Day 4 in DC

I woke up super excited to tour the Pentagon that day. The weather report said we were due for some rain, and as I left the house that morning, it was drizzly. Seattleite that I am, I did not deem the drizzle to be worth the hassle of an umbrella or raincoat. I set off for the metro and arrived at the Pentagon station way too early. The security guards had a binder full of names of people who had appointments or tours. Seeing that I was early, he told me I could go visit the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial because if he let me through security, I'd just be waiting in a waiting room.

The Pentagon's 9/11 memorial

So I set off for the memorial because I wasn't interested in sitting around. Getting to the memorial turned out to be quite a hike because it was nearly on the opposite side of the building and the Pentagon is a big-ass building. On my walk, the rain started to pick up. I thought about finding a Starbucks to hang out in until it was time for my tour, but the Pentagon is surrounded by parking lots and I could tell it would be quite the hike to a Starbucks.

I made it to the memorial but it didn't have any markers or plaques. It was artsy and quiet and somber, but I didn't understand the installation. There was a phone number you could call and listen to a guided audio tour but I didn't want to walk around listening and draining my cell battery.

I hiked back to the visitor's entrance. The security guard from earlier remembered me, so he quickly got me through the metal detector and ID check, which I appreciated. Once inside the Pentagon, there was a gift shop and a little area for tourists to wait until they were rounded up for their tour. While I waited, I browsed the gift shop's offerings, and watched teenagers take selfies at a mock Pentagon podium. Just next to the gift shop were little kiosks with information about each branch of the military. I took a quick look at most of them, but skipped the Air Force because at least for now, I can only associate the Air Force with The Worst Thing to Ever Happen To Me (Tom).

Once it was tour time, some army soldiers and one navy, all in ceremonial dress uniforms, herded us into a big room and had us turn our cell phones and cameras off and put them away. Then we were split into two tour groups and given bright yellow tags that said we were visitors and could not go anywhere without an escort.

The tour itself was fine, we walked and walked and walked but the tour went so quickly and the guides were reciting facts rapid fire the whole time. a lot of the material was centered around the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon and the rebuilding process. Most of what we saw were hallways and corridors. We visited the chapel and walked through an area that looks basically like a mall. The are restaurants, florists, gyms, and stores of all kind, inside the Pentagon to make life a little easier for the employees. Pretty cool. All too soon the tour was over.

In front of the Newseum they display that day's front
page of several newspapers

I spent the afternoon getting lost in the rain, real, legit, umbrella-worthy rain. I found the Newseum and wandered all through. I'd been there before a few years back and LOVED it. The Newseum is the best because your ticket is good for two days in a row, which is ideal because you cannot see it all in one day.

It was a bit of a bummer though. They have an exhibit on Pulitzer Prize winning photos, all of which are stunning, most of which have a terrible backstory that basically ends with, " and then they all died."
I tried to walk through the 9/11 exhibit but it was too sad. And I was past by a gaggle of teenage girls all saying it was "like that was sooooo sad you guys!" with their terrible vocal fry.

An old timey printing press.

I was done with sad stuff for the day so I left the Newseum and found a bar. Where I had dinner and drinks alone and watched soccer. Which is also kind of sad.