Cracks in Washington Monument and Hurricane Irene coming.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

Not a good combination. Heard on the news there was debris on the stairway and there are four cracks
to the monument. The report said they used a helicopter to inspect it.

[Renew Deal]

1. Too late

[Modern_Matthew]

2. Glad I went up in it when I had the chance. 2.5 minute elevator ride to the top! nt

[SheilaT]

3. Glad I got to walk down in

and more than once at that, when they still let you do that.

For those of you who never got to do that, all the way down are memorial slabs donated by the states and by civic or not-so-civic groups. Very, very interesting.

[kestrel91316]

4. You can't walk down it anymore???

[SheilaT]

5. Haven't been able to for years.

I just took a look at the Wikipedia article about the Washington Monument to see if it would tell me when they stopped allowing that, but it doesn't say, just "The stairs are no longer accessible to the general public due to safety issues and vandalism of the interior commemorative stones."

At first everyone had to walk up, then the elevator used to transport building materials to the top was altered for passenger use, but it took twenty minutes to get to the top and only men were allowed on, as it was considered too unsafe for women and children. It doesn't say exactly when a safer elevator was installed.

[kestrel91316]

6. I was there in 1967.

[timtom]

7. I was there in 1963

Marine Corps. A buddy and I walked to the top (I was in pretty good shape then.)

[SheilaT]

8. I moved to the DC area in 1968

and by the time I moved away in 1981 you could no longer walk down.