Thank you so much to everyone who has been responding to my questions. I love this site! So many helpful people.

I have one more question....
Our family will be traveling with 2 elderly people to the mall area in DC. We'll be staying in DC and "playing it by ear" about taking a cab or driving to the mall area and parking. I know we may have trouble finding a parking spot, but that may be a chance we have to take.

My big question.....are there plenty of benches and places to sit on the mall? In the buildings? This sounds like a funny question, but it's really a big concern for those 2 elderly people. They need to know where they can sit down when they get tired. Please help! Thanks!

JR, your question is kind of difficult. Yes, the mall has benches, and you'll find retaining walls and other structures suitable for a brief rest. But if it is crowded, you'll find other worn out visitors seeking the same rest spots. So I guess you should take it very slowly, try to cab directly to your destination, and rest every chance you get. Good luck.

As Cindy, said take cabs some too. The Mall is very very long. It definitely made my feet hurt to do all that walking, and I am far from elderly (at least on most days). How full those benches are will depend on the time of year too.

The trolly system is a great way to see DC. It drops you off right at each monument and it runs regularly around the mall and back to Arlington about every ten minutes - so you can stay on your time schedule. We thought this reduced the amount of walking as much as possible - without any worries about parking, distance between sites, or expensive cab rides.

I agree with the suggestion about the Trolly.You can get off and on as many times as needed plus sit down between stops. One note --be sure to find out the time of the last round trip so you won't be stranded far from other transportration at end of day..
Good Luck