The Congressional Cemetery is amazing, and it is just around the corner from our apartment. Not only is it the final resting place to many famous people, but it also doubles as a dog park, a dog park that has a three year waiting list to get your pet in to! But lucky for us, they do day passes for tourist dogs for a small donation; so Miss Ethel and I hit the ground running today, and we were ready to freely run around and thoroughly enjoy this place. 
Ethel loved being off a leash, playing and exploring at her own pace while I bonded with the camera and attempted to give this place a little justice through pictures. Ethel was great at staying close, but found her adventurous side as she weaved through headstones, sniffing about and in full on play mode; she even met a fellow dachshund named Mildred that she completely hit it off with.It was such a unique experience taking in all this history, the sacred ground and then watching dogs roam and play freely; I found it to be a great use of open land. From my understanding , the cemetery fell into a neglected state, so the Capital Hill residents took it upon themselves to repair it, and the annual dog park membership goes to pay to upkeep and maintain the cemetery; talk about killing two birds with one stone and creating a situation where everyone wins.
Two of my favorite burial sites to visit was that of J.Edgar Hoover and Belva Lockwood. Belva Lockwood, was a feminist before the term had ever been coined; she was the first woman nominated to run for President of the United States in 1884, way before women ever had the right to vote and she still received 4,000 votes! Pretty extraordinary on all accounts! This place is often overlooked by that other famous cemetery, but I say it is a must see and definitely a change of pace and has a great energy to it; though the dogs may add to that happy vibe.
