Not quite what I was expecting - seems a good portion of the area was closed for renovation, terrorist concerns, women's rights march prep - but all in all, an interesting trip. (I had the privilege of showing the area off to someone who had never been there, so we pretty much did the normal "tourist" thing - with the exception of participating in the "largest march on Washington in history". First, let me explain my position before I get a bunch of political slamming - it's NOT that I am "Pro-Abortion"....I'm "Anti-Law". There is simply no way to police a law like that - people are going to find ways to get it done, and a bunch are gonna die because of it. OK - off my soapbox - this is about photography...so here's some "run of the mill" shots of DC:

The capitol building had a bunch of cranes and construction garbage around it - and it became a challenge to get a shot without it.

Of course the Lincoln memorial...

Some more Lincoln...

These are columns inside the Lincoln Memorial - I just found them interesting...

The Washington Monument - which was completely surrounded by a six foot fence during the restoration - it's hard to get a shot without the fence showing...

For some reason I like this shot the best - maybe because it felt so eerie to be in the Pentagon Station without another soul there...

I was setting up to shoot the Jefferson Memorial - got there just as the sky went overcast...really dull. I did manage to get this seagull....who was a bit ticked that I set up a Super Clamp on his favorite perch...

And yes, there was a few hundred thousand people there for the Pro-Choice March...

...a pro-choice'er meets a pro-life'er...

Anywho - I would like to take this opportunity to warn people - should they be traveling - about the Hilton in Springfield! Quite simply the WORST hotel experience I have EVER had! Made the reservation with the understanding that there was a "free shuttle to and from the Metro station, and the pool remains open until 11:00 PM)...evidently, "11:00 PM" comes at "8:00 PM" there - and the "free shuttle" (and this is a direct quote from the guy behind the desk), runs "...whenever the driver is here and he's not busy" - the driver is the doorman - which is ANOTHER gripe. We get there, pull up in front, and start unloading our luggage (with the doorman's help)...UNTIL here comes a couple of busses. I'm about 1/2 way through unloading my car, and the doorman says I have to move my car. Fair enough - give some room for the bus - I start carting the luggage cart out to where I parked my car to finish unloading it, and the guy says, "No - I need that cart for this bus. take what you have loaded and bring the cart back here". I took what I had loaded up to the room, came back downstairs and started to get the rest of my luggage (with the cart). The doorman comes up and says, "I need that" - to which Cindy, my better half, says, "So do we - take care of what you need to while we take care of what we need to!" (I felt a bit uneasy about it, but she had a point - no reason we should not be treated as any less of a customer that anyone on that bus - and we had a boatload of junk to move up to the room). OK - that's over, and our nerves are about to settle down - time to take a nice hot shower....but the dang shower head disintegrates when turned on - fell completely apart! "Someone's on their way up there right now", says the front desk. Not unlike the pool hours, "right now" ACTUALLY means "within or close to the possibility of the next hour......or so" (just tell me how long it's gonna be...for real...in the first place!) We ask for information about the hotel shuttle to the Metro station - we get a Metro schedule - NOTHING about the transport to the station (which we found later "depends on whether the guy has time to take someone"). OK - after day 1, we're ready to go to the little hotel bar to have a couple of beers. We went down there not realizing that there was a "dress code" (that in itself is a joke - this IS NOT the cultural center of DC). There was live entertainment (it was a Friday night), so there was a $10 cover charge, but hotel guests got in free. We had already "cleared" ourselves with the hotel manager, who was standing by the entrance - but some flunky pointed out (and I quote): "tennis shoes.....T-shirt....NO!" - this with a stiff finger pointing to my shoes, which were "tennis shoes", but solid black - they don't look at all like "sports shoes"....especially in a bar where you couldn't see you own feet to begin with. The "T-Shirt" he was pointing at was Cindy's - but it was not a T-shirt - it was a blouse, but it didn't have a collar. It's not so much that they had a "dress code" so much as the way this storm trooper booted paying hotel guests from the area. (and there was NO D&MN WAY i was going to change to get in!) So - instead of going into the bar and having a couple of drinks and a couple of appetizers (the main goal - get something to eat), we decide to order some food for delivery - but first, I need to break a C-Note. The front desk says, "We don't carry that much change here, sir - go check at the bar." Very few people have actually SEEN a "Conniption", but there it was in all its glory. "They won't let me IN the bar - and I'll be D@mned if I'm going to go upstairs and change to get change!" Well, what do you know - they had some change at the desk after all! Well, we ordered out - had some food delivered - and it came with no utensils. We made the mistake of calling the desk to ask if they could send up some silverware. "Oh, yes - of course, let me put you thru to the restaurant...". ......(The restaurant) "You got food WHERE? Where you get food? We too busy - you need come down and get silverware!" This ended with a few profane exclamations from our end of the phone, and then a quick call back to the front desk. Now we got the manager of the hotel bringing us some silverware - and he thought he was going to drop them off and leave - NOT. i invited him in and we had a "discussion" about the whole stay (but of course, nothing was done...go figure.) Personally, I WILL NEVER stay at a Hilton again - you couldn't PAY me (and after a few more beers, I'm writing them a scorcher!) Just a heads up for any traveling photographers out there (you see, this IS about photography!) Sorry for the rambling! Wolf

Wolf - You sure it said Hilton out front and not "Fawlty Towers"? Yeesh. :) As to the shots, love the exposure of the 3rd one (Lincoln from shadows). And the Pentagon station one is great ... I bet if you tried you could convince Tedzo it's the entryway to your new spaceship. :) hehe -=>Donald

Awesome shots! We have a Hilton....I walked in it to use there bathroom...smelled like Pool water to me. So we don't book my relatives there any longer. Thanks for the Warning! Jinx