Washington, D.C., Part II

The US Capitol

We spent Monday through Saturday in DC, and we spent the majority of our time exploring the monuments, important buildings and the many, many museums. A huge plus for DC is that the museums are free, unlike in other cities. There is usually about a 15-20 minute wait in line, and any bags are quickly searched. Grace felt particularly infringed upon, and, as if her privacy had been totally violated, asked, "Do they know I have a toothbrush in there?!"

And yes, Gracie, they know you have a toothbrush because they saw it.  We explained how important all the museum pieces are, and how it is the museum's responsibility to protect all of the exhibits from any potential trouble makers.  

Any who... everyone especially enjoyed the Space and Science Museum, so much so that we went to the museum in DC on one day and then drove to Chantilly, Virginia, to see that museum later in the week.  After seeing the Apollo Lunar Module, the trio wanted to attempt to build their own with aluminum foil in the basement.

Apollo Lunar Module

There were tons of fun exhibits that answered all kinds of questions, like how astronauts shower in space and how they go to the restroom.  The trio were fascinated, but I say there are some things we don't need to know.

Since the inauguration would be taking place in about 3.5 weeks, we tried to emphasize the importance of the capitol and the mall so that they would have a good gauge of the events as they transpired.

US Capitol

We enjoyed seeing the new African American History Museum. However, the girls are pretty sensitive so we made the decision not to tour this museum nor the Holocaust Museum this go around. Our little Catherine Grace would have erupted in tears during many of the exhibits, but we will definitely make a point to have those museums on our list for a future visit.

National Museum of African American History

National Museum of African American History

We also spent some time getting a closer view of the White House. The girls adore Mrs. Obama and the Obama girls, and they were excited to see the WH garden and bee hives. Also, they are happy that the new First Lady will not be removing them.

The White House

Checking out the vegetable garden and bee hives from the gate

We were sure to see the monuments at night, as well as Arlington, although we postponed the cemetery portion (again) until the trio are older.

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial + The Washington Monument

Smithsonian

Smithsonian

Smithsonian

Smithsonian

Smithsonian

The trio loved the Museum of Natural History as well. My favorites were the gem exhibits and the heavily guarded Hope Diamond, while the trio preferred the animals.

The Hope Diamond

Museum of National History

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History

Another favorite was the National Archives Museum. This stop was at the end of a long day of walking so we only visited the Rotunda For the Charters of Freedom, which houses the Declaration of Independence, the US Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Obviously cameras were not allowed around these heavily guarded and protected documents. In fact, the rotunda is kept very cold and dark to help slow deterioration of those sacred documents.

National Archives

Because the trio aren't "foodies" we kept meals pretty simple. They were hungry from all the walking so we kept their favorites in rotation, such as delicious burgers and shakes from Shake Shack and soups/sandwiches from local shops.

Shake Shack

The Corner Bakery

More favorites include the Hubble, which the girls loved seeing.

Hubble Space Telescope

William George like all of the rockets.

Rockets

As mentioned, they loved the air and space exhibits so much that we drove out to Chantilly, where they saw a lot aircraft. William George's favorite was the Blackbird.  

Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird

No surprise... Lauren's favorite was the Air France Concorde.  (She had to have a photo to complete her look... Paris sweater, Eiffel Tower necklace, and the Air France looming in the background.)

Air France Concorde

Grace's favorite (and ours) was the Discovery. The trio spent a good little while talking with the docent, who patiently answered all of their questions pertaining to the shuttle.

Space Shuttle Discovery

Space Shuttle Discovery

After touring the museum, the real fun of our visit kicked off because we connected with family (FAMILY!). We were super excited to visit Skip's cousin Lori and meet baby Connor! And to see David, Reagan, and Harper, of course. The trio were SO GLAD to see them and their rooms (remember how important it was to see rooms? I think it helps them visualize their cousins once the visit is over.) and play.

We left DC Saturday morning and headed to Williamsburg, Virginia to visit with Bill and Kathy (Skip's uncle and aunt), and Lori's family drove down from northern Virginia to join us (update on that soon).