the tour. We definitely did. The architectural style is neo classical, which makes sense because it totally looks like something from ancient Europe. It's very distinct among any U. S building in general, especially since it's like all pristine white, so it's almost just like glowing from the end of the National Mall here. It's magnificent looking. Yeah, it was actually like Alexander, like Hamilton,
who helped establish DC as the nation's capital. It's to create more of a neutral location so that no single state would have more influence or power over the federal government. That's why d C is the district of how we that's how we got here and cool to a broadway start helps solidify our country's capital. Pop quiz, Okay, is Washington d d C estate? No, exactly. I know that this sounds silly, but a lot of people still don't know that Washington, DC is not a state or within
a state. They think it's owned by a state, but it is its own district, right, Like I could I could see people thinking it's part of like Virginia or Maryland. Right. It's it's so easy. You're like, oh, that's just a district of it, but it's not. Yeah, So this part I love, and I probably knew this at some point, but my memory is foggy. But Philadelphia was actually our temporary capital while the city while d C was being planned and built along the Potomac River. So it's been
quite a saga for the city in our country in general. Yeah, I mean, the really cool part about building this new city from scratch was how city planners were able to
lay it out with the specific vision in mind. The President's House was intentionally like connected west to the Potomac by a public space that would come to be known as the National Yeah, and eventually that public space would grow and expand to including connect the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the Smithsonian Museums, and slew
of other important sites, National Park and otherwise. Also, the Capitol Building was initially called Congress House, but Thomas Jefferson wanted to change the name, inspired by the Latin origins of the word and its connection to Capitoline Hill in Rome. Yeah. Right,
So the tour we did here was excellent. It was pretty sizable group, i would say, and we were all led around the interior of the building into numerous chambers, learning about the construction of the building, how it was partly burned and damaged during the War of eighteen twelve, and how the building was expanded in the mid eighteen hundreds to accommodate the House of Representatives in the Senate.
Since the country was growing and adding more states, they were running out of room for all the new legislators, so it was literally a full house. This was also when the new dome was added. Like a cherry on the top of a Sunday Yeah, and I'm still starting for a milk bar chat. So these food references are kind of tortuous for me to handle, but I do
like it. So if the dome is the cherry, then the Statue of Freedom on the top of the dome would be the chocolate drizzle or the whip cream, or the sprinkles or the like Jimmy's Chocolate Jimmy's Yeah, but yes to all of it. It's the statue is actually in ornate bronze statue of a woman with a military helmet holding a sword and shield, so he's basically like
a badass statue of liberty. Now, after years and years of restorations and add ons, the Capitol Building was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service in nineteen sixty and rightfully so, yeah, rightfully so. So. My favorite thing about our tour here was seeing all the different states that were so well represented. I felt such a sense of unity and especially important during a time
when our country really needs that feeling that unity. The tour started in a small round room with statues and important pioneering figures from the original thirteen colonies, including my home student of Hampshire. Nice to see that. Yes, this area was called the crypt enough um. It was filled with columns and had statues of people like Samuel Adams from Massachusetts, Charles Carroll from Maryland, and Roger Sherman from Connecticut. Yes,
and New Hampshire was wrapped by John's Stark. Actually, each state has its own statue somewhere in the buildings. Some of them have more than one, so it's not just the crypt and it's not just the Thirteen Colonies. Statue can be found in the visitor center, at the National Statuary Hall, connecting corridors and the Hall of Columns. Also at Statues. Yeah, I think the Statuary Hall is my favorite.
It's a huge room with a tall ceiling, filled with these beautiful statues from across the country, and the tour guide was really on it with his like information. He would ask people in the crowd to say where they're from, and he would immediately point to the statue in the room and talk about that person in their role in history. Um. Yeah, this guide was on it. You know. The really cool thing about like statue really hall is that like that is where like Congress collected for a long time until
they outgrew it. But it wasn't like the modern day like basically the game. It was a full house. But I think every state can have up to two statues, um, and they're donated by your state and the beautiful Yeah good team. So states can change who their important characters are if they want to in the future. So it's just such a it's really there's a really crappie's like
to unpack there. If you want to honor some someone new or you know, swap things out, or someone being honored turns out to be you know, awful if they haven't aged well in history, then swap that out. Um. On another note, on our way into this hall, we also passed by Nancy Pelosi's office, which was a total surprise to me. I didn't know her office was here, Um,
so I wasn't expecting to see it. We didn't see her, but we saw her office, and it reminded me of a dream I recently had with Nancy and it did I tell you about the stream? No, I don't think so. So I dreamed that she invited me to her office for some sort of meeting. I guess I just envisioned this is what her office would look like. It kind of felt like a elementary school principal's office or something. I don't know if that's how it actually is. But
she invited me into her office for a meeting. And then we didn't really talk about business, but she did pour me some red wine and like a paper cup, and I was like, Nancy, she's cool. I like her. And then I don't know what we talked about or if anything, but the meeting was pretty much over, like right, I she did hug me goodbye. That so I woke up feeling great. Mm hmm. That is amazing. I love it. No, I'm a dream of some weird dreams. Um, but that's one that doesn't seem too far off to maybe what
would happen. I just think that Nancy is maybe she would do more classy than a paper cup like I think she would give you. That's the unbelievable part. That's really the only unbelievable part of that dream. It's like paper cup. She probably is like stemmar. Absolutely, And when we come back from the short break, we'll get back to reality with more from our trip to Washington, DC's national park sites. Hi, I'm Matt and I'm Brad. This
is park Landia, and today we're talking about Washington. Do you see the National Mall and all the memorial parks that we visited in the city mon event So, like we mentioned, d C has a ton of National park sites, many of which are well known and popular, along with
others that are less visited. In addition to the Capital Building and the National Mall itself, which serves as the grand public connector to all of it, the other national parks we visited were the Lincoln Memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, President's Park, AK, the White House, the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and Pennsylvania Avenue, which is considered a National park site in and of itself. Like we said, there's a lot here.
And we also stopped at the Washington Monument, but we weren't able to go into it or to the top of it because it was closed for renovations. Um it is since reopened, so it's bummer. We missed it, but you do not have to write yeah, it was a bummer. We did go into the little Visitor Center story though, and preads that for a little bit. But we'll just have to go back, which I'm totally fine with because that means more milk Bark cookies and more American history,
So sign me up. The great thing about how DC is laid out is that the National Mall makes it super easy to get from one site to the next. Yeah, do you remember when you mixed up the National Mall with the Mall of America? I don't really want to. You're how you dare you through the end of the bus here We're wandering from one side to it and your milk bar cookies for you? You were like, where's
the roller coaster? And I'm like, what I did? I don't like You're You're horrible for bringing that up while my favorite thing and I have nothing to say except utter embarrassment. Honestly, though, I feel like, in all fairness, that probably is an easy thing to confuse because the names are super similar. They're basically like synonymous names, even though like an actual out of the two places could not be more different. They represent entirely different things they
really do. Um it really I love them? Yeah, I do, you know anyway things for embarrassing me there, um. Our first stop after eating lunch at the US Capitol Building was the National Archives Museum them to see the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Yes, And I was so excited to go there, and I'm so excited to talk about it because this is the part of the episode where I begin to talk pretty much NonStop
about my favorite movie of all time, National Treasure. As you remember, it took place in like most of the movie took place in d C. Nicolas Cage epic you know, epic adventure, and I was thinking about where we're in
d C, of course, especially the National Archives. Yeah. Well, let me make sense because like Nicolas Cage tried to steal the Declaration of Independence, well he didn't try, he succeeded, which would be probably more impressive and honorable if that wasn't like a heinous crime, like a horrible thing to do. But honestly, after visiting the Archives, I'm starting to think that movie was a wee bit fantastical and unrealistic. Are
you really now just realizing that? Well, as as far as I was concerned, like National Park was as accurate as maybe a documentary, Like all these things were laid out, their plan were laid out, and Nicholas Cage would run you know, through his itinerary of like thing, and I'm like, okay, I have no reason not to buy this. But then again, I'm also the type of person who thinks, like Jurassic Park seems viable, like if they were to do that with mosquitoes today, Like next, you're gonna tell me that
the meg is the same thing. I thought, Yeah, I mean that that movie about the giant shark of the battle in the ocean and how they broke through this what was that like a frozen layer, like a freezing layer and there was like a megalodon down there like they're explained in the movie. And I'm like, okay, I'm in like this seems maybe we should actually explore this.
You just love those documentaries, Yes, documentaries with quotes around them. Yeah. Um, I think it's safe to say that no one would be able to steal the Declaration of Independence, not even Nicos Gage. This thing was unheavy lockdown and guarded by several staffers, and they don't even let you take photos of it with your phone, let alone. Anyone's deal with it. Yeah,
that's true. I've never seen anything that's guarded. And even though photos weren't allowed, it was still really really cool to spend a few minutes with it, just trying to read it in the dark room. It's hard to see because the ink is so faded and it's all fancy clearphy that my eyes are are not able to decipher. Yeah, the same thing with the Bill of Rights. A lot
of cursive fancy. We do know how to write in cursive, but they are hundreds of years old, so it's the big fancy cursive big and it's something that we just we don't read like that anymore. Um, it's a lost art. Both of these documents are in the rotunda section of the building, which is kept mostly dark and chilly to
help preserve them. Yeah. Another neat thing here is the Hawkner Murals, these enormous oil on campus works created by Barry Faulkner in six They are depicting a fictional scene of the presentation of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution and it's extraordinary. It's this huge mural, just gorgeous, and it's perfectly. Yeah, absolutely stunning. After this week continued down to the National Mall to probably which is the most
iconic memorial in the city. The Lincoln Memorial. Yeah, I would definitely say it's the most iconic, like after of course, like the White House and I don't know, I mean, I just I mean I like it better. Yeah, yeah, I guess White House Lincoln Memorial. Those two can go get tossed up. There's nothing that's really going to beat those two. No, no, no no. And remember that scene a National Treasure when Nicolas Cage is sitting on the steps of the memorial like talking with the sidekick. His
sidekicks name was Riley. I don't remember like what that actor's name is in real life, but it's iconic. Although that in the movie, the craziest part about that scene was when they were there at the memorial, they pretty much had it to themselves somehow, like nobody was around, which doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe that's the point when you should have realized that the movie was not a documentary. I mean, that was the most unrealistic
part of that movie. One thing I will agree though, is that the Lincoln Memorial is definitely a national treasure. It is a national treasure, like we talked about in our Gettysburg episode, which we are big fans of Abe Lincoln. He was the Beyonce of Gettysburg and he's the Beyonce
of DC too. Absolutely, um, the Memorial is such a special place with this giant statue inside of like this Greek Doric temple overlooking the mall, and speaking of Gettysburg, that speech is inscribed along one of the interior walls, along with his like second inaugural address. Yeah. So the Memorial was officially dedicated in designed by architect Henry Bacon Daniel Chester, French and carved by the pia Really brothers. Julos Guarin painted the murals on the inside. So good
job team, everybody pulled it together. Ever since, it's great, and it's just been this endless source of inspiration, not only for us and for the visitors today, but for people like Martin Luther King Jr. Who gave his famous I have a Dream speech in front. And addition to being a National Park site of its own right, the Memorial was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in nineteen sixties six. Yeah, and when we said it was popular. We were not kidding. The link of memorial
alone gets more than seven million annual visitors. But despite these almost constant crowds, it's still somehow like a very peaceful feeling place of reflection. It's nice and quiet inside, so you can drink it all in and admire the work and the subject that inspired it. Yeah, and speaking of Martin Luther King Jr. That's another memorial we major to visit um like most things on and around the
National it's nearby, Yes, it's in West Potoma Park. And the main attraction here at this memorial is the intricate granite statue of Martin Luther King Jr. Which was carved by Lee Yushin, who drew inspiration from the memorial by the I Have a Dream speech he gave nearby. Right, The statue is actually called the Stone of Hope, which is part of a line from that speech when he said, out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope.
It's a really deep and it's a definitely still resonates today as like civil rights are still a huge issue in this country. Sadly true. Yes, but the civil rights movement was such an important and turning point for the country and we're all so much better off thanks to Martin Luther King Jr's bravery and leadership. The memorial is one of the newer editions in DC since it opened in two thousand eleven, and it's overlooking the Title Basin,
so it's got a gorgeous location and gorgeous scenery. Another like amazing slash like crazy thing is that the memorial is still or was, the first African American memorial on the National Mall. Most of them are presidents, and this
is only the fourth memorial that's not a president. Yeah, And honestly, if anyone deserves to being memorialized, it's Martin Luther King Jr. Another one of those presidents who have been memorialized is Thomas Jefferson, who had his own famous memorial just southeast of the Martin Luther King Jr. One
across the Title Basin. When we visited, it was just at the very early beginning of terry blossom season, so these bright pink florals were starting to bloom a little bit on the trees around the title Basin, which made for a very pretty walk from memorial to memorial. Got a little sneak peak about now. This is just another beautiful structure, almost totally surrounded by the serenity of the
title basin. It's a neoclassical building with a bronze statue of Thomas Jefferson in the middle under the huge dome. Love it. It was designed by John Russell Pope and built by John McShane, finished in nineteen forty three, and the statue was out in It's right up there with a like a memorial in Washington Monument as one of the most visited sites in town, with more than two million annual visitors. This is another side. I remember visiting
a middle school, actually probably by myself. I mean, like the rest of they were somewhere there, but I was like, you know, alone, we'll leave it this way. You were probably able to focus more and appreciate the details better. Yeah, you mean without the actions of friendship. Sure. Um. So the other memorials we visited in and around the mall were more war focused. Um, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and the World War Two Memorial. Naturally, these were especially somber destinations,
but so beautiful and inspiring. Nonetheless, Yeah, the Vietnam's Memorial is really close to the Lincoln Memorial. It's UM a two acre structure UM designed to honor USRM forces you fought and died or went missing in Vietnam War. UM. They're one thing that really hits me the hardest is when I see families going there with their paper and chalk or their their pencils and their outlining the name UM of their loved one. A lot of people do this, so they're going at home and it's that like UM
keepsake for them. But just knowing a lot of people who served, especially during the Vietnam War, it's you know, for those who died, it's it's really hard, but also those who have survived. And so for me when I hit this, it just hit me in a full circle because it was just like from my time in the Marines and just realizing what it was that they use people sacrificed UM. That just really hit me extremely. I know, it's a very impactful place, very somber, and I mean
that's heart wrenching to see. And we thought there was a lot of people there and the main part of memorial is the Memorial Wall, which consists of these two long black ranite walls with a walkway that runs the entire length, and these walls are etched with more than fifty eight thousand names of service members from the war, many of which had flowers and cars and other sentimental
items placed on the ground. When we visited, I think there was actually like a school field trip happening, or probably more than one, and students were writing letters to service members. I think it was so sweet and again heart wrenching. It was in an absolutely like it was just one of those inspiring moments where like, it's nice when they have us base to leave those letters of things, you know. Um. The main part of this memorial was finished in nineteen eighty two and a day attracts about
three million annual visitors. Uh. There are two other parts of the memorial as well, Um, the Bronze three Soldier statue at the and the Vietnam's Women's Memorial, which honors the nurses who served during the war. Yeah, it depicts three women with an injured shoulder and it's powerful stuff. Then also nearby, speaking of more powerful stuff, is the World War Two Memorial, which is dedicated to American service members and civilians who died during the Second World War.
This one is a really big and central. It has fifty six large pillars and a fountain, and it gets about four point six million annual visitors, which is really incredible since it's only been open since two thousand and four. Yeah, those pillars are really stunning. It's this striking series of seventeen foot tall granite pillars in a circular ape around this central plaza, with forty three ft arches on either side,
one for the Atlantic and one for the Pacific. East pillar stands for a different US state, plus d C, the Commonwealth of the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, and the US Virgin Islands. When we come back, we'll explore more of d C, from the Smithsonian to one of the city's most historic restaurants. Hi, I'm Matt, and I'm Brad. This is park Landia in today's episode is all about Washington, d C, the National Mall, the Lincoln Memorial,
and so much more. Park So even though we weren't able to tour the White House, we were at least able to stroll along President's Park, which is overseen by the National Park Service and it's part of the National Register of Historic Places. Un Surprisingly, Yeah, Lafiat Square is the main part of the park. It's just shy of seven acres of public park space that has been used for a variety of different things over the past century, including a graveyard, a zoo, and a slave market. Yeah,
so it definitely had a pretty dark past. Today it's pristinia and peaceful, with incredible views of the most iconic mansion of the country. The south part of the park, it's called the Ellipse. It's a fifty two acre lawn that's open to the public for leisurely meandering and also serves the site of annual events like the White House Easter egg Roll and the Christmas Pageant of Peace. We weren't able to do much here other than marvel at
all of our beautiful spaces in public lands. And um I did ride one of those little like urban scooters around for a while, um, which you didn't want me to. Now you pretty much begged me to. You wanted to write them together, and I just i'd other walk. Plus I was mostly scared of like crashing into something like a car head on or just a big group of people. It's there's a lot of activity like buzzing around me. So I'm more comfortable, like I'm going to two ft.
Yeah that's true. I mean that's true. So it's a very walkable city anyway too, so more food, and we're also able to walk a block away from just an old that Big Rill, which is the oldest restaurant in the whole city. I know, yeah, first established in eighteen fifty six. That is crazy, especially when you think about how like merciless and tough the restaurant businesses nowadays. It's it's difficult for like restaurants to even stay open for
like a decade, let alone like more than a hundred years. Well, they stay on top of it. I mean, they're very innovative, and they like their cocktails are very updated. Like it's not like you're still getting muddled old fashioned or something like that. No, it Yeah, there was an interesting combo of like freshness here. It still felt like fresh and clean and new, but also clearly very vintage and classic
in a in a sleek way, so exact ideal. Yeah, it's always really great to seek out these historic restaurants and bars whenever we're in a different city. Um, not only do they feel historic and super unique, but the recipes are total originals and they taste like the culture of that city. Yeah, they do. So we started pretty early. We went for like an early with dinner at like five or even a little bit earlier. I think we got to the bar area first, around four forty five
or so. And I love the bar area. It's this rustic, like wood filled space where we had um oysters. Right, we had oysters and cocktails, and the coctives were so good and fittingly strong, which I always enjoy. I think we had things like blood orange and growning for me probably and the Irish old fashion for me. Did you have that? Yeah? So it's basically a regular old fashion about with Irish whiskey, which is sounds great and I'm
surprised they don't see that more regularly. Yeah. And it's like literally a place that the bar tenders and servers have been for a long time, Like you could just clearly see it because they're passionate about their jobs. They know the menus like the back of their hands. But they're staying up with like current like qualities, you know, And so that's just the beauty thing. That's why it's
stayed along around so long. Yeah. Right, they're clearly passionate and like very very good at this and very yeah, it's it's wonderful. Plus everyone who works here is super dapper and buttoned up, but like in a fun, still kind of casual way. It doesn't feel stodgy or anything like that. It's it's perfect. So the main down here and when we went after drinks is kind of this expansive, opulent space that's bustling and lively without feeling too fussy,
doesn't feel too fancy. It's kind of perfect. And then after our drinks at the bar, this is where we met a couple of my friends who live in d C and had an early bird dinner. So long as you can see I have friends now, it's good, especially since this is the type of rest front that's best enjoyed with a small group. The menu is just fun to explore and try different things. Yeah, it definitely is. So we met up with my friend Lauren, who I actually went to high school with back in New Hampshire.
She now lives in d C. And I'm insanley jealous and she we met her and her fiancee, Nick, who I had met once before in Chicago. They're a great couple and super fun to hang out with. Yeah, I'm surprised you didn't go to d C in high school. That had have been great because then you would have actually had friends. I'm sorry that might have been But the food there was solid um. They have things like jumbo lump crab cakes and trout parmesan and pants heard scallops.
They had that crispy roasted chicken and meat loaf. I love meat loaf. That's something you make me so I really love it. But it's all very American, which is perfect for such a classic restaurant in America's capital city next to the White House. Yeah, I know, I mean it is perfect. It's quincidentral American recipes in one of the oldest restaurants in country, like literally smacked up in the middle of America's capital. It's all just beautiful ideal. Yeah.
And then speaking of all American, we also went to a couple of Smithsonian museums. Of course, cannot go to DC and not do that, especially because they're all free, which is phenomenal. So some of my favorite things about d C all these iconic museums. And we started with the National Museum of American History. Fantastic. It was great, and we saw things like the Ruby Slippers, the Batmobile, and then tons of other like quintessential American things from history,
like everything from Oprah to D Day. Yeah, we really wanted to see this movie they're playing about National Parks, which would have been perfect E R F E C T. Perfect, but the theater was closed for event or something. It was just like, I know, we are kidding, let us
in special screening. But regardless of that, we definitely still had fun and also went to the newest Smithsonian museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which was utterly incredible and also a very moving place, like super Yeah, really felt it. Yeah, because that one only opened up just in and it's right next to the Washington Monument. It's hard to believe it took this long from museum dedicated to African American history, but I'm sure
glad it's here now. Yeah, it's clearly super popular and super special. Um it's first full year be being open, it was already the fourth most visited of all Smithsonian museums. Yeah, that's amazing and I just love that. So that just tells you how important it is. We need to tell how many people across the world, let alone just the United States. Yeah, truly and also fittingly, this museum is massive,
literally like enormous. This building has like ten stories, five of which are underground, and in total three square feet. The main crux of the museum is this long, incredible tour of the slavery history galleries and the concourse. It's all a timeline starting in four and kind of meanders forward, depicting things like the trans Atlantic slave trade in king Cotton, the Civil War, all the way through the gym Crow
era segregated rail cars. They can go on in the Civil Rights movement heads up that some of the galleries and content here is quite graphic and potentially unsettling, and they have signs like in red warning about them ahead of time before entering these specific spaces as trigger warnings, particularly with stuff relating to the KKK and lynching, which is unsurprisingly pretty graphic and hard to see. Yeah, it's
definitely brutal, um, but it's an important part of history. Um. In addition to these galleries, there are other areas celebrating African American history and film, music, sports and TV, plus a great museum store in a sweet home cafe with dishes inspired by the rail coast in the South, the Western Range and beyond my favorite. All right, now it's the time of the episode where we share our favorite parts of DC and its national park sites. We haven't
told each other our answers, so it's all the surprise. Matt, what was your favorite part of Washington, d C And the National park systems? The fantastic question. I would say my favorite part is probably the National Archives because seeing the Bill of Rights in the Declaration of Independence is probably one of the most like Americana things I've maybe ever done. And also, you know, directly ties into my favorite movie, National Treasure, so that that plays a big
pardon in that decision. But it was We're only there for a few minutes really in the ratenda like looking at these documents, but you are so immersed in it in every way. It's like a dark space. It's it's chili, so it basically got an environment, and I just it was it was really really cool. It skimming over a little bit, I couldn't read most of it, but the impact of these documents is profound, and yeah, I absolutely loved that. So I'm glad that we're able to do that.
What about you, What was your favorite part is a very tough question, but I would I would have to say the Lincoln Memorial. There's just so much history too to contemplate there. There's so many lessons in life, the being on the road and just seeing these different memorials and these sites um that impact us as like a culture, as a single culture and within the multiple cultures of the United States and trying to figure it out. And I think that's the one thing that I aby him.
Lincoln means to me is like he he realized that we're all individuals. We have our individual cultures, but we have an American culture as well, and bringing people together was his mission. Yeah, and it's his legacy. Yeah, that is his legacy. And so that's really what it is to me. A little bit, there's more too like process and go over there, But I just really love everything that Abraham Lincoln was about and figuring it finger it out. Yeah. And it's also cool because that legacy and his whole
ethos is really living on today. As you can see, the Lincomorial gets seven million visitors. That's a ton. It's like one of the most visited places in d C. And swarming with people. We were there, and people from all walks of life from all over the world presumably are there, mingling together and absorbing this experience. And that
was amazing. And I also of how in spite of how crowded it was, while you're inside the actual memorial, everyone is quiet and respectful of that, and there are signs that say, like, you know, please respectful and quiet while you're in here, etcetera. And everyone is very well behaved, you know, and they are. Yeah. And also the view from up there is just the best. You're like, up this long series of steps and overlooking the reflecting pool
the Washington Monument. It's probably the best view in the whole day. I think. I love that. Yeah. Sorry, I'm like kind of stealing your favorite thing down that's what comes or me into my own. But I'm just listening to them having fun, uh, you know, and this this park, the or Washington d C, the District of Columbia, however you want to look at it. The three things to bring really isn't you're normal? I mean, honestly, um, I would bring friends and family because you don't want to
be like thirteen year old Matt liked and friendless. Yeah, I don't experience it like guy did in middle school because you might not have the best memories. But I would say definitely, Yeah, awesome place to visit with groups, with family especially, and then there's a lot to do here, and it's hard to kind of summarize it because it is so spread out in so many different except you don't bring money for milk money, yeah, because you need to get your serium milk, latte's and your corn cookies.
Yes you do, and then you also need to go to old Evid grill of course have an iconic meal if we actually ate and drank very well in d C. So I'm glad that we haven't even scratched the surface of that. And that's fine. Though maybe maybe there'll be a special bonus episode in the future, maybe branching out into the neighborhoods and checking out more culture and other kinds of you know, activities in DC, because this is just at the very beginning. And let's see that third thing.
So we got money, friends and family, Yeah, slash appetite of some sort a camera and it can be yourself when it doesn't have to be like huge and beautiful camera.
But like there are places to take great photos too, so but just bring some kind of uh camera because there's so many memories that like, you're just gonna take pictures all day anyway, um, and what you're gonna using your look through them and you remember you went to that place, and then you're gonna start researching it, because that's what we do, Like we take pictures and I'm like, oh yeah, I forgot about this, and then I just go back and start researching more and try to understand
and see what else is in there, because that's just what I love to do, right right for sure. Also, I think this is another little thing to bring. It's like well, or I think more so, I think to get while you're there. It's public transit cards like we talked about, because it makes it really easy to get around town. I mean it's walkaball to like while you're in and around the National Mall, very walkable, but the train makes it super easy to branch out from that
as well. Yeah, those public transit cards are definitely definitely worth it. Yeah, I gotta say it was much nicer spending time in DC now that I'm not a socially awkward seventh creator I learned a ton. I had so much fun and I left feeling very inspired and very well fed. This is definitely an all American city filled with inspiration and history. Plus it has inspired us to obsess over Netflix shows like House of Cards and Madame Secretary. Yeah,
Obsesses and understatement. Best enjoyed, of course, while eating milk Bar cookies. You've been listening to park Landia, a show about national parks. Parklandi is the production of My Heart Radio, created by Matt Carouac, Brad Carouac and Christopher has e otis produced and edited by Mike John's. Our executive producer is Christopher has eiotis our researcher. It's Jescelyn shield A special things goes out to Gabrielle Collins, Christal Waters and
the rest of the Parklandia crew and Hey listeners. If you're enjoying the show, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps other people like you find our show. You can keep up with us on social media as well. Check out our photos from our travel us on Instagram at parkl India Pod, and join in on the conversation
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