I joined 200+ singers, representing 10+ churches, in a choir trip to Washington DC to celebrate Independence Day. The trip was organized by Celebration Concert Tours. We had three concerts - at Lincoln Memorial, at Kennedy Center, and at World War II Memorial. The music was a mix of worship and Patriotic songs. In addition to the concerts, we also saw several memorials, monuments
I flew into DCA, Reagan National Airport. This airport is close to downtown DC, and has views of the city during landings or takeoffs that follow the Potomac River north of DCA. Our hotel was the Marriott Crystal Gateway, which is connected to a Metro station for easy access to key sites in DC and DCA airport.
Flying in to Washington DC
When landing at DCA from the north, seats on the left side will have a view of the US Capital, Smithsonian, and National Mall while seats on the right side will have views of the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery.
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| National Cathedral from the airplane. |
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| US Capital, Smithsonian, and Washington Monument from the airplane. |
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National Mall from the airplane.
 | | Jefferson Memorial from the airplane |
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Memorials, Monuments, and White House
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US Marine Corps War Memorial.
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Korean War Memorial
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| Martin Luther King Memorial |
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| White House - north side with the red flowers. |
We had three concerts: at Lincoln Memorial, at Kennedy Center, and at World War II Memorial. For the two memorial concerts, everyone wore red, white, or blue for a patriotic look.
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| Main hallway of Kennedy Center |
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| Kennedy Center has an observation platform on the top floor, with views of DC . |
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| Air Force Memorial, seen from Kennedy Center |
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| You can also see the Potomac River from the Kennedy Center viewing platform |
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| On stage in Kennedy Center. The theater is beautifully decorated. |
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| The choir members getting ready to sing. |
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Kennedy Center at night
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Ready for our concert in front of the fountain at World War II Memorial.
 | | After our final concert, we had a lunch cruise |
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Arlington Cemetery
We visited Arlington National Cemetery, where people who died during military service were buried. Our tour included a tram ride to key points, watching the changing of guard, and wreath laying ceremony.
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| Military Women's Memorial |
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| Gravesite for President John F Kennedy, which includes an eternal flame. |
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| Military flags |
Museums
Some of us visited the Museum of the Bible. There are six floors in this museum, and the main exhibits are on floors 2 - 4. 2nd floor is the impact the Bible had on music, culture, art, and fashion. Two people can have opposite interpretations of the same Bible verses. 3rd floor is a walk through of stories from the Hebrew Bible including the great flood, Moses parting the Red Sea, and the villages of Nazareth. 4th floor has artifacts and scrolls that were part of the Bible's history, plus information on how the printing press (invented by Johannes Gutenberg) brought mass production of the Bible. 5th floor has rotating exhibits. For our visit it was the Shroud of Turin, which is a faint image of a crucified man which millions believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus. The 6th floor has a Manna restaurant, garden, and an observation area with views of the US Capital.
July 4 Fireworks Cruise
Watching the Independence Day fireworks from a boat. First, we enjoyed the sunset and then the fireworks were launched on the Potomac River near the Washington Memorial.
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Pirate Ship
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Reagan National Airport from the boat
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Titanic Memorial
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| Washington Nationals stadium with the US Capital |
Taking off from Washington DC
When taking off from DCA to the north, the views are reversed from landing - right side sees the National Mall/Smithsonian/Capital and left side sees Pentagon/Arlington Cemetery.
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| Pentagon from the airplane |
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| Arlington Cemetery from the airplane. You can see how big it is - every white dot is a tombstone. |
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