Ford's Theater

I stopped at Ebenezer's cafe that is just a few blocks away from the RAF for a late lunch, and enjoyed their steak & cheese sandwich.  I made it back to the RAF and with only a couple of hours left in the work day, and I decided to not make the 35 minute walk in to the office.  Instead I got dressed in some athletic attire, laced up the kicks, and jogged over to Ford's Theater to check out the famous landmark of Lincoln's assassination.  There is a gift shop, museum, and the theater itself inside that is all free to enter.  I really enjoyed reading about the history that was shared in the museum, and it was a memorable experience to be standing just a few feet away from where Lincoln was fatally wounded.  After spending a little over a half hour walking around the building I exited to head over to the house that Lincoln was actually pronounced dead in across the street.  My timing was just a little late, as I had made it to the last open tour of the Theater, and the line into the house across the street was too long to make it into before they closed down operations for the evening.  What didn't have a line to wait through was Lincoln's Waffle Shop.  A delicious spicy half-smoke, french fries, and a gatorade made for a great dinner before I headed over to the sand volleyball courts for some more exercise.  I took a route that I had only partially walked before down Pennsylvania Avenue.  It took me through Freedom Plaza which is an open area that has numerous quotes engraved in it from leading figures in America's past.  I also saw a dance class taking place there once.  Next was Pershing's Plaza that is dedicated to John Joseph "Black Jack" Pershing, America's leading general in WWI.  There was an individual doing some tricks on a skateboard, and an individual filming him, despite the clearly presented sign that says no skateboarding.  I held off from making a citizen's arrest.  There is a statue of Pershing there, along with some engraved quotations, and a man made pond of sorts that is entirely overrun with algae.  The ducks don't seem to mind though, as there was a mother duck with six ducklings at her side swimming through the chartreuse-like waters.  I carried on to jog past the Washington Monument, down the Reflecting Pool, and past the Lincoln Memorial to the volleyball courts near the Potomac River.  I met some new people there, and was asked to join one of the teams that are in the Wednesday night league.  Went undefeated on the night, and walked home with Amy and Armando.  We caught the end of Red Dawn, featuring Patrick Swayze, at the outdoor NoMA theater just before making it back to the RAF.  I slept well after walking/running probably seven miles, and playing six games of volleyball.