Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Start at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial and walk through the four “rooms” representing the
president's four terms in office. In the first room is a picture etched into the granite of FDR in a car on
his way to his first inauguration. However, something is missing. The original photo showed him hold-
ing a long cigarette. In the second room, statues “line up” in a bread line and listen to Roosevelt's
fireside chats on a radio. A statue of the thirty-second president shows him seated in his wheelchair
with his beloved dog, Fala, at his feet. The memorial also has the only statue of a First Lady, Eleanor
Roosevelt.
At the end of the memorial, walk out to the Tidal Basin. In spring, hundreds of cherry blossoms, a
gift to the city from Japan, are in pale pink bloom all around the basin. Cross the small bridge and
walk down the steps leading to the river walk. You will pass under the 14th Street Bridge and then
head straight out onto the peninsula that separates the Potomac River and the Washington Channel.
Across the river is the Virginia shoreline. Directly across is Ronald Reagan Washington National Air-
port, actually in Virginia. Planes land here every minute, using the river as an approach to the runway.
Follow the walk to Hains Point, a popular picnic and recreation spot. Continue around the point and
walk on the other side of the peninsula along the Washington Channel. Boats headed for the Capital
Yacht Club and the Maine Avenue Fish Market sail up the channel. Since the first days of the city, fish-
ing boats have been selling their catches here, and it is still popular today. There are several seafood
restaurants as well as fish shops along Maine Avenue.
The East Potomac Park Golf Course is in the interior part of the peninsula. There are restrooms and
drinking fountains along the way.
Crossing back under the 14th Street Bridge, bear right and stop at the George Mason Memorial, loc-
ated directly across from the inlet bridge. Honoring one of the founding fathers and author of the Vir-
ginia Declaration of Rights, sometimes called the precursor to the US Bill of Rights, the memorial fea-
tures a small pool, benches, and a seated statue of the patriot. Some of his writings, including those
against slavery, are inscribed here.
From here, it's a short walk to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, which sits right on the Tidal Basin.
The cornerstone was laid here in 1939 by President Roosevelt, a fitting connection since his memorial
is not far away. The bronze statue of the third president stands facing the White House, and the walls
bear quotes from his writings, which express his principles as a statesman and philosopher. There are
restrooms and a gift shop in the basement of the memorial.
