Trip Report: The Washington Monument
The Trip Report series evaluates the experience of visiting a common tourist attraction and providing a step-by-step breakdown of the experience, complete with an American-style report card. Today’s edition of the series describes the experience of climbing the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Monument was closed in August 2016 in order to complete an elevator modernization effort and will reopen to the public in Spring 2019. This means that there are going to be hordes of people vying for their place in line, so this is what you need to know in order to plan your next DC trip.
The first thing you should know is that this is not the first time that the Washington Monument has been closed to the public. In fact, the foundation was damaged fairly badly in the Earthquake of 2011 (which, even for a California native, was an absolutely terrifying experience). This is also not to mention a weird period of 22 years starting in 1854 where political activists opposed to the monument paused all work (and confiscated all of the stone). This then reportedly led to the 150-foot monument being used as a cattle yard and slaughterhouse during the Civil War.
Any how, I suppose that over the years that I spent commuting past it, I knew intellectually that it was climb-able, but the fact didn’t drive itself home until an early morning jog when my forward progress was interrupted by one of the longest (and most cheerful) lines I had ever seen in the National Mall area. Like most DC residents, I took a fairly skeptical approach to the newly-reopened attraction (which is to say, I had planned to wait at least 6 months to wait for the hype to die down and the weather to turn. However, prior to a short September visit to D.C., the parentals argued convincingly that it would be worth the effort to get tickets.
But, was it worth it?
Let’s start with the bottom line. When it comes to price, the Washington Monument is hard to beat. In fact, if you wait in the long line, tickets are absolutely free (though there are a limited number of tickets offered on a daily basis, so you had best get there early). If you buy online, there is a transaction fee of $1.50 for each ticket. Please note that there used to be a 6-ticket purchase maximum per person, so plan accordingly.
The Price: A+
A couple of weeks in advance, I looked for tickets online and determined that there weren’t any left for ages. That left the less agreeable alternative of waking up at the butt-crack of dawn on a Saturday and standing in line to obtain some. Thankfully my parents are able-bodied adults who actually seem to enjoy waking up before the sun. I’ll never understand it, but, for once, I appreciated it, since I was able to sleep in and make my leisurely way down to the National Mall for our 1:45 appointment. It just so happened that it was one of those glorious blue sky days. In short, I was feeling extremely lucky as to how things had worked out, secure in the knowledge that I was far luckier than I deserved to be.
Lesson learned: plan your trip at least one month ahead.
The Plan: C
When we arrived, there was a sign with our 15-minute interval listed next to a stone bench. This provided order and logic to the process, not to mention, convenient seating. We were ushered into the base of the tower within two minutes of the stated time of arrival, went through a quick security check, and landed in a Masonic-looking anteroom reminiscent of the movie National Treasure. As we would soon learn, it was not the monument, but the volunteers who ran the tours, who were the national treasures.
The Logistics: A-
After a few minutes of waiting, our group was prodded into an elevator that conveyed us up to the top of the monument. During this ride, we were welcomed by a disembodied voice, then more fully briefed by the green-clothed volunteer once our ears popped. Seeing as DC is part-swamp, part-city (complete with occasional sinkholes), it had been awhile since I had ascended to any great height.
The Climb: A-
While the portholes for viewing were small and somewhat smudged, the views of the Tidal Basin, the National Mall, and the city proper were sweeping and lovely. The light reflected softly off of the Potomac, and the sounds of construction and of activists on the Mall created a cacophonous medley. However, on days where the weather is less advantageous, I could definitely see how the view could underwhelm.
The View: B+
After letting us loose for a bit, the volunteers proved to be hardy folk as they fielded rapid-fire questions from my parents (and some of the other tour attendees) about just about any topic under the sun with enthusiasm. Somehow each of the guides seemed to have a Jeopardy-level of history, politics, international relations, and architecture, which was most certainly outside of the stated scope of their job.
For example, did you know that no building in DC is allowed to be taller than the Washington Monument (which is 555 feet tall)?
Once the interrogation concluded, we descended a level to a small museum exhibit and waited for the elevator. The exhibit itself was so interesting that we skipped two elevators, opting to read the descriptions in full. And then, we hopped into the third elevator that arrived. Spoiler: this was my favorite part!
The Guides: A+
Expecting that the ride would be anticlimactic, we all put away our cameras and phones. The guide pleasantly droned on about the height of the monument, and then all of the sudden, the opaque walls of the elevator became transparent!
Unexpectedly, we whizzed by an array of memorials for states, cities, regiments, and more–each one more intricate and beautiful than the last. How had I never heard that there was a constellation of stonework of American things and people on the inside of the Washington Monument? So cool that I would do the whole experience again just to get a closer look.
The Descent: A
Would I do it again? Yes, absolutely, but I would do my best to book the tickets online in advance.
Overall Rating: A-
