Our last day in Washington D.C. starts with us paying a visit to Arlington National Cemetery and the gravesite of John F. Kennedy.
We first visited this resting spot for soldiers from nearly all of America’s conflicts back in 2000, during our expeditionary journey across the United States that saw us racing from Arizona to Maine before heading south to take in places like Washington D.C., Kentucky, the Natchez Trace Parkway, and Louisiana. We didn’t have a proper visit to these grounds then; sadly, we are failing in that task today, too.
Washington National Cathedral might have been slightly out of our way leaving D.C., but who turns up their nose at some classic neo-gothic architecture when it’s so close?
Started in 1907, the cathedral, like most others, would take a long time before being considered finished. In this instance, it took 83 years until 1990, when construction was finally completed.
This cathedral is part of the Episcopal faith, which got its start when the United States was breaking free from Britain and the Church of England which required allegiance to the monarch.
We, though, are not here for religion or God; we are here for our senses and to see how old-world European cathedrals compare to what sprung up over here.
Strangely enough, Caroline and I have visited more Spanish missions in California than any other house of worship across America.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I planned our visit, but this is quite a beautiful cathedral. I suppose I’d likely seen it in the news being used for funerals or for inaugural prayers, but a foggy memory isn’t certain.
Things missed while visiting: listening to the organ or a music recital, a tour of the bell tower, and attending services.
The light is magnificent in many parts of the cathedral.
I might be wrong, but this seems like a stained glass window one would only see in America.
Close-up detail of the rose window, dedicated in 1977 in the presence of President Jimmy Carter and Queen Elizabeth II.
This is the namesake of the cathedral, George Washington, in an alcove under stained glass windows towering above.
After leaving the D.C. area, our destination today is New York City, four hours away.
It was late in the afternoon as we arrived at the Courtyard Marriott in Jersey City, New Jersey on the Hudson River. Mere moments after dropping off our bags in the room, we were jumping on the subway at the Pavonia/Newport station en route to Times Square.
The sun was just peeking over the horizon as we started our walk up Broadway to 42nd Street.
While it’s a well-known phenomenon, the vibrant energy coursing through this city is palpable. Excitement pulls us in.
Gotta remember to take the occasional selfie of Caroline and me so we are reminded that these adventures weren’t just Caroline and Jutta traveling with their personal documentarian.
Can we ever have too many photos of things that amaze us?
The streets were crowded and, sure enough, lived up to the buzz that this corner of America generates. We weren’t allowed too much time to gawk, though, as we had reservations for a famous local attraction over on 5th Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets.
View from the Empire State Building.
A perfect, cloud-free, fogless, clear night to look out upon New York City.
We must have lingered more than an hour up here. We did take the elevator to the 102nd-floor observatory but enjoyed the 86th-floor more, with the wind and sounds of the city below.
Not a lot accomplished yet here in New York City but we have a full day planned for tomorrow.