12.23/Washington, D.C.

The U.S, Capitol is bathed by the afternoon sun in Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool, Washington, D.C.

Visitors and reflected in the Vietnam Memorial wall, Washington, D.C.

Arched walkway at Union Station, Washington, D.C.

A quiet moment at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Reading room in the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

A reflection of the Washington Monument is seen behind names on the Vietnam Memorial wall, Washington, D.C.

Plants in the Enid A. Haupt Garden at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., brighten the walk to the Smithsonian castle housing the museum's information center.

A sign reminds visitors to Arlington Cemetery about proper behavior, Arlington, Va.

Orange flowers mark the way to the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.

Visitors search for a name on the Vietnam Memorial wall, Washington, D.C.

Looking up at the ceiling and chandelier in the United State's Capitol's Statuary Hall, Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument surrounded by clouds, Washington, D.C.

A statue of Thomas Jefferson stands in the center of the chamber of the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Visitors walk past the fountains in the World War II Memorial in Washington, DC.

U.S. Army sentinel protects the Tomb of the Unknowns, Arlington Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Mount Vernon, George Washington's home in Virginia, as seen from the front.

The view of the towering arches of the main hall of Union Station, the historic train station in Washington, D.C.

At the Korean War Memorial in Washington, DC, a stainless-steel statue of a soldier walks point as a squad of 19 leaves the cover of trees while on patrol. 

The Smithsonian Institution Building, commonly known as the castle, stands on the south side of the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

A few of the White House behind the north lawn, Washington, D.C.

Looking up toward skylight from under a spiral staircase, Hotel Monaco, Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument is silhouetted against a deep blue sky at sunset, Washington, D.C.

Gravestones line a hillside in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

A fountain is the centerpiece of the National World War II Memorial in Washington, DC. The memorial opened in spring 2004.

Visitors stand at Abe Lincoln's feet at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.

A portrait of Ben Franklin has a prominent position in an alcove of the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

The U.S. Capitol Building is framed by flowers and trees, Washington, D.C.

The view from the stage of the Memorial Amphitheater, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Looking down a spiral staircase, Hotel Monaco, Washington, D.C.

Desks line the center of Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Infinity, an abstract sculpture designed by Jose de Rivera, stands outside the south entrance to the National Museum of American History, Washington, D.C.

A small plot of green space occupies the middle of a courtyard between reflecting glass buildings at 400 and 444 N. Capitol St. NE in Washington, DC.

Flowers in the shape of a red number 1, the shape of the First Division patch, grow in front of the First Division Monument in Washington, DC.

A chapel is surrounded by graves in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Va.

Bright, ornate walls and marble arches and columns make the Great Hall in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., a spectacular sight.

The U.S. Capitol Building stands above fall leaves, Washington, D.C.

Doorways lead from the main hall of Union Station to the trains, Washington, D.C.

The Washington Monument stands above two security poles on a sidewalk to the east of the monument on a bright November afternoon in Washington, D.C.

The Lincoln Memorial stands across the reflecting pool from the World War II Memorial as viewed from the Washington Monument, Washington, D.C.