National Park Series 2: Washington, DC and What Lies Beyond the Nation's Capital
The commissioning event that included the color parade and graduation ceremony and hearing president Obama addressed the graduates at the Naval Academy, and perhaps the visit to the Museum of Civil War in Baltimore stirred patriotism in me and encouraged me to explore historical places in the country I call home. I decided to take advantage of the rental, fuel-efficient GLK350 and its GPS to discover the Beltway. I drove West onto US50 to Washington, DC. Driving through a freeway walled by trees and greenery and not by stucco or concrete, I felt as if I was traveling through the countryside. It made driving pleasant. The drive from Annapolis to DC took less than 40 minutes, but as we arrived in the city, the enclosed surrounds of streets, the noise of cars and motorbikes, and the traffic were a harsh reminder why I would prefer to leave the driving to someone else on road trips. It took us more than 30 minutes just driving around the city and looking for parking. Since some o...