National Memorial Day Parade & Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum

Memorial Day in Washington, D.C. We drove to the train station this day, instead of taking the bus to the train, since the whole Metro system is on Sunday schedule. We got off the train at the Archives stop, and walked south to the National Mall. There wasn’t a lot of people out and there was a ton of open space along the barricades on the parade route, this early. We stood where the parade starts, right across and in line with the TV booth and cameras, and next to that was the VIP tent. It was wonderful to be in the front and not have to worry about seeing around people. Later it got pretty thick with people. 

The big flag held up by two fire trucks was all twisted around. We saw them lower it, fix it and put it back up. The National Memorial Day Parade started at 2:00 p.m. The parade was great with representatives marching from all branches of the military.

We felt it a real honor to be here and see the representatives of the different branches of military.

The precision is amazing to see.

We are always mindful of all who serve and their families. So grateful.

Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

I am sure the police had a very long day. Hot dogs for lunch. 😃

We were so surprised that there wasn’t a lot of people around on the Metro train after the parade. In fact, we were the only ones in our train car, even there in D.C. I know we were ahead of the crowd since we were at the start of the parade. The day was cloudy and forecasted to rain but it rained about 2 drops is all and the temps were very comfortable. The parade lasted 2 hours.

Sculpture & Water Reflection Outside National Air & Space Museum, Washington, D.C. 05/24

Another day our free, timed-entry tickets for Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum were for 10:00 a.m. when they opened. As we like to do, we got to the museum in plenty of time. We walked behind it to the National Mall, sat on a bench, and people-watched. 🙂 Tourist taking selfies with the capitol building, lots of joggers, people on bikes, and birds were fun to see. We got in line for the museum about 9:30 a.m. and soon it was long. Everyone had to have a timed ticket. While waiting in line, I saw a police car escorting a snow plow truck. Made me laugh with questions! Later we saw the trucks used as blockades on streets. This museum is only about 1/2 opened because of new exhibits coming. It still took us 4 1/2 hours to go through. LOL We saw the actual real plane flown in 1903 by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk. The material has been redone. I read this: “The first commercial transport flight with an airplane took place on November 7. 1910, when Phil O. Parmalee carried two bolts of silk on his Wright Model B from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio. This air freight shipment was sponsored by the Morehouse-Martens Department Store as a publicity event.” We saw Amazon Prime Air model which is a drone. They have a big simulator cockpit that shows take offs and landings at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Oh, we also learned that Mars Rover Curiosity’s wheel treads leave tracks on Mars that help tell how far it travels. The Morse Code on the tracks also spells out JPL, the lab that built the rover. I didn’t know that!

Of course there was a section on planets and some displays regarding Pluto. (Moment of silence, please.) We see Columbia, the command module for Apollo 11 and the first moon landing. It is the only part of the spacecraft to return to earth. A display said, “ Michael Collins: The Loneliest Man. While Armstrong and Aldrin were taking their historic steps on the Moon, Michael Collins was alone in lunar orbit inside Columbia. He was completely isolated from all of humanity whenever he passed behind the Moon.”

Crazy: at the Greenbelt train station, there was a mobile sign, you know, the kind you see on a road for a closed lane, for example. This one was right in front of the train station entrance and said if you have a Hyundai or Kia, put a wheel lock (also called a “boot”) on your tire to prevent theft. What? That is crazy. I know those vehicles are easy to steal but I have never seen a warning to actually add a wheel lock. Whoa.