We took the train from BWI airport to Washington DC's Union Station on Wednsday and Thursday. Much easier than fighting traffic and a decision we are very happy about. The kids enjoyed the train ride, mostly as another opportunity to snack.
Both days we arrived in DC close to noon. On Wednesday, we walked halfway to the Capitol building and had lunch on a park bench beneath a huge blooming cherry tree. The temperature was in the low 90's, which definitely set the kids on edge and made our time that day less than ideal. We walked past the Capitol building and then down onto the National Mall to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We thought the kids might like some of the stuff in there, and it would be air conditioned. A win-win for everyone.
It was packed, of course.
The kids enjoyed it I suppose, but they were pretty beat from the heat. We camped out in the McDonald's there for an hour or so to perk them back up with $1 sundaes. We were able to look around a little in the museum after that and purchase some postcards. Then we struck out a across the Mall and up 7th Street NW towards K street and Chinatown.
We were less than impressed with Chinatown, but perhaps there was more to it than met the eye. While Gena and I were hoping for some good local flavor for dinner, we opted for the safer alternative of pasta in Chinatown. Go figure. We ended up at Vapiano's on K street. Though it was odd looking from the outside, it was an instant hit with the kids because of couches and pillows they could lay down on. We opted for a couple of pizzas - which were delicious. The kids seemed to enjoy themselves, and it gave them the needed energy for the walk back to Union Station. By this point in the evening, things were cooling off a little bit, which helped the kids further.
We were a little worried that the kids might revolt at the idea of going back Thursday, but they were definitely more in the groove, and temperatures were ten degrees cooler. We ate our backpack picnic lunch at Franklin Park on K Street and 14th Street NW. We bought day-passes on an alternative bus system called The Circulator, which helped out a little on our tired feet. We walked down to the White House, where I failed to be impressed with Mrs. Obama's Victory Garden. With all those grounds at their disposal, they could have planted a bigger garden! We were able to see the Memorials at the far west end of the National Mall, including the WWII memorial, the WWI memorial (falling into disrepair, it appeared), the Korean & Vietnam memorials, and of course the Lincoln memorial. All very impressive.
We ended up having dinner at a Baja Fresh near George Washington University, again to make the kids happy after another day of walking. It was an enjoyable time of sitting and eating and laughing. It was such a joy to be able to ride the bus back to Union Station rather than walking back!
We talked about trying to go into DC again. However Saturday is the Cherry Blossom Festival, and we didn't like the idea of fighting even bigger crowds with it being a weekend and a special event. And frankly, you could spend months in DC and not see everything. Gena and I are not huge museum people. We were happy we could go and get a tiny feel for the city - or at least a small subsection of the city. We try to set small goals so that we don't get disappointed when the kids finally wear out. If we ever go back when the kids are older or moved on in their lives, I'm sure we'll have fun seeing lots of other stuff. But if we never make it back, we can say that we were there, that we saw some of the things that are iconic for our nation. It's where we are for now.
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