Washington: Day One

Blogging without the internet again, will have to upload this later.
Have to be quick as everyone's sleeping. I just broke the zipper on the front compartment of my bag, hip hip horray. It's where I put my computer. Now what will I do? Good question! I have no idea.
So I got to Washington on the bus ok, using the usual trick of hiding all my stuff, then weighing in, then putting it all back in before I get on the bus. When I arrived in Washington I went to get a cab and there were about 40 people for the one cab that was there. So I walked a mile and a quarter, which doesn't sound far, but dragging 100 lbs or more with you through the bad part of town in the hot sun.... it was fun.
Fortunately going back my bus leaves at 5:30 a.m. so the cover of darkness should help me dodge the gunshots in this, the worst neighborhood I've ever been in. Will our hero make it out of town alive?
Every park here is no longer a park, it's a shanty town filled with homeless people. Everyone asks you for change. Everyone also mumbles and I can only make out about every 4th word or so.... I think it's an American thing. I couldn't understand some of the actors in the play I saw last night either.
I stopped to get a coffee and the guy behind the counter asked me for a tip, for change. I paid $3.90 for a small coffee and he said something about how I should give him a dollar. Wonderful place.
So I saw the White House:

and then went to the gay village which actually existed here, unlike in Baltimore. They had a great bookstore, and well, that was about it, but the bookstore was good.
I came back to the hostel and after dinner went out so see Ford's Theater:

Which is closed, and where Lincoln was shot, and the house across the street:


Where he died.
Then the Treasury Building:

And the Washington Monument:

Which is really big.
From the the WW2 memorial is across the street:

and this sign I found prophetic:

They got half of it right.
Then a quick mile walk to the Lincoln Memorial, on this path:

So I walked quickly.
Once there, you could turn around and get an amazing shot:

The Memorial itself was cool too:


The statue is HUGE.
Finally the Vietnam Memorial, which you can't photograph at night, but I found this on the ground.

Tomorrow Boy A, that movie I wanted to see, is playing right around the corner at 7:10 and my first stop is the Holocaust Memorial. Oh, and hopefully free wi-fi. I think I need a new network card.