I'm going to leave the final decisions on schedule, locations, and itinerary to Master Lew as it's his idea (or to modify a good Russian phrase: his circus, his monkeys).
I'm going to propose some early morning details since I'm willing to be there for sunrise shots and Lew said he'd pass. Lew, please feel free to suggest away or even veto any of below if it creates a mess with the master plan that you're putting together. Any others even thinking of participating--offer feedback (but especially if you're planning on being there for sunrise shots this meet-up day).
I'm going to offer two options:
1. Sunrise at the Iwo Jima Memorial (i.e.: USMC Memorial) in Rosslyn, VA. Great sunrise location, once the sun comes up it's a spot for a great view of part of DC, the memorial is worth shooting, it's near a Metro stop that will get people in to DC easily. Downside: it's near a spot that used to be a popular gay area cruising joint so having a couple of males show up pre-dawn, stand around and say "oh, no problem officer, we're just here for a meet-up" will go over just swimmingly I think. Also, while it's an iconic spot, once we've shot here we then have to get on Metro and trek in to DC to meet the rest of our hardy bandy (unless people decide to shoot the Arlington Artisphere which usually opens at noon on saturdays but is cool space and there's a nice urban park/overpass near it).
2. Steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the Mall in DC. Great sunrise location, once the sun comes up you've got the freaking Lincoln Monument to shoot, it's near Einstein and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, we'll be at the Lincoln before any crowds show up, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial shoots very well at night (if you happen to miscalculate and get there early). Plus, if it's a cloudy morning with little to no sunrise at the appointed hour, we've still got a bunch of cool stuff to shoot with 2 minutes walk. Downside: if we shoot this area at sunrise, it may conflict with the plans of those not planning on being there at 0-dark-thirty that day. Unlike Rosslyn, there won't be foot emporiums or even coffee shops set up nearby for us to snack on as we boast about our hardiness for getting up so early. Also, it's not close to a Metro stop (Smithsonian or Foggy Bottom or Federal Triangle I think are the closest stops).
Thoughts and feedback? Again, Lew, I'm not trying to usurp your plans, just responding to someone (Braineack?) who had asked about the "battle plan" especially given that you'd said you'd pass on the sunrise portion of the adventure.
