Travelogue - Washington D.C.!

Our final educational destination on this trip was a day stop in Washington D.C..  I found the Metro (the DC train) very simple.  Well.. as simple as can be with four children in tow.  Navigating the METRO ticket machines was a bit of a hassle, but there was always a nearby local willing to help me.  There is something about a woman with four children that screams - "HELP ME, I'm helpless and need help!"  Because as self reliant as I feel when I am with them, there is always someone offering to extend a hand, give up a seat, offering to carry something.  I find it quite funny, actually. There are so many reasons to believe in humanity. For the record, I do NOT need help.  Okay...maybe just a little....sometimes.

I stayed west of town and therefore took the Orange Metro line from the Vienna station directly downtown to the Metro Station.  I highly recommend traveling after 9:30am when rates are slightly less expensive and you can find a seat because commuter traffic is standing room only and it is about a half hour ride in from Vienna/Fairfax.  Next time I would park and ride a bit closer to DC on the orange line, I think.  Most of the museums do not open until 10am anyway.  Pretty much everything you would want to see is located on The National Mall, the area with the Washington Monument and the reflection pool at one end and the Capitol building on the other.  Pennsylvania Ave is a street or two adjacent to the mall and at one end is the White House and the other takes you close to the Capitol Building.  To give you an idea of scale, I think you could walk briskly from the White House to the Capitol in a half a hour and the museums and memorials are located in between.

Our first stop was the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Here exists dinosaur bones and skeletal replicas of  T-Rex, an ocean exhibit with a scale-size whale.  I could see that these exhibits gave my children a sense for the first time on the grand scale of dinosaurs and whales and other amazing creatures.  

There is also a Human Origins exhibit that is fascinating.  Those who have strong religious faiths may find this exhibit challenging to walk through.  Also the Hope Diamond, the world's largest blue diamond.  I recommend getting to this museum at 10am and being GONE by noon as the crowds seem to flock at that hour to the Hope Diamond and Dinosaur exhibits. 

Our next stop was the National Archives which houses our nation's most treasured documents on civil and social development. 

The best part was entering the Rotunda which holds the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.  I call them "The Living Documents".  

One must pass through security similar to flying.  It was noteworthy that almost all of the security guards/special police present in the archives building were from Africa with thick beautiful accents.  The room is actually much darker than this photo above reveals, to protect the documents.  I immediately experienced goosebumps and shivers and eyes with tears about to spill over as I entered this exact area.  There is a reverent feeling that brings quiet to even rambunctious teenagers on a forced school tour who may not have a great understanding of the significance of what they are about to see.

Just off the Mall are diners and taverns which we used because it was dreadfully rainy.  Next time I would prefer to eat at the various ethnic street vendors and picnic on the grassy mall.  I found prices to be totally reasonable for being so close to the major tourist mecca. 

If I made it back to DC without kids in tow, I would want to see the National Gallery of Art, to enjoy for the first time works by Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo among others.  I would want to take my time strolling through the various memorials, maybe see the Holocaust museum.  There are almost 20 museums in the Smithsonian complex so if you only have a couple days you will have to pick and choose what you'd like to see.  I find Washington DC to be a great city to be spontaneous in, because everything is so accessible by foot once you are at the Mall.  All of the national museums are free.

I found myself disoriented when I got off the train, and I found everyone to be entirely friendly when I asked for some direction.  Most people are tourists and have no idea where anything is, but if you spot a man in a suit, carrying an armful of files, you can bet that he works there and is a good one to ask.  The street vendors do not speak English but do an excellent job of nodding and saying "yes" even when asked a 'Non Yes or No Question'.  I'm pretty sure we were given directions by a prominent southern Senator and his aide.  We also walked a great distance with a friendly IRS man who exchanged life stories with us as we strolled.  I thanked him for our nice refund this year. 

Oh - if you hear a parade of police sirens on Pennsylvania Avenue, LOOK!  Because it is likely Obama's motorcade of police cars and Black SUVs heading to or from the White House.  Goosebumpy! 

If you wish to tour the White House, you must contact your congressional office where they conduct a background check.  It is very difficult to score tickets, but the tour is so worthwhile if you can get them.  Your congressperson can also provide you access to the Congressional galleries, which I found interesting when I viewed it years ago. 

I also recommend seeing Ford Theater, where Lincoln was shot and across the street, the home they carried him to where he died.  If I remember correctly, there is a blood stained pillow preserved from the event.

Ciao!