#7: Einstein Memorial

Good old Albert Einstein.  Despite the number of times I've been called "Einstein," I've never really harbored any negative feelings towards the ol' chap.  Until I tried to visit his monument.  When you Google the monument, you read about exact locations and see photographs.  It looks like a nice hidden gem a stone's throw from the mall and without all of the people.  To put it succinctly: it looks lovely for a "local."

Apparently after 2 years here, I wasn't local enough.  We tried to visit the monument and wound up passing it at least 3 times, despite having the coordinates and a visual in my head.  The problem with the plan was that I didn't get all the way down to street view (an error I would never make again).  Street view shows you that the monument is obstructed from the street by a nice array of trees and bushes.  What does the maps view show?  A monument on a corner.  To me, that's the easiest thing to find.  Alas, I was wrong.

A few wrong turns led us to the Vietnam Memorial (which was good, since Matt had never been) and then the Lincoln Memorial (which was good but less so, as we were getting impatient), before we broke down and asked for directions.  Many vague fingerpoints and another time asking later, we finally found our way to the monument.

It was lovely.


Photo from Wikipedia

Quiet, shady and imposing, the monument really was beautiful.  In fact, being hidden was part of its appeal.  Monuments in DC fall into two distinct categories: climbers and lookers.  This is certainly a climber.  Little kids swarmed the monument while others posed for pictures right in front.

But I can't say I'm happy about it.  I was tired and - dare I say - slightly bitter.  For a "ah, we'll see it and it'll be a quick, great adventure!" type of adventure, this one left me apologizing quite a bit.  But it's worth a visit, so go there already.  Just don't look like an idiot trying to find a genius.

Location: 2101 Constitution Ave., NW.  Directly on the corner of a nameless street and across from Henry Bacon Drive.  Map
Closest Metro Stop: Foggy Bottom (orange/blue) or Farragut North (orange/blue)
Cost: Free