We had a wonderful time in D.C. We stayed in a hotel in Alexandria, VA and rode the subway into D.C. for the 3 days we were there. We were amazed at how clean the subway stations and subways were. People were very polite to us and the kids. There was so much to see there, I think we only touched the tip of the iceberg. We all want to go again.
Subway station in Alexandria, VA
One could spend all day in just one of the Smithsonian's. We went through the ones that interested the kids first. They had just seen the movie, "Night at the Museum, Battle at the Smithsonian", so they were really excited to find the different artifacts they used in the movie and where they would have shot different movie scenes. Actually, our family loves the movies, "National Treasure", so after we toured the Capitol Building we walked through a tunnel that connected us to the Library of Congress. The kids asked the security guard if the movie was filmed there and she told us, "yes" and showed us where they did the filming. The kids thought that was really cool. We walked the National Mall and saw both the Washington and Lincoln Memorials. The were spectacular! There was a really cool feeling when you were in the Lincoln Memorial. On one wall is written the Gettysburg Address and the other had his Second Inaugural Address. It was a sight to see. By the time we had gotten that far, it was dusk, which was my plan, because I wanted some pictures at night. (This not a picture I took, since I was having an issue with my camera at the time, GRR!)
On our last day there, we went to the National Archives. This is were the Constitution and Declaration of Independence are stored, along with many other documents and Presidential artifacts. This was a really fun to place to see as well. Again, the kids asked them what part, if any, of the movie, "National Treaure" was filmed there. If you have seen the movie, the part where Ben Gates purchases a copy of the Declarartion was shot at the Archives. The shots of the Declaration itself was a set since all the film lighting can't be on the document. The guards were very strict about NO Flash Photograhy. "If I see a flash from a camera, your camera is bye bye". This is what we heard a guard say many times while we were standing in line. We were plenty nervous about when it was our turn to take the picture that the camera wouldn't mess up and use the flash.
For those of you who are planning a trip to D.C., here is some food for thought. No pun intended. When visiting the Capitol Building, you can NOT have food or drink of any kind. Not even gum. We were not aware of this and had our tickets for the morning time frame. When we left the hotel, we had packed our food for the day in a backpack that Matt and I would take turns carrying. Well, long story short, when we arrived at the Capitol and started to go through security, we were stopped immediately and after discussing our options, Matt and Danny ran our food to Union Station to lock it up in a locker. It was a very humid day and they wouldn't even allow water bottles so everything was taken to Union Station. It was amazing to see the food they had people throwing in the huge trash bin and the water bottles, baby bottles, everything that could hold liquid. (Those darn terrorists!) Anyway, after our tour, Matt quickly left to go back to the station to unlock our food. We then had to eat all of our lunch at 10:30 in the morning since we were told none of the museums would let you in with food. UGH! So much for trying to save a little dough. When we entered the first Smithsonian, we asked the guards if we could have a few snacks in our pack. "Oh yeah, as long as you don't open the bag in here and start eating them, you'll be fine." Talk about frustration with the communication between buildings. So moral of the story is, Don't plan on taking any type of food with you when you tour the Capitol, but you can take it in with you (just not eat it) in the other buildings. Side note: The National Archives will let you carry a backpack of food in, put you cannot have anything in your mouth, (i.e. gum, candy, etc.) Despite all the hooplah on the food, we had a very enjoyable time. We will just remember the lessons learned. =)
Lunch on the grounds of the Capitol Building
When we left our hotel to start the trip home, we wanted to go see the Washington, D.C. temple. What a beautiful sight! This was a great way to end our trip. We spent a little time at the Visitor Center and visited with the missionaries there and they took a picture of the kids with the temple in the background and then it was time to head back home to Michigan. We had so much fun on our trip and are looking forward to doing it again.
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