Virtually Traveling

We had hoped to vacation in Washington D.C. this year, but it just didn’t work out. Too much going on. The economy stinks. Gas is ridiculous.

But you know what’s cool? You can visit a lot of D.C.’s greatest landmarks and attractions right from your keyboard. Many of their Web sites go out of their way to promote distance learning. You can take virtual tours of the White House, Ford’s Theatre and the U.S. Capitol, to name a few. The Holocaust Museum offers online exhibits.

Did you know that Grover and Frances Cleveland’s daughter Esther was the only child of a president ever to be born in the White House? Or that the presidential box at Ford’s Theatre offered a mediocre view of the stage but was placed in that location because it provided the audience with a fine view of the president and his guests?

My 2008 virtual vacation was actually a lot of fun. I could almost smell the cherry blossoms.