Spotlight: Washington DC - Arlington National Cemetery

Spotlight: Arlington National Cemetery is a U.S. military cemetery across the Potomac River from Washington D.C. It was established during the Civil war on the grounds of the Arlington House, which had been the estate of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna (Custis) Lee. The 624-acre grounds contain casualties from every U.S. conflict since the Civil War, and even some who were re-interred there from prior conflicts. The cemetery, the Arlington House, Memorial Drive, the Hemicycle, and the Arlington Memorial Bridge form the Arlington National Cemetery Historic District.
     George Washington Parke Custis, a grandson of Martha Washington, purchased the land now known as Arlington Cemetery in 1802, and began constructing the Arlington House. The estate passed on to his daughter Mary Anna, who had married Robert E. Lee, one of the most respected officers in the U.S. Army. When war broke out between the North and the South, both sides attempted to recruit General Lee to lead their troops. As a native son of Virginia, he accepted a charge to lead the southern troops.

Arlington House

     In 1862, with the United States Soldiers' Cemetery and the nearby Alexandria Cemetery nearly full, Congress passed legislation authorizing the government to purchase lands for national cemeteries for military dead. After an examination of eligible sites, Quartermaster General Montgomery C. Meigs' staff recommended Arlington as the most suitable location, both for its aesthetically pleasing location and the political advantage of denying the Confederate general the use of his land following the war. The land was purchased at a tax sale in 1864 for the sum of $26,800. Following Mary Anna Lee's death, her heir, Custis Lee, sued the government, claiming ownership of the land. He won in a 5-4 decision in the Supreme Court and was awarded the land, which he promptly sold back to the government for $150,000.

     President Herbert Hoover conducted the first national Memorial Day service at Arlington Cemetery on May 30, 1929. In 1992, Morrill Worcester donated thousands of wreaths to be placed on graves at Arlington during the Christmas season. Since then, his efforts have been expanded through Wreaths Across America, which donate wreaths not only to Arlington Cemetery, but also other military cemeteries across the nation.

Location: Arlington Cemetery is technically located in Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from the Lincoln Memorial in the National Mall. However, due to its federal designation as the National Cemetery, it is considered part of Washington DC.

Cost: As with many federal government sites, access to the cemetery is free

Time: The cemetery is open every day from 8 am to 5 pm (October-March), with extended hours (8am - 7 pm) from April-September. You will probably want to plan on staying about 2-4 hours.

Description: The Welcome Center at the entrance of the cemetery has maps, information services (helping you locate specific graves), kiosks for accessing ANC Explorer, a bookstore, restrooms, and water fountains. They also sell bottled water.
     The Arlington House is a Greek revival style mansion that is open to the public. It has been designated as a National Memorial to General Robert E. Lee who lived there prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. Work is under way to restore the mansion, buildings and grounds to the way they looked in 1860.
     The Memorial Amphitheater was dedicated in 1920. Services are held here each Easter (6 am), Memorial Day (11 am) and Veterans Day (11 am) to honor all American service members who serve to keep the United States free.

Memorial Amphitheater

     One of the two most famous grave sites at the cemetery is The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On March 3, 1921, Congress approved the burial of an unidentified U.S. Soldier from World War I in the plaza of the new Memorial Amphitheater. On Memorial Day, 1921, four unknowns were exhumed from four WWI American cemeteries in France. U.S. Army Sgt. Edward F. Younger, a highly decorated solder, selected the Unknown Soldier of World War I from four identical caskets. The casket was then transported to the United States aboard the USS Olympia, and the remaining caskets were interred in the Meuse Argonne Cemetery in France. The Unknown Soldier lay in state in the Capitol Rotunda from his arrival until he was buried in his new tomb on Nov. 11, 1921 in a ceremony conducted by Pres. Warren G. Harding. The white marble sarcophagus includes the words: Here rests in honored glory an American soldier known but to God. In 1956, two more unknown soldiers (one from WWII and one from the Korean War) were selected to be buried alongside their WWI comrade. The elaborate Changing of the Guard Ritual (a must see event) occurs every hour on the hour from October 1 - March 31. An additional guard change occurs on the half hour from April to September.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

     The other extremely famous grave site is that of President John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. He was buried at Arlington Cemetery three days later. During the funeral services, a propane-fed torch was lit, marking the grave with an eternal flame. The original plot was expanded to include the two deceased Kennedy children who were reburied in Arlington. The site was later moved to a location better suited to handle the thousands of people who visit the site every day. The only other U.S. president buried at Arlington Cemetery is William H. Taft.

President Kennedy and Jackie

     Other notable monuments and Memorials in the cemetery include: the 3rd Infantry Division Monument, the Argonne Cross, the Battle of the Bulge, the Beirut Barracks, the Canadian Cross, Chaplains Hill, Civil War Unknowns, the Coast Guard, the Confederate Memorial, the 9/11 Memorial, Iran Rescue Mission, Korean War, McClellan Gate, Memorial Avenue, Memorial Entrance, Nurses Memorial, PanAm Flight 103, Pentagon Group Burial Marker, Robert F. Kennedy grave, the Rough Riders Monument, Space Shuttle Challenger Memorial, Space Shuttle Columbia Memorial, Spanish-American War Monument, USS Maine Mast Memorial, USS Serpens Monument, and Woodhull Memorial Flagstaff.

Civil War Unknowns

Challenger Memorial

Spanish-American War Memorial

Rating: 3 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - Make sure you carry water with you since drinking fountains are few and far between. However, water is the only food or drink allowed on the grounds.
- The cemetery doesn't provide wheel chairs or strollers.
- The ANC Explorer, Arlington National Cemetery's app, enables families and visitors to locate gravesites, events or other points of interest throughout the cemetery by providing directions. It also provides access to self-guided tours, with easy access to general information.
- Due to its status as an active national cemetery with dozens of funeral services held daily, visitors are required to follow a code of conduct consistent with its nature. Please click here to peruse the list of Visitor rules.

Nearby: The Iwo Jima statue, The Pentagon, National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Lincoln Memorial, National Mall

Travel Tip #45 - Beware of "Free Trips"

     When we first got married, money was really tight, so when we started getting calls from time share companies offering us a free stay at their place and a gift just for taking a "90-minute tour" of their facilities (which were actually 2-hour high pressured sales pitches), we took advantage of the opportunity for a low-cost, short weekend getaway. We were never tempted to buy anything because we didn't even own a home. The free "gifts" (which ranged from gift certificates to airline tickets) usually ended up having strings attached. In fact, I don't ever remember being able to use the free gifts. After a few of these free vacations, the time share groups decided that people in our demographics weren't buying time shares, so they stopped inviting us.
     As the years progressed, and our financial situation improved, they started calling again. Except now, we were no longer interested because we could finally afford to go where we wanted to go without the hassle of sitting through yet another sales pitch. One time, however, we got offered a "free two-night trip for two" practically anywhere in the U.S. (including airfare and hotel), as well as the option of upgrading the package to a group of four (allowing us to take our daughters) or extending the number of nights for a nominal fee. Since all we had to do was attend a 90-minute non-time share presentation (it was some sort of annual vacation plan package) in our home city, the carrot seemed too enticing to pass up. Naturally, they didn't show us the fine print until after we attended the presentation. Instead of being allowed to choose our destination, we had to choose three (of which we would get one). Also, we had to choose three different departure dates within the next year; none of which could be within a couple of months of each other or within a week (on either side) of practically every holiday on the calendar. They would inform us 90 days prior to our departure of which destination and date they had chosen for us. We only found 2 dates in the entire year that were even possible for the trip we wanted to make, so we just added a third and hoped that it wouldn't be picked. There were other stipulations too, such as staying at their hotel the entire trip (even if we extended our time). Also, the "free airline tickets" didn't cover any of the fees and taxes that are tacked onto the price of the ticket. Who knew that fees and taxes make up about 70% of your airline ticket price? Eventually, we received confirmation of the dates and location of our "free trip" as well as the price we were expected to pay to cover the fees, taxes, and the upgrades to allow our daughters to spend a week in Florida with us. It was preposterous. After doing the math, we figured that we could plan a better trip, with a lot more flexibility, for the same price as our "free trip." We turned down their "free trip" deciding then and there that we would never attend another sales pitch presentation, no matter what "free gift" was being offered.
     Several years later, we we offered a vacation package to Florida that included a free cruise to a different location to be taken within the year of our Florida trip. After being assured several times that we wouldn't have to attend any presentation, that we would have a choice of several hotels, and several other promises regarding our trip, including the option to cancel it for a full refund, we finally agreed and paid half down. The first red flag was that they didn't send us the e-mail they promised to send us within the hour detailing all the oral agreements we'd made with them. When we called back, they were closed for the weekend. When we finally got the e-mail the following week, we were asked to initial a bunch of agreements including that we'd attend a 90-minute tour. Also, the number of hotels we had to choose from was: one. We called to complain. They asked if we had any proof of the promises their representative had made, but of course we didn't since they never sent us the promised e-mail. We demanded our money back, but they refused, claiming that they'd taped us agreeing to the purchase of the package. Since they had control of the tape and what was recorded and what wasn't, we realized that we would probably lose a lawsuit. After several calls exploring our options, we realized that our choices were to go ahead with the trip and make the best of it, or lose our initial half-payment with nothing to show for it. We went ahead with the vacation and had a lot of fun - despite losing several hours in the middle of one of our days in order to attend the presentation we'd been promised we wouldn't have to attend. We would have had to pay a hefty fine ($350) for missing the presentation. When we got home and applied for the free cruise, we discovered that our "free cruise" only covered the basic cost of our cabin, and not all of the additional fees and taxes. Our free cruise was going to cost several hundred dollars per person - not including airfare or excursions. Besides, the destination we wanted to go to was unavailable for the time period we requested. Naturally, we cancelled our "free trip."
     So just remember, "free trips" aren't free. Always make sure you get the entire agreement in writing before purchasing a vacation package, and always review the fine print before you commit. Hopefully you'll avoid the same mistakes we made.

Spotlight: Orlando - Disney's Epcot

Spotlight: Disney's Epcot Center was opened in 1982 - the second theme park built as part of its Disney World complex in Orlando, Florida, and is more than twice as big as Magic Kingdom (the first Florida park). The name EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and is dedicated to the celebration of human achievement, especially technological innovation and international culture. With 11.5 million visitors in 2014, it was the sixth most visited park in the world.

Location: Disney's Epcot Center is one of Disney World's four major parks in Orlando, Florida. It is located at 200 Epcot Center Dr, Orlando, FL 32821, northwest of I-4.

Cost: Single day passes are $97/person. Multi-day passes can be purchased at a discount allowing you to visit different parks on different days.

Time: The park is usually open from 9:00 am - 9 pm. The World Showcase doesn't open until 11:00. You would be hard-pressed to see everything in one day. However, if you budget your time well, using fast passes, one day should be enough to see everything you are really interested in.

Description: Epcot is often described as a permanent World's Fair, with different pavilions focused on different cultures and innovations. It is divided into two main areas - Future World and the World Showcase.
     The most obvious symbol of Epcot is the giant white ball which houses the ride "Spaceship Earth" - an interactive tour through the history of the world, highlighting major innovations that have changed history. The interactive part comes at the end, when the riders can answer several questions about their interests, and then receive futuristic projections about that area.
     My favorite attraction was Mission: Space. This is the ride that comes closest to a roller coaster style ride in the whole park. It is basically a flight simulation in which the riders experience various g-forces as they blast off from Earth, slingshot around the moon, evade asteroids, and finally land on Mars. There are two different simulation machines (green and orange) which offer two different levels of intensity. Also, each passenger has a different role and has to perform his given tasks (pressing specific buttons) at key points during the simulation.
     My daughters' favorite ride was Test Track. On this ride, the passengers design a car using computer graphics. They choose the style of car, design the basic outline, add and subtract different components to account for speed and efficiency, and stylize it with color, graphics, and gadgets. Naturally, they can't actually create your car for you, but on the Test track, they run your "generic" car through various tests and rank the stylized cars of the different passengers based on how they would have performed in that particular test.

Our Test Track car

     Other key attractions in Future World include Ellen's Energy Adventure, Innoventions (filled with interactive games intended to spark the imagination), The Seas with Nemo & Friends, Turtle Talk with Crush, Soarin (over California), The Circle of Life, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, ImageWorks, and Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival.
     As you exit Future World, you can stop by the Phineas and Ferb booth to sign up for a mission with Agent P (Perry the Platypus) in the World showcase. You can do a variety of missions, but we did the Japan one. Using a smart phone, you can interact with different exhibits to find clues to help you accomplish the mission. Unfortunately, we had a technical difficulty near the end and never got to see how it ended.

Agent P on a mission

     The World Showcase is a series of "country pavilions" focusing on the cultures of various countries around the world. Each pavilion has replicas of iconic monuments or buildings in the country, gift shops, restaurants, and various performances or circle vision films. The highlighted countries are: Canada, United Kingdom, France, Morocco, Japan, the United States, Italy, Germany, China, Norway, and Mexico. Our favorite pavilions were France, China, Japan, and Mexico. We sampled delicious food in both France and Germany, saw films in Canada, France and China, and did the boat ride in the Aztec pyramid in Mexico. Although I would have preferred more activities in several of the pavilions, it was fun to get a small taste of the different cultures around the world.

Canada

Japan

Germany

One of the many topiary exhibits

     We were there for the annual International Flower and Garden Festival (held every spring). The park was dotted with hedges designed to look like different characters from the various Disney and Pixar films. There was also a butterfly exhibit where we were able to enjoy both the flowers and the butterflies.

Flower and Garden Festival

butterfly exhibit

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - If you want to take pictures with characters, you can get Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie all together at the Epcot Character Spot. The line is long, but you can make it shorter with a Fast Pass; and you get one after the other without having to wait in line again.

- The evening fireworks/waterworks show is IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. It takes place in the giant lagoon in the middle of the World Showcase, and is spectacular. There are no seats, but if you want a good view, you will want to camp out by the fence about an hour before the show starts. If not, it is a great time to go on the rides back in Future World because the lines are shorter.
- My wife claims that even the green level of Mission: Space was pretty intense, and thinks my older daughter and I were crazy for going on the orange level. We, on the other land, loved it.
- Fast Passes are available for most rides, and you can reserve three per visitor up to 30 days ahead of time once you purchase your tickets. I would recommend getting the Future World attractions as early as you can, and then you are free to get more throughout the day if they are still available.
- Parking is $20.00 so it may be worth checking your hotel's shuttle schedule.

Nearby: Universal Studios-Florida, Sea World Orlando, Discovery Cove, The Holy Land Experience

Spotlight: Orlando - Disney's Hollywood Studios

Spotlight: Disney's Hollywood Studios (previously known as Disney-MGM Studios) is part of Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The park opened in 1989 with only two attractions - The Great Movie Ride and the Studio Backlot Tour. Since then it has expanded to include many other attractions. Since Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars franchise, the park has definitely taken on the flavor of a galaxy far, far away. In 2014, the park attracted 10.3 million visitors, making it the 8th most visited park in the world that year.

The Great Movie Ride

The Replica Mann Theatre also has Star footprints (especially Disney)

Location: Disney's Hollywood Studios is part of the Disney World complex outside of Orlando, FL

Cost: Single day passes are $97/person. Multi-day passes can be purchased at a discount allowing you to visit different parks on different days.

Time: The park is open daily from 9:00 am - 10:00 pm. If it isn't super crowded, and you use fast passes, you can realistically visit all the attractions in one day.

Description: Disney's Hollywood Studios has several attractions in common with California Adventure and Disneyland in Anaheim. For example, some attractions that are almost identical include: Toy Story Mania, The Tower of Terror, Muppet Vision 3D, Star Tours, and Fantasmic!

Toy Story Mania

     In addition to Star Tours, this park has several other Star Wars themed attractions: the Path of the Jedi film, A Galaxy Far, Far Away Stage Show, Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple, Tatooine Traders gift shop, and Star Wars Launch Bay. At Launch Bay, fans can meet Kylo Ren and Chewbacca as well as see various other characters (stormtroopers and jawas) throughout the day. They can also see models of different lightsabers and helmets, full-scale models of various ships, as well as some of the actual ships used in the filming (Anakin's pod racer, a speeder bike, etc.), as well as play various Star Wars video games.

A Galaxy Far, Far Away Stage Show

Replica Han Solo outfit on display (for sale)

     Other popular movies have inspired several other attractions: For the First Time in Forever: a "Frozen" Sing-Along Celebration, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage. Finally, my two of my favorite attractions at the park were the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular! and the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.

Beauty and the Beast show

Indiana Jones stunt show

Rating: 4 1/2 stars (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: There are 19 different eateries around the park, with different price ranges (expensive, very expensive, and super expensive), so there is always food nearby.
- If you want to see Fantasmic!, you better get there early because once the seating fills up, no one else can get in.
- Fast Passes are available for most rides, and you can reserve three per visitor up to 30 days ahead of time once you purchase your tickets.
- Stormtroopers patrol Launch Bay and randomly stop people asking to see their ID, or other fun exchanges.

- Parking is $20, so if your hotel offers a shuttle service, it might be worth looking into.

Nearby: Disney's Magical Kingdom, Epcot Center, Animal Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, Typhoon Lagoon, and Downtown Disney

Spotlight: Caribbean - Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

Spotlight: Saint Croix is the largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States. The territory also includes St. John, St. Thomas, and a few minor islands. The territorial capital is Charlotte Amalie, located on St. Thomas. St. Croix covers a land area of 215 km² with a population of 50,600. Christopher Columbus landed on its shores in 1493, and was attacked by the Kalinago who lived at Salt River on the north shore. Control of the island was traded among various European powers including Spain, the Netherlands, the Knights of Malta, Great Britain, and France, who sold it to the Danish West India Company in 1733. The Dutch controlled the island for nearly 200 years. In 1916, Denmark sold the islands of Saint Croix, Saint John and Saint Thomas to the United States for $25 million in gold. In 1927, the islands' inhabitants were granted U.S. citizenship. Despite being under Dutch control for so long, an English-based creole known as Crucian is the most common language spoken on the island.

Location: Saint Croix is located south of the British Virgin Islands, south-east of Puerto Rico.

Cost: The Salt River Kayaking excursion costs $139.00/person. Touring Fort Frederik (the Red Fort) was about $5/person.

Time: The Salt River Kayaking excursion is 3 1/2 hours. You can explore the Fort Frederik in 20-30 min. It is open on weekdays from 8:30-4:00 and on Saturdays from 1:00-4:00.

Description: For our shore excursion, we went kayaking in the Salt River at Salt River National Park. We didn't bring our camera because we didn't want to take the chance of it falling in the water if the kayak capsized. As we started out, we noticed some iguanas hanging out in the trees near the dock. We also saw a flock of egrets and many other birds. On the tour, we paddled down the river to the site of the old Taino Village and Burial Grounds. We also landed on the beach where Christopher Columbus and his crew landed and heard about their interactions with the natives. The water was smooth at first, but it got rougher (and tougher to paddle) the closer we got to the ocean. We spend about 20 minutes on the beach before paddling back.

getting ready for kayaking tour

Iguanas hanging out

     After our excursion, we still had time in St. Croix, so we explored Frederiksted a bit. We visited Fort Frederik which was built in 1760 and was the site of a major emancipation rally to free the slaves in 1848. The rooms were furnished with furniture from the time period, and had several artifacts from when it was in use during the 18th and 19th centuries. It is right off the pier and worth the price of admission. Right next to the fort is the Eliza James-McBean clock tower and Emancipation Park.

Fort Frederik & Eliza James-McBean clock tower

central plaza

fort bedroom

solitary confinement cell 

old cannons lying in the courtyard

     We also walked around and looked at lots of the ruins from Hurricane Hugo (1989). Possibly the most interesting place we found was an old cemetery that looked as if it were the inspiration for the grounds of the stereotypical haunted houses you see in old movies. Evidently, it was ravaged by the hurricane, and nobody bothered cleaning it up since they focused on fixing dwellings for the living. We also ran across a quaint church, St. Patrick's, with roosters running around the courtyard. Before boarding again, we spent an hour or two enjoying the beautiful beach.

hurricane damage

Old cemetery

St. Patrick's Church

Roosters and other animals often wandered free

Rating: 3 1/2 stars for the tour, 4 stars overall (out of 5)

Things You Should Know: - NBA star Tim Duncan is from Saint Croix.
- St. Croix has suffered several devastating hurricanes. The ones that have caused the greatest damage were Hurricane Hugo (Sept. 1989 - Category 5), Marilyn (Sept. 1995 - Category 5), and Omar (Oct. 2008 - Category 1).
- For kayaking, wear a swimsuit, sunglasses, a T-shirt, a hat, and water socks or sandals that you won't mind getting wet. Also, don't forget to put on sunscreen and insect repellent.

Nearby: British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis