By traveler 
During my first excursion Seein’ the DMV, I accidentally let my phone’s charge get so low, I couldn’t take any pictures of the evening tour sites we visited. It took me nearly two months, but I finally decided the time was right to address this by revisiting the memorials covered by the tour, plus an additional stop. I also wanted to test a new camera I had just purchased that I’m hoping to take with me to Hawaii later this year. By that point, I want to know it well enough to be able to take some decent photos on the cruise.
This was a Saturday night, two weekends after July 4th. My luck with crowds was spotty at best sometimes, and this was the midst of DC’s busy season for tourists. I seem to have really lucked out this time, though. Vehicular and pedestrian traffic was mercifully lighter than I expected, and I was so thankful to be able to take advantage of the situation. Even the weather cooperated (at least for my warmer comfort zone range).
I had wondered why the tour didn’t include Black Lives Matter Plaza until I saw it for myself. There’s no way those tour buses would have gotten through the narrow space, and I suspect the best view would require going to the upper floors of one of the buildings on the plaza. Still, I did get some pictures, including this one facing the White House. I imagine that the presidential occupant of the White House at the time the portion of 16th Street NW was painted in June 2020 wasn’t pleased with the constant reminder the plaza presented.
Next, I crossed the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge, which put me off near the site of the United States Marine Corps War Memorial, better known as Iwo Jima. It was nearly sunset, so I spent a while there getting pictures of the memorial from various angles and levels of light. I’ve posted a few here, but the rest are available at http://www.singin1.pics/piwigo/index.php?/category/See-the-DMV-Night-at-the-DC-Memorials-071324:
Like other visitors who sat upon or walked the lawns around the memorial, I found it to be a place for quiet contemplation. Most of my immediate family who entered the military served either in the Navy or the Army. Thankfully, the one member I know of who served in the Marines returned from that service. Still, one had to pay tribute to the many to had paid dearly for this country.
My next destination was the Lincoln Memorial, which was just on the District side of the Arlington Memorial Bridge. I suspect that normally I would have had no chance of finding parking anywhere near the memorial, but that night, I immediately got a spot about a block away then waited about twenty minutes for a place right outside the walkway to the memorial!
The pedestrian traffic was, again, surprisingly light for a beautiful Saturday evening. It wasn’t like I had Abe to myself, but I was happy with what I found. The memorial was under construction, and neither the unassisted walk up the steps nor the extended ramp seemed to be acceptable options to me that evening. Instead, I settled for numerous exterior, ground-level shots, including a few partial views of the statue of the 16th president. Remembering the tour guide’s comments about the rarity of finding the water in the reflecting pool still enough to get a perfect reflection of the Washington Monument (FYI, the difference between a monument and a memorial is the first was constructed while the honoree was still living) with the U.S. Capitol building in the background.
My last stop of the evening was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Along the way, I passed both the World War II and Jefferson Memorial. Unfortunately, I didn’t see parking close enough to either to do more than take a few shots.
By the time I reached the MLK Jr. Memorial, it was so quiet that I was able to get the closest accessible parking space to the entrance. While the memorial is free and open to the public 24 hours-a-day, the bookstore was closed. However, there was a park ranger still on duty who gave me information about what to look for. He mentioned a time capsule that I was unable to find, but I’ll hopefully try again another day.
Just as I was about to walk through the carved entrance to the memorial, a limousine pulled up. Beyond its eye-catching size, it got my attention because it had been at every stop I had visited that evening. I waited until some of its occupants walked past me and got the attention of one. The gentleman told me that they were an extended family from Alabama who had stopped in DC on their way to New York City. The limo was taking them on a tour of the city. I can imagine that would be one heck of a way to see the sites!
The memorial is ringed by stone walls with quotes by the late Civil Rights champion carved along the way. In the midst of a tree (cherry?)-filled park area where one can sit for a spell is the sculpture of the Rev. Dr. King, and the Jefferson Memorial is clearly visible across the Tidal Basin. There was a light but steady stream of visitors even as I left around 11 p.m.
Overall, it was a beautiful, wonderful evening! Such a perfect way to spend a Saturday night.