A tourist's guide to DC.

My son Mahesh and I woke up late this morning. That is the theme for this family. I am glad we were able to sleep in, take in breakfast in a leisurely manner. Then, we decided to take a tour of the city. We went on the 'Old town trolley'. An open air trolley that took us around the Embassies, monuments, the White House, Georgetown, and my personal favorite, the Lincoln Memorial. It was Mahesh's favorite too. After seeing the impressive statue of Lincoln, we walked towards the Vietnam Memorial, I have seen it several times on television. Seeing it in person-- a person is thunderstruck, so many lives lost for a senseless war. We walked, stopping every so often to look at a name closely. There were relatives, friends of soldiers lost, looking for their loved one's name on the black granite rock, etched in time. One can't help but feel moved by this simple yet poignant memorial. Just as we were both moved by Lincoln's statue. I am glad there are memorials to fallen heros and they are there for all citizens to enjoy free of charge.

After our stop at the Lincoln Memorial, we headed back to our hotel. We are a stone's throw away from the White Housed. I asked Mahesh if he wanted to look at the White House again. We had strolled towards it last night. It is a breathtaking sight at night too. He was up for another look the the nation's House. It's interesting to see people gathered behind the White House at all times of the day and night. I wonder how the inhabitants of the White House feel about people congregating on the north side all day long?

We decided that this is something we are going to do everyday at the end of our touring. Take an evening stroll, and sit at the edge of the lawn recapping our day. It's a way of being on the north lawn, without actually being inside the grounds. Since both of us love to watch people, this was one way for us to see the myriad of personalities stopping by to see the nation's first residence.

I was glad to see a Muslim family stopping by to look at the White House. I wondered if they are harassed for being who they are? People from all walks of life come and stand by the iron fence. They all have opinions, they all feel a sense of pride. My daughter Reina had said she felt very patriotic when she visited DC during her high school trip. Even though, I wasn't born here, I chose to become an American citizen, and I did feel very proud today to be an American. I have truly enjoyed Washington D.C.