Washington Monument Staying Closed! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
PassPorter.com
Award-winning travel guidebooks

   guidebooks   |   news   |   podcasts   |   boards   |   blog   |   worksheets   |   photos   |   articles   |   updates   |   register   |   follow us on


Forums Closed
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.

So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.

Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.

And a very special thank you to our Guides (moderators), past and present, who kept our forums a happy place to be. You are the glue that held everything together, and we are forever grateful to you. Thank you aliceinwdw, Caldercup, MrsM, WillCAD, Fortissimo, GingerJ, HiddenMickey, CRCrazy, Eeyoresmom, disneyknut, disneydani, Cam22, chezp, WDWfan, Luvsun, KMB733, rescuesk, OhToodles!, Colexis Mom, lfredsbo, HiddenMickey, DrDolphin, DopeyGirl, duck addict, Disneybine, PixieMichele, Sandra Bostwick, Eeyore Tattoo, DyanKJ130, Suzy Q'Disney, LilMarcieMouse, AllisonG, Belle*, Chrissi, Brant, DawnDenise, Crystalloubear, Disneymom9092, FanOfMickey, Goofy4Goofy, GoofyMom, Home4us123, iamgrumpy, ilovedisney247, Jennifer2003, Jenny Pooh, KrisLuvsDisney, Ladyt, Laughaholic88, LauraBelle Hime, Lilianna, LizardCop, Loobyoxlip, lukeandbrooksmom, marisag, michnash, MickeyMAC, OffKilter_Lynn, PamelaK, Poor_Eeyore, ripkensnana, RobDVC, SHEANA1226, Shell of the South, snoozin, Statelady01, Tara O'Hara, tigger22, Tink and Co., Tinkerbelz, WDWJAMBA, wdwlovers, Wendyismyname, whoSEZ, WildforWD, and WvuGrrrl. You made the magic.

We want to personally thank Sara Varney, who coordinated our community for many years (among so many other things she did for us), and Cheryl Pendry, our Message Board Manager who helped train our Guides, and Ginger Jabour, who helped us with the PassPorter-specific forums and Live! Guides. Thank you for your time, energy, and enthusiasm​. You made it all happen.

There are other changes as well.

Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:

We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.

It's time to move on and move forward.

PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.

But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.

So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.

And we are no longer charging for the Live Guides. If you have a subscription, it's yours to keep for the lifetime of the Live Guides at no additional cost. The Live Guides will stay online, barring server issues and technical problems, for all of 2019.

That said, PassPorter is not going away. Most of the resources will remain online for as long as we can support them, and after that we will find ways to make whatever we can available. PassPorter means a great deal to us, and to many of you, and we will do our best to keep it alive in whatever way we can. Our server costs are high, and they'll need to come out of our pockets, so in the future you can expect some changes so we can bring those costs down.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your amazing support over the years. Without you, there's no way us little guys could have made something like this happen and given the "big guys" a run for their money. PassPorter was consistently the #3 guidebook after the Unofficial and Official guides, which was really unheard of for such a small company to do. We ROCKED it thanks to you and your support and love!

If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.

So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!

Best wishes for a wonderful and magical new year!

Go Back   PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums > PassPorter Universe: General Trip Planning and Discussion > Globetrotting: General Travel Planning
Register


Welcome! We're happy you've found the PassPorter Community -- the friendliest place to plan your vacation to Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, Disneyland, and the world in general! You are now viewing the PassPorter Message Board Community as a guest, which gives you limited access. As our guest, feel free to browse our messages by selecting the forum you want to visit from the list below.

To post messages and ask questions, join our FREE community today and you'll get access to tools and resources not available to guests, such as our vacation countown timers, "living" avatars, private messaging system, database searches, downloads, and a special PassPorter discount code. Registration is fast, simple, and completely free. Just click the Join Our Community link.

If you think you've already joined, log in below now. If you don't remember your member name or password, please visit our Member Name and Password Recovery page. You are also welcome to contact us.

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 07-09-2012, 04:28 PM   #1
emtpej
Community Rank: Explorer
 
emtpej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hollywood on the Potomac (DC)
Posts: 7,486

Post Thanks / Like
Washington Monument Staying Closed!

The National Park Service is saying that the Monument may remain closed till Spring 2014.

Earthquake-damaged Washington Monument may be closed into 2014 - The Washington Post
__________________
EJ, At your service!
See my TRs about a National Treasure , The National Aquarium, the Navy Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum , my Land and Sea '08 PTR and my WDW Raincloud TR
Callahan's Law: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy."
-- This is well observed, here at PassPorter!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979 (offsite), WDW July, 2005 (POR), July 2008 -- Poly and the Wonder
emtpej is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 04:34 PM   #2
jimmymac
Community Rank:
Legend Extraordinaire
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 35,829

Post Thanks / Like
Very sad. Building an access road is going to be a real eyesore but it's got to be done
__________________
Jim
My Countdown Counting down to:
My Previous Trips2015 BC, 2014 BC, 2014 BWI, 2013 BC, 2013 GF, 2012 BC, 2012 OKW, 2012 BWI, 2011 BWI, 2011 BC, 2010 BC, 2010 CSR, 2010 Kidani, 2009 GCV, 2009 BC, 2008 BWV, 2008 Grand Californian, 2008 BC, 2007 BWI, 2007 POFQ, 2007 Grand Californian, 2006 BC, 2006 POR, 2006 WL, 2005 BC, 2005 BWI, 2005 CBR, 2004 CR, 2004 GF, 2004 POFQ 2004 Poly, 2003 Poly, 2003 CSR, 2003 POR, 2002 AKL, 2002 GF, 2001 AKL, 2001 Poly, 2000 CBR, 1999 CBR, 1998 ASMo, 1997 ASMSp, 1996 ASMo, 1995 ASSp, 1991 Wyndham, 1989 off site, 1985 Off Site

Last edited by jimmymac; 07-09-2012 at 06:47 PM..
jimmymac is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 04:34 PM   #3
CinderAbby
Community Rank: Legend
 
CinderAbby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 19,490

Post Thanks / Like
Hey EJ, long time no see. How have you been?

Thanks for the news on the Washington Monument. It's a shame it's closed but safety first.
__________________
Disney 2018 TR COMPLETED 10-20-18 POSTS 266 - 273
Looking for my previous TR's? Here they are
My Previous TripsAll WDW - July 1980 off property - July 1981 FW - July 1983 FW - July 1985 FW - August 1987 FW - July 1988 Treehouse Villas - July 1990 Treehouse Villas - July 1997 FW - August 2006 AS Sports, 1st time with DH and DD - August 2008 AS Sports - August 2009 AS Sports - August 2010 AS Sports - July 2011 AS Sports - August 2013 AS Music - August 2014 AS Music - August 2015 AS Music - August 2016 AS Music - August 2018 AS Music, Kate (lovewdw2) joined us for the weekend
CinderAbby is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 05:18 PM   #4
B.M.
Community Rank: Explorer
 
B.M.'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,903

Post Thanks / Like
Wow! I hadn't even known about the earth quake...
We were actually hoping to head up the East Coast next summer (2013) and spend several days in DC; the Washington Monument is/was high on my to do list as the younger kids have never even been....
__________________
B.
My Countdown Counting down to: Road Trip IV
!!!!!******!!!!!*****!!!!!!*****!!!!!!*****!!!!!** ***!!!!!*****
My Previous TripsWDW/Pop Century June 2008-- WDW/AS Movies Thanksgiving 2009-- WDW/Pop Century March 2010-- DCL/Wonder to Alaska May 2011-- WDW/Vaca Home off property Christmas 2012-- WDW/AS Music Christmas 2014
B.M. is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 06:44 PM   #5
Colexis Mom
RED SOX NATION!!
PassPorter's Club Passholder


What's this?

PassPorter Guide

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
Colexis Mom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Connecticut
Concierge Level: 9
Posts: 136,854

Post Thanks / Like
Well that's disappointing!
__________________
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsAUG '16 - POFQ, APR '12 - POFQ, JUL '10 - DL, AUG '09 - DCL Western, AUG '08 - POFQ/BC, AUG '06 - AKL/BC/DisneyWonder/Poly, DEC '05 - AKL, APR '05 - AKL/BC, DEC '04 - AKL, MAY '04 - AKL/BC, MAY '03 - WL/BC, MAY '98 -offsite, MAY '94 - BC, AUG '85 - Poly, AUG '83 - Poly, AUG '81 - Poly, JUL '79 - World Inn, JUL '76 - World Inn
Colexis Mom is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 07:20 PM   #6
EddieCVS
Community Rank: Scout
 
EddieCVS's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Kearny,NJ
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 4,113

Post Thanks / Like
Didn't know the damage would keep it closed that long.
__________________
Eddie
My Countdown Counting down to: Our 11th Disney World Trip!
Counting down the days!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsJuly "07" WDW All-Star-Movies/ Feb 27-March 3 "08" All-Star-Music/ August "08" All-Star-Movies/ January "09" French Quarter Port Orleans/ June "09" CBR/ Oct "09" Pop Century/ August 18-29 2011 PoP Century/ January 20-23 2012 PoP Century/ August 8 - 20 2012 ASM August 22 - 31, 2015 The Contemprary/PoP October 2015 All-Star Movie. March 2016 POFQ
EddieCVS is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-09-2012, 07:27 PM   #7
Carousel96
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Carousel96's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 10,722

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by B.M. View Post
Wow! I hadn't even known about the earth quake...
We were actually hoping to head up the East Coast next summer (2013) and spend several days in DC; the Washington Monument is/was high on my to do list as the younger kids have never even been....
You can still get a good view of the city from the Post Office tower. Not quite the same, but it'll do. Besides, the lines are shorter, it's free and you can get a snack when you get off the elevator.
__________________
Carolyn

My Previous Trips1974 w/mom and best friend -- 1976 w/parents -- 5/2002 ASMo DD's 1st visit -- 11/2002 ASMo w/hubby and the Princess (2 trips that year - what luck!) -- 2005 POP holiday trip -- 2006 ASMo w/ DH, DD, B and SIL for niece's graduation -- 2/2009 DLR -- 11/2009 ASMu -- 11/2010 POFQ & 12/2010 POP -- Non-Disney trips: too many to mention
Carousel96 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2012, 01:49 AM   #8
chezp
PassPorter Message Board Manager
PassPorter Guide Author

Community Rank:
Legend VIP
 
chezp's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: Maidstone, Kent, UK
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 190,285

Post Thanks / Like
Wow, it obviously was badly damaged.
__________________

Relaxing on board the Magic. The trip report for our back-to-back cruises on the Disney Magic has started!
My Countdown Counting down to: 2019
Happy New Year!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous Trips21 trips to WDW, 6 to Disneyland in California, 9 to Disneyland Paris, 1 to Hong Kong Disneyland, 1 to Tokyo Disney, 1 to Aulani, 1 to Hilton Head, 2 to Vero Beach and 13 Disney cruises on the Magic, Wonder, Dream and Fantasy
chezp is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-10-2012, 09:38 AM   #9
Carousel96
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Carousel96's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 10,722

Post Thanks / Like
I was in DC the last week of June. The theory by the "locals" -- hotel workers, cab drivers, etc. -- is that the rehab will be more than just repairing earthquake damage.

Apparently there's been nothing visible at the site since the days the inspectors rapelled down. No shoring up, no safety fencing, nothing. If it were dangerously unstable, there would have been a hefty zone created around it, a structural shell created, something.

If you walked by the monument and didn't know that you used to be allowed to the top, you'd never know anything was wrong.

The last time there was a rehab of the monument, a major corporation (I think it was Target) donated a lot of money so that the scaffolding/screening could be constructed in a way to make the monument partially visible. I hope they do it again.
__________________
Carolyn

My Previous Trips1974 w/mom and best friend -- 1976 w/parents -- 5/2002 ASMo DD's 1st visit -- 11/2002 ASMo w/hubby and the Princess (2 trips that year - what luck!) -- 2005 POP holiday trip -- 2006 ASMo w/ DH, DD, B and SIL for niece's graduation -- 2/2009 DLR -- 11/2009 ASMu -- 11/2010 POFQ & 12/2010 POP -- Non-Disney trips: too many to mention
Carousel96 is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2012, 01:15 AM   #10
Happymommy
Community Rank: Explorer
 
Happymommy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 8,784

Post Thanks / Like
This is so sad. We took a trip to DC last summer, and the quake was a week before our trip. I had a reservation time to go up the monument....so bummed.
__________________
Dina

My Countdown Counting down to: 20th Anniversary Celebration in Walt Disney World
see ya real soon
My Previous Trips'75,'76,'80,'85,'87 Offsite * 8/89 Ft. Wilderness * 6/91 Caribbean Beach * 9/04 Wilderness Lodge * 1/05 Caribbean Beach * 5/05 Caribbean Beach * 1/06 Caribbean Beach * 8/06 ASMovies * 1/07 Old Key West * 8/07 POFQ * 6/08 Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo *5/09 Saratoga Springs * 9/11 Saratoga Springs * 8/12 Animal Kingdom Villas - Jambo * 10/13 Saratoga Springs * 1/16 Saratoga Springs * 7/17 Beach Club Villas * 4/18 Boardwalk Villas * 10/18 Bay Lake Tower
Happymommy is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2012, 10:23 AM   #11
emtpej
Community Rank: Explorer
 
emtpej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hollywood on the Potomac (DC)
Posts: 7,486

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby View Post
Hey EJ, long time no see. How have you been?

Thanks for the news on the Washington Monument. It's a shame it's closed but safety first.
I've been busy as a one-armed paperhanger! We have been dealing with a college freshman and the "little one" who has been going to football camp.
I have been on facebook a LOT more than here (like most folks, I think). I have also been answering questions on yahoo answers.

How are y'all doin?
__________________
EJ, At your service!
See my TRs about a National Treasure , The National Aquarium, the Navy Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum , my Land and Sea '08 PTR and my WDW Raincloud TR
Callahan's Law: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy."
-- This is well observed, here at PassPorter!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979 (offsite), WDW July, 2005 (POR), July 2008 -- Poly and the Wonder

Last edited by emtpej; 07-23-2012 at 10:28 AM..
emtpej is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2012, 10:26 AM   #12
emtpej
Community Rank: Explorer
 
emtpej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hollywood on the Potomac (DC)
Posts: 7,486

Post Thanks / Like
here is an article that summarizes what's going on downtown -- I think they are trying to get some stuff done before the Inaugural next year.
Tourists find D.C. landmarks closed | WashingtonExaminer.com
It may be slow to load - I think there is an embedded video...
__________________
EJ, At your service!
See my TRs about a National Treasure , The National Aquarium, the Navy Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum , my Land and Sea '08 PTR and my WDW Raincloud TR
Callahan's Law: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy."
-- This is well observed, here at PassPorter!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979 (offsite), WDW July, 2005 (POR), July 2008 -- Poly and the Wonder
emtpej is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2012, 10:34 AM   #13
CinderAbby
Community Rank: Legend
 
CinderAbby's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
Concierge Level: 3
Posts: 19,490

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by emtpej View Post
I've been busy as a one-armed paperhanger! We have been dealing with a college freshman and the "little one" who has been going to football camp.
I have been on facebook a LOT more than here (like most folks, I think). I have also been answering questions on yahoo answers.

How are y'all doin?
You have been busy. We've been good and mostly it's been same old, same old. I don't have a FB account but that would explain why we haven't seen you much. There's quite a few people from here that spend a lot of time there so you're definitely in good company. Don't be such a stranger though.
__________________
Disney 2018 TR COMPLETED 10-20-18 POSTS 266 - 273
Looking for my previous TR's? Here they are
My Previous TripsAll WDW - July 1980 off property - July 1981 FW - July 1983 FW - July 1985 FW - August 1987 FW - July 1988 Treehouse Villas - July 1990 Treehouse Villas - July 1997 FW - August 2006 AS Sports, 1st time with DH and DD - August 2008 AS Sports - August 2009 AS Sports - August 2010 AS Sports - July 2011 AS Sports - August 2013 AS Music - August 2014 AS Music - August 2015 AS Music - August 2016 AS Music - August 2018 AS Music, Kate (lovewdw2) joined us for the weekend
CinderAbby is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2012, 02:53 PM   #14
emtpej
Community Rank: Explorer
 
emtpej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hollywood on the Potomac (DC)
Posts: 7,486

Post Thanks / Like
Quote:
Originally Posted by CinderAbby View Post
You have been busy. We've been good and mostly it's been same old, same old. I don't have a FB account but that would explain why we haven't seen you much. There's quite a few people from here that spend a lot of time there so you're definitely in good company. Don't be such a stranger though.
Hey Darlene - Abby is getting to be a chip off the 'ol block!
__________________
EJ, At your service!
See my TRs about a National Treasure , The National Aquarium, the Navy Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum , my Land and Sea '08 PTR and my WDW Raincloud TR
Callahan's Law: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy."
-- This is well observed, here at PassPorter!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979 (offsite), WDW July, 2005 (POR), July 2008 -- Poly and the Wonder
emtpej is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Old 12-14-2012, 02:54 PM   #15
emtpej
Community Rank: Explorer
 
emtpej's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Hollywood on the Potomac (DC)
Posts: 7,486

Post Thanks / Like
They have also been doing a lot of work on the grassy part of The Mall - but most of it will be done by the Inaugural, it appears.
__________________
EJ, At your service!
See my TRs about a National Treasure , The National Aquarium, the Navy Memorial, the National Air and Space Museum , my Land and Sea '08 PTR and my WDW Raincloud TR
Callahan's Law: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased—thus do we refute entropy."
-- This is well observed, here at PassPorter!
My PassPorter Bookshelf
My Previous TripsWDW June 1979 (offsite), WDW July, 2005 (POR), July 2008 -- Poly and the Wonder
emtpej is offline  
 
Reply With Quote
Reply




Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Feature Article: Montezuma Castle National Monument - Camp Verde, Arizona PassPorter News PassPorter News 3 01-28-2011 07:45 AM














Please login or register to hide these ads -- it's free and easy!

All times are GMT -5. The time now is 12:13 PM.

-->

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Feedback Buttons provided by Advanced Post Thanks / Like v3.4.0 Patch Level 1 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
(c) 1998-2017 PassPorter Travel Press/MediaMarx, Inc.
Celebrating 19 Years of Making Dreams Come True
Ad Management plugin by RedTyger