Pictorial Guide Of Washington DC from Inside a Steamy Bus

By the time I boarded our tour bus both I and a handful of other passengers were soaked to the bone. I didn't care. I was thankful to be out of the rain and off my feet. It was time to let the professionals take over and show us the city from the comfort of inside a warm and dry bus.

However, if you've ever traveled with, say, a bus full of junior high boys after a wrestling match you'll know that it will be steamy, the windows will be fogged up, and visibility will be negligible. Such was the case with our tour bus. To make matters worse, it was getting dark, rain was running down the exterior of each picture window, and only a fool would dare take pictures.

The recorded tour guide knew none of this.

Cue the rousing marching tune, Stars and Stripes Forever by John Phillip Sousa, and our tour begins!

"Look out the window to your right and you'll see the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. See the dome and the columns? Jefferson said his proudest achievement was writing the Declaration of Independence.

We all strain our necks to see what he's talking about. We're like the tourists in Jurassic Park trying in vain to see something, anything.

"And to your left is the reflection pond made famous in Forrest Gump."

We whip our heads around and see a blur.

"Get your cameras ready, folks, here comes the famous Lincoln Memorial. It was here Dr. Martin Luther king gave his rousing "I have a dream" speech."

We squint and bob and weave to get a gander through the rain but alas, it's a blurry mess.

Sitting in front of me is a Mom and dad with four boys. The 15 year old says, "Hey, there is a ballet in town. We should go see it."

His the eleven year old brother grunts with disgust, "No!"

Mom says, "Dont talk like that."

Eleven year old says to his mom, "Shut up."

The dad says to the eleven year old, "Don't talk to your mother like that."

Eleven year old says to his dad, "Shut up."

The whole family falls silent and stares out the rainy windows.

"The next attraction you'll see is the White House east lawn, home of the president's Easter egg hunts and where the presidential helicopter lands."

We strain. See nothing.

"And finally we drive down Pennsylvania Avenue where the inauguration parade happens."

The photos I took and posted here don't tell the whole story...so I'll add a few items at the end.