Arlington National Cemetery Section 60

kennyb — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:39:16 +0000

Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery is where some of the men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan are laid to rest. I decided to visit this section not only to pay my respects but to find exactly where it is so I could take my groups there . I have been to Arlington thousands of times but I was shocked at the size of this section. It seemed to be thousands of head stones in this section alone. I felt a huge sense of loss.I always felt World War 2 and the Korean War was my parents war. I grew up during the Vietnam War and felt the pain of the military men and women who suffered in and out of battle.For some unexplainable reason I feel connected to these young men and women in section 60. When you visit the section the first thing you notice is how young they are. Row by row ,one by one I felt a connection. Maybe it was the stories the Washington Post writes about each military person buried in section 60. Most of the stories are heart wrenching. As I stood looking at the headstones I wondered how many kids would grow up without one of their parents, how many mothers cried when they got the news of their child’s death and how many peoples lives where changed.

Thousands of people visit Arlington National Cemetery every year. Most people visit the Changing of the Guard ,President Kennedy grave site and The Lee mansion. If would be great if the same people would visit section 60. I found the experience to be very humbling.

Capital Tours

kennyb — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:49:25 +0000

I was touring a group from Vancouver, Canada on a Saturday morning. Our goal for the morning was to get tickets for the tour of the Capital building. I went ahead of the group to get in line at 8:15am. The tours start 9 am but the group did not have any tickets. To get tickets for the group I had to get into the building and go directly to the public ticket line. This is very easy to do. Once you get to the floor of the Visitor Center look for the sign go directly up to the desk on the north or south end of the center. A very nice person with the Vistor Center will helped me right away. I asked for tickets one hour before the group would get into the Visitor Center. I wanted to give them enough time to get into line for security. When you do visit Capital the time you have on ticket does not mean that is the time the tour starts. Add ten minutes to the time on the ticket for the tour start.

The begining of the tour starts with a 15 minute video about the Capital. The actual tour is 25 minutes. Our tour guide was ok but I have had better guides.The tours are given bythe Capital tour guides. Most of the guides tell great stories and give a lot of details. The guides will take you to the Rotunda, Statuary Hall and the Crypt where George Washington was to have been buried.

Our tour could gone longer if we have had passes to the House or Senate Gallaries. You can obtain gallery passes from your Senator or Congressmen. You can find their office on Capital and ask for tickets for the Senate or House galleries. Having the pass will enable you to watch the House or Senate in action .

If you have time to visit the Supreme Court across the street from Capital.The tour is 30 minutes and you do not need tickets

Visiting Washington DC with Groups

kennyb — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 22:33:19 +0000

Every year 22 million visitors come to Washington DC. The spring is perhaps the busiest time of the year for school groups. If you can the fall would be better for your school than the spring for several different reasons.There are less people . Second hotel rates and airline rates are cheaper .It is much easier to get into government building . For example if you bring your group in the spring you will need tickets for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing , Washington Monument, Fords Theater and the Holocaust Memorial museum . If you come in the fall you will not need tickets for any of them.

If you do visit Washington DC in the spring here are some tips. If you would like for your group to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier it is a very easy way to do it.
Wreath Laying Ceremonies: (Requests must be received in writing)
*For school and civic organizations coming to Washington, D.C., that wish to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns. A representative of the requesting organization must write to Arlington National Cemetery, Attn: Public Wreath Ceremonies, Arlington, VA 22211 on organizational letterhead. The sender should indicate on the outside of the envelope that it is a “wreath-laying request.” The letter should indicate when the group is visiting, its schedule limitations, and complete contact information. A representative of Arlington National Cemetery Public Wreath Coordinator will thereafter call to make further arrangements and provide further instructions should the date appear open.No fax or email accepted.
National Archives. If you ever waited in the national Archives this link will help you.http://www.blogger.com/goog_1682204785
national archives
This link will help you reserve a space for a self guided tour of the Archives building. You will be able go into the special events entrance which is on the Constitution Avenue entrance.

The tickets for the the Capital can be obtain at www.aoc.gov. You will be able to order up to 10 tickets . I would advise you to allow at least 2 hours for the tour , going through security and picking up your tickets. You will be shown a video and a walking tour of the Capital.

The Supreme is across the street from the Capital. The tours of the Supreme are every half an hour beginning at 9:30am. Keep in mind during the spring the court will be meeting on Monday , Tuesday, and sometimes on Wednesday. When the court meets , tours are not conducted but you can you can see a hearing.

Washington dc is a great and interesting city . Come see for yourself

Tour Guides and Groups

kennyb — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:04:48 +0000

A step on guide is a person who gets on a bus to give a tour to people he or she does not know. I am a step on guide. As a step on guide you never know what kind of group you will get. Some groups are great. The great groups usually are people that ask questions , are not talking while I am giving the tour, keep their cell phones vibrate and the bus driver has a good knowledge of where the sights are.The middle of the road group trends to take their time getting off the bus, getting back on the bus late, people not staying with group and the driver do not have a clue how to get anywhere. The worst group is no one seems to be in charge, no discipline with students, adults on school trips talking to their husbands back home or talking to their office about work that they haven’t done yet.

Here are some do and don’t about group touring.

Make sure everyone is physically able to take a tour
Plan your trip (be very detailed)
Pick the bus company carefully. (if the bus breaks down will they have one to replace it soon. How well does the bus driver know the city you are traveling to . Have the bus driver check the microphone to see if it is working before the tour starts
Have people make all phone calls before the tour starts.
Hire a professional tour guide
Reseach the places you will be visiting.

The don’ts

Wait in line for tickets for the Washington Monument (get them online)
If you have a group of students do not go to the National Archives at 10am (wait later )
Do not wait inline for tickets for a tour of the Capital building. You can get them online at www.aoc.gov
If you do not like crowds do not come to DC in the spring

Washington is a great place to visit with a group.

Custom Trips Are the Way To Go

admin — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 22:55:16 +0000

If you are looking to come to Washington DC in the near future, there are a few ways you can visit the city. You may choose to see the city on your own. This can be fun and it can be frustrating at the same time, especially if you want to see certain attractions or visit sites that require a ticket. The reason for this is that for some attractions, you have to know when tickets are available and when the “heavy traffic” time is for certain places (National Archives, for example).

The next way you can see the city is to take one of those one-size-fits-all tours. When you take these, you are at the mercy of the tour company. Plus, if you want to see something up close and personal, you are going to have to go back at a different time to do that, as many of these bus tours do not stop.

There are hop-on-hop-off options and these can be good. There are schedules available to follow, but once again, you are at the mercy of the company and their buses will not wait for you. One personal acquaintance of mine had foot surgery. She could not run to the last bus of the day even though they were only 20 yards away and waving frantically at the bus and he saw them, he left!

The best way to see DC is to schedule your very own private tour of the city. You work with the guide (like KB Tours) and settle on the itinerary to follow. It is all about you.