While riding through Rosslyn, VA the other day on the way to work, I shot past the Iwo Jima Memorial and saw the Marines from 8th & I hard at work on parade practice.
Many of you will know– or should know– that during the summer the Marines stationed at the oldest post in the Corps stage an unforgettable military show on Friday nights, the famed Evening Parade. Now, this is a premier event, standing room only. It’s not really the sort of thing one does on the spur of the moment, as one needs to reserve tickets some weeks (or months in advance). Yet it is worth all the trouble. Single gents pay heed, if you’re trying to impress a young lady or two. The wait is long but at the first note of the bugle she’ll be all a-quiver. (I’ve seen ladies get so overcome by events there that the Marines had to put down sawdust and newspaper… But I digress.)
Fortunately there is another, less formal event by the 8th & I Marines– the Tuesday Sunset Parade at the Iwo Jima Memorial. This has the great advantages of starting earlier, being a more open affair, and being close to two Metro stops, Arlington Cemetery and Rosslyn.
If you’re in DC and have never seen these sights, I urge you to adjust your plans. A Tuesday Sunset Parade is the perfect free event on a warm summer evening. The attractions of Georgetown are close by, and the monuments are just across the river.
it took me a minute to get the “sawdust and newspaper” comment, but when the lightning finally struck….I was laughing out loud.
Thanks for the link; I always wanted to go, but didn’t know where to park. The shuttle bus from Arlington will come in mighty handy.