Since the big kids were studying American history this school year, we decided to wrap things up with a trip to Washington DC. The idea had been swirling around in my head since 2006 (!) but this was the year we finally made the journey.
DAY ONE
When we woke up our first morning in DC, we took a
2-hour trolley tour of the National Mall and surrounding area. It was a good introduction and helped me to get my bearings. Since we planned to be walking everywhere, I wanted to feel comfortable about where we were and where we were going! Our tour guide was fantastic and gave live narration explaining the sites and the history behind them. "This is a city of symbolism..."
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| Ready for our tour! Yes, we are wearing matching shirts... |
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| "DC" Steven, our trolley driver and tour guide | | |
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| Rockin' Out! |
After the tour, we splurged for lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe - what fun! Delicious food - this was Samuel's favorite part. If you've never seen this boy really eat, consider yourselves blessed. So many rock-n-roll "artifacts" - Drew and I really got into this, looking around for artists we knew. They even took requests for music videos. We asked for POD
"Rock the Party" - and they played it! We were most definitely the coolest family there, and I don't mind saying so :-)
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Me & Billy
Sing us a song, you're the piano man... |
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| So you're a Methodist pastor? Interesting... |
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Ford's Theatre was just a block away and next on the agenda. (Talk about a gear shift! But this was one of my favorites of the entire trip.) We made our way through the museum before going into the theatre and hearing about the evening that President Lincoln was shot. The tour was narrated by audio guide and by a National Park Ranger.
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| Little man pulling up the introduction on his audio guide as we wait to enter the museum. So much information about the Civil War, Lincoln's Presidency, Washington DC and the theatre itself, as well as the evening of the assassination. |
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| The Presidential Box |
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| Ford's is now a working theatre. While we were in DC the musical 1776 was playing there. |
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Late that afternoon, we split up: the boys jumped back on the trolley and headed to the
National Cathedral (pictures still on Drew's phone. We're working on that.) and sister & I walked down to the Museum of American Art and
National Portrait Gallery. All of the official Presidential Portraits are there:
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| Washington | | |
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| Lincoln | |
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| JFK | |
...as well as folk art, photography, sculpture and paintings from every era of America's existence. I was so excited to find a bust of Nathaniel Bowditch! (Find a great family read-aloud about him
here.) Stephanie and I relaxed in the courtyard, listening to live jazz music, while we waited for the boys to return. Oh, and the museum even had a gallery dedicated to the History of Video Games! But we'll visit that later. Now it's time for dinner and propping up our tired feet.
When we woke up our first morning in DC, we took a 2-hour trolley tour of the National Mall and surrounding area. It was a good introduction and helped me to get my bearings. Since we planned to be walking everywhere, I wanted to feel comfortable about where we were and where we were going! Our tour guide was fantastic and gave live narration explaining the sites and the history behind them. "This is a city of symbolism..."
Ford's Theatre was just a block away and next on the agenda. (Talk about a gear shift! But this was one of my favorites of the entire trip.) We made our way through the museum before going into the theatre and hearing about the evening that President Lincoln was shot. The tour was narrated by audio guide and by a National Park Ranger.
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