Tidal Basin

When we left the Art museum it was sunny and warm and Jess was on the hunt for a bike taxi to take us to the Jefferson Memorial. We had originally planned on renting bikes because we were both so exhausted from walking but figured it’d be a better deal to have someone else haul us around. We found a very nice gentleman who even have us a discount because we were his first ride of the day. He pedaled all the way over to the Thomas Jefferson memorial (2 miles uphill!) and even took a picture of us in front of it! It was the best $20 I spent the whole trip.

The current site of the Jefferson Memorial was originally created using landfill dredged from the Potomac River in the late 19th century. It became a popular bathing beach for Washingtonians and other locals. It became apparent that the site was well suited for another high-profile memorial since it sat directly south of the White House.

The Jefferson Memorial was officially dedicated by President Roosevelt on April 13, 1943, the 200th anniversary of Jefferson's birthday. At that time, the' statue had not yet been finished. Due to material shortages during World War II, the statue that was installed at the time was a plaster cast of Evans' work painted to look like bronze.

We rested on the steps of the memorial and enjoyed the view of the cherry blossoms in the Tidal Basin. We walked along the basin amidst the cherry blossoms and it was so gorgeous! Now I know why so many people come to Washington this time of year (25% of the visitors to D.C. come during Cherry Blossom time). On our walk we saw the FDR Memorial which was actually really big. I have been to most of the NPS sites focused on FDR and Eleanor and I think they are some of the best people in our American History.

The FDR memorial is markedly different from the other Presidential memorials (no ornate Greek architecture). This is because the memorial's designers considered Roosevelt's disability and created a memorial that would be accessible to those with various physical impairments.

The statue of FDR also stirred controversy over the issue of his disability. Designers decided against plans to have FDR shown in a wheelchair. Instead, the statue depicts the president in a chair with a cloak obscuring the chair, showing him as he appeared to the public during his life. Roosevelt's reliance on a wheelchair was not publicized during his life, as there was a stigma of weakness and instability associated with any disability. However, many wanted his disability to be shown to tell the story of what they believed to be the source of his strength.

I was glad to see Eleanor represented there and I found out that this is the only presidential memorial to depict a First Lady.