Washington D.C. 2016: Part 4

My fellow Americans, this is the post where I share the rest of the vacation with you. Starting with our tour of the Capitol. Courtesy of the office of Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator from Colorado. Who we did not meet during our tour, but who was, coincidentally flying home to Colorado on the same plane as us. And yes, he flew economy class with all of us common folk.

The Capitol rotunda is undergoing some serious renovations, both inside and out, so I didn't get any good photos of that. But how about the original Senate chamber? We've outgrown it now.

We got to visit the House Chamber, where the President gives his State of the Union address, but no photos were allowed. We also had passes to visit the Senate, but the line was too long.

Say hello to the Speaker of the House.....

Of course, it wouldn't be a visit to D.C. without a stop at the White House.....

Or the U.S. Senate.....

Or the Library of Congress.....perhaps not the most beautiful building on the outside, but easily the most beautiful on the inside.

And who can forget the National Archives, where Nicolas Cage stole the Declaration of Independence.

But seriously, they have the original Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of rights in there. No photos allowed.

Look! They still had the decorations up from Justin Trudeau's visit the week before.

We took a tour bus out to the National Cathedral. The second largest church in the United States.

The tour bus also took us past Embassy Row, the emergency room where Ronald Reagan was taken after being shot in 1981.......

and the Vice President's house.

We also got in a quick visit to Arlington National Cemetery.

It was such a great trip with so much to do and see! With Ethan leaving on his mission soon, it will be our last family vacation for a while.

Thank goodness we got C the Spongebob ice cream thing with the blue gumball eyes. It was the highlight of his vacation!

Washington D.C. 2016: Part 3

As I mentioned before, there's a lot to do in Washington D.C. that's free, but we also opted for a few paid attractions that were really cool. Let's start with the International Spy Museum. They had all kinds of interesting espionage related artifacts, like this German Enigma machine.

And all kinds of other old school spy gear and equipment.

But the best thing about the Spy Museum was the James Bond exhibit. At least, that's what the men in the family tell me.

Next up, the Newseum. Yes, it's a museum about news, and it was my favorite. Since my degree is in Communications (broadcasting, journalism, advertising, public relations, etc.) it was right up my alley. My favorite part was the gallery of Pulitzer Prize winning photos.

They also had part of the Berlin Wall.....

and the radio tower from the World Trade Center.

How about the most famous newspaper misprint of all time?

While we were at the Newseum, we saw something else newsworthy. The President's motorcade came by!

How that for some D.C. sightseeing?

Washington DC 2016: Part 2

One of the great things about Washington DC is that there is so much to see and do that is free. Which is good, because everything else is expensive. But seriously, all those Smithsonians--American History, Natural History, Air & Space, the National Gallery of Art and more--all free!

The Air and Space Museum was naturally a big hit in our family. They have the Apollo 11 Command Module. When you live with a bunch of computer, robotics loving boys, it doesn't get much cooler than something that helped put a man on the moon.

There were all kinds of fascinating, spacey artifacts, like these giant rocket-booster-part-things from a Saturn 5 rocket. Look at that tiny man in the bottom left corner. That's how big these are!

I also learned that I am totally unqualified to be a 1950's stewardess, as my ribbon is not new and trimmed, and my purse is far from being orderly and polished. Also, my smile is only friendly and sincere some of the time.

One of the museum highlights for me was seeing Julia Child's kitchen at the American History Museum.

One of the locals we talked to described the American History Museum as "what it would look like if the nation had a garage sale after 400 years." A very apt description, as evidenced by this statue of George Washington that once sat in the Capitol rotunda. But apparently people weren't too fond of the shirtless Washington, so here it is in the America History Museum.

They also had some other amazing items, such at the top hat Abe Lincoln was wearing when assassinated, and Michelle Obama's inaugural gown.

We also saw the original Star Spangled Banner. The actual flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. It was so thin and frail, we weren't even allowed to take pictures. Definitely one of the coolest things we saw on our trip!

We also love the National Gallery of Art. T has been a Vincent Van Gogh fan since elementary school, so he was pretty excited to see one of his paintings in real life!

We saw works by so many great artists, including Monet, Cassat, Degas, Rodin, Rembrandt, Seurat, Picasso, Manet, Cezzane, Renoir, and the only Da Vinci painting on display in the U.S.

Last, but not least, we visited the Natural History Museum.

Stay tuned. Next up, the not free, but very cool museums we also visited while in Washington.

Washington DC 2016: Part 1

This year for spring break we headed east to Washington DC. I know, not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when you think "spring break destinations," but we were in the mood for something educational. We saw so many things, I don't even know were to begin.

How about we start with what DC is probably most known for: the monuments.

Back when I visited DC in 3rd grade, they didn't have the Vietnam, MLK, WWII, Korean War, or Franklin Roosevelt memorials, so it was pretty much like seeing everything for the first time.

The World War II Memorial was a favorite with the boys.

As always the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials were among the most impressive.

And if you've ever been to DC, you know the Washington Monument seems to be pretty much everywhere. Did you know it was complete in two phases, with granite from two different quarries? That's why the color changes about 1/3 of the way up.

Stay tuned for more adventures from our nation's capital.