A Trip to D.C. to See What Makes America Great [PHOTOS]

My wife is on a visit to Washington D.C. and has been sending me photos of her hanging out at some of the most historic and interesting spots in America. I had never had any burning desire to go see the sites at our nation's capitol. I was truly like one of the kids described in the very beginning of Dan Brown's fictional The Lost Symbol: I went to Europe to see their history (and party) after I graduated college, but never gave the amazing history of D.C. two thoughts.

Sarah is there for 4 days, and they aren't going to be able to see it all. It's the cradle of modern democracy, civil rights, gender rights, and one of the shining examples of human advancement. It has the Smithsonian, Congress, the Senate, the White House, memorials to Lincoln, MLK, Washington and the Library of Congress. As she told me she was headed on a girls' trip I was so happy for her. When she said it was a cerebral, historic trip to D.C., I was proud. And a little jealous.