Mr. Louie goes to Washington (Part II)

The next day we rounded up the kids and went to see the Cherry Blossoms. This is one of the reasons I came to Washington, D.C. at this time of the year. They line the 3 km path around the Tidal Basin just south of the Washington Monument.

The weather was better than the day before. It was still quite chilly out, but at least there was a bit of blue sky behind the predominant clouds.

Around the Tidal Basin (as well as the cherry trees) are the Jefferson Memorial and Franklin D. Roosevelt Memorial. Currently under construction is the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial as well. It's supposed to be ready in August, 2011.

After going by the FDR Memorial we headed away from the Tidal Basin and went over to see the Lincoln Memorial and nearby Korean War Veterans Memorial. Both were pretty cool. What wasn't very cool was the fact that they were renovating the Reflecting Pool opposite the Lincoln Memorial. It was completely drained leaving a long, muddy, brown field behind protective fencing. Not very picturesque at all.

We went to lunch at a Malaysian restaurant next. Again, I don't know what part of town it was in. It was pretty good though. We shared a few dishes that we all picked. I ordered a fried rice dish with fish and chicken. Mimi and Won ordered a tofu and something dish and noodles and something else (I can't remember now). After we ate Won took Mimi and the kids somewhere for something. I can't remember where they went either. Won and I planned to meet later at Union Station to grab dinner. So I had the afternoon to myself.

I went back to The Mall to finish up the rest of the monuments I didn't get to see. I went by the Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. Next was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It was right next to the Lincoln and Korean War Veterans Memorials. I didn't realize how close it was. We should have went there before lunch and then I would have myself quite a bit of time going back.

I revisited the Tidal Basin next. I wanted to get more pictures of the Cherry Blossoms. I think I managed to get quite a few good shots there. Before I knew it I was running low on time. I had planned to meet Won at 7:00 p.m. at Union Station and it was already past 6:30. Union Station is nearly 4 kms away (a bit north of the Capitol building) so I had to boogie.

Needless to say I didn't make it on time. But, when I arrived there, I didn't see Won. He mentioned he wanted to meet by the Metro (the subway). I noticed two Metro "M" signs on street level, so I stood by the one nearest the street so he could see me when he returned by car.

Well that was the big problem. Because even though he drove Mimi and the kids back by car, he returned on the subway and was waiting on the level below. We didn't find each other until at least quarter past 8:00 when I went down there to look for a pay phone.

We decided to go for sushi in the Dupont Circle area of town. There was a restaurant, Sushi Taro, Won wanted to go to. It's a very popular place that's garnered great reviews. Unfortunately for us there was a one hour wait to get in when we arrived. So we wandered around until we found another place. This one was called Bistro Bistro. It was supposed to be a French place, but they had quite a few pasta dishes which is what I had.