In mid-October, the hubs and I made a road trip to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. This trip came in such perfect timing because we still didn’t have power and potable water because of Hurricane Helene. But I booked this trip in July this year not knowing what was ahead.

If you have read my post about Hurricane Helene, I mentioned there that we stayed in Charlotte for nine days before coming home for two nights and then off we drove to Washington, D.C. The main reason for this trip was for my appointment at the Embassy of the Philippines. But that only took half of my day so, we had time to see some of the famous landmarks of Washington, D.C.

A surprisingly no-traffic road of D.C. that early Sunday morning.

There are so many things to see in Washington, D.C. but we were only there for four days and most of those two days were spent on the road. It would normally took us almost eight hours one way from our home in North Carolina to D.C., but both ways took us twelve hours each and that’s because aside from stopping for food, we also took some side trips.

This was the second time that we visited D.C. We made a trip there in 2011 for my Alma Mater’s Alumni Reunion. We saw some famous landmarks then and even got to tour The U.S. Capitol. So, I planned a trip this time where we’re going to visit places that we had never been and we did exactly that.

1) Arlington National Cemetery

There is that overwhelming feeling of different kinds of emotions when you finally stepped into the cemetery and see these lines of tombstones.

2) John F. Kennedy Gravesite

More so when you see the gravesite of JFK, his wife, Jackie, their children and the famous eternal flame.

3) Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

It was amazing to watch this guard moving to and pro at the same spot with the same gestures for minutes. I’ve heard each guard does it for two hours.

4) U.S. Marine Corps War Memorial

Then we drove to this memorial and what a sight to behold. It’s always amazing to see something this monumental in person.

The next day, after another appointment, we took an Uber ride and let the driver drop us off at the National Mall. It was a Saturday and the park was packed.

5) Lincoln Memorial

We checked the Lincoln Memorial first and it was amazing. Then we walked from the memorial through the Mall by this lake and saw a bunch of ducks enjoying the water.

6) World War II Memorial

I didn’t even know this is located at the National Mall. We then checked everything inside and was astonished to see my home country, the Philippines’ own wreath.

7) Washington Monument

And then finally, we reached the end of it. Or for us, at least. We had already walked miles and our feet could do some resting. We sat at this spot for a bit and just enjoyed everything around us, from the sights to the people and even to the sky above us. This was an iconic site for the hubs for he was born on Washington’s birthday.

8) The White House

We did not expect to see the White House when were walking towards the road to get an Uber. This was the south side of the house and we’d only seen the north side of it on our first trip there in 2011. This was such a nice surprise!

9) The National Museum of African American History and Culture

We decided to go towards the corner of Constitution Ave. NW and 15th St. NW where we could get an Uber and saw this amazing structure.

I am going to write more about each of these places in the future because there were just so many photos to share and stories to tell so, watch out for it.

Both the hubs and I had an amazing time in D.C. and we were glad that our plans all worked out. Couldn’t be happier and grateful for that.

How about you? Have you been to Washington, D.C.?