#253: World War II Memorial
I think this memorial is a little hard to figure out. It is set up to represent the two fronts of the war -the Atlantic and the Pacific- with one on each side of a large fountain that is for some reason not where it says “Atlantic” or “Pacific”, but in the middle, where the US (or America, really) should be. Then there is a column for every state with a wreath symbolizing something. I am not sure in what order the columns are in, so I assume it has to be an order specifically related to the war. Then on one side, hidden in the back there is a small graffito that says “Kilroy was here.” It is perfect. Almost like a little memorial within a memorial.
WW2 Memorial is right in between Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument and as such as a very popular tourist destination. As far as I can tell, the two principal attractions for tourists are: (1) getting their picture taken by the column that represents their home state and (2) cooling their feet in the fountain. Both are pictured below.
Sometimes I act like a tourist.
This was my sister’s favorite part of a 3-hour walking tour in 100 degree heat.
