Author Archives: Rick

About Rick

Rick Snider is a native Washingtonian, long-time journalist and licensed tour guide since 2010.

Come over to our new home

Moving forward, new posts and updates will be here at Monumental Thoughts. Reworking the website. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

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Cat and mouse house on Embassy Row

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Have a drink, kill a president

  Lincoln Assassination What did John Wilkes Booth do the hour before killing Abraham Lincoln? Why, have a drink. Hey, if you’re going to assassinate a president you might want to drink some courage first. Booth spent one hour nursing … Continue reading

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A quick tour guide joke

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Happy Memorial Day

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Czech leader Masaryk stands tall on Embassy Row

Tomas Masaryk stands tall – like 12 feet tall. It’s a good lifelike figure despite Czechoslovakia’s first president really only half that size. The bronze statue at the corners of Massachusetts Ave., Florida Ave. and Q St. N.W. remembers Masaryk, … Continue reading

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LBJ Memorial Grove is a quick hit

Funny how I can live a lifetime in one town and still see new things even in my seventh decade in Washington. I’ve driven by the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove many times, but always in a hurry to be … Continue reading

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A little statue in the corner has a story to tell

I love the Organization of American States building. It is absolutely fascinating and filled with overwhelming art projects both inside and out. One is tucked away from the front view, but you shouldn’t miss this one. Just to the right … Continue reading

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Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?

  I wish my flowers grew this big. The Federal Triangle Flower is 10 feet tall and 13 feet wide. Created in 1997 as part of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Center, the courtyard art was sculpted by Stephen … Continue reading

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An admiring statue

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Sonny Bono Park?

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Police and fire boxes gain new life

I’ll admit not knowing the following story until becoming a tour guide. Like a lot of statues, I’d walk by these call boxes never knowing they were once the lifeline of police and firemen. It’s not often I find superb … Continue reading

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Best ice cream in Washington area

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Embassy Day was a big hit

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DAR Memorial remembers its founding mothers?

I used to think the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) were a bunch of old bluebloods caught in the past. And then my wife whacked me. No, Lisa just set me straight since she’s a member. Turns out it’s … Continue reading

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Trying plant-based salmon

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Gandhi’s statue on Embassy Row

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Air & Space museum update is superb

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Secret of the Lincoln book tower

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Visit the Cosmos Club

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