Gotta tell ya, the steps are a son of a monkey but the climb was totally worth it! - Honest Abe, the 16th President of the United States! By the way, here's a random geek fact for you - the 36 columns surrounding this place were interpreted as representing the 25 U.S. states at the time of Lincoln's death, as well as the 11 seceded Confederate states. (I know; dorky... but cool!?...)