mr. smith goes to washington

Yup. We did the Washington thing. Ld and I, along with two other couple friends, flew out to D.C. last week.

The general consensus from all the travel sites was Do Not bring a car to D.C. but logistically there was no way to make our itinerary work without one. So we rented a van. After experiencing the traffic there it's easy to see why public transportation is recommended and for most folks that would work best. But most people aren’t so blessed to have a driver with navigational skills that rival Lewis & Clark coupled with a Zen-like calmness. He is also very fit. He would drop us off then go park and run (literally) and catch up with us. Can’t thank him enough.

Our itinerary:
Arrived late Wednesday night. We stayed in this vacation rental home in Columbia Heights. Lovely inside.

Thursday, October 21:
Toured Library of Congress. Oh My. Went through the Holocaust Museum. Toured Washington monument, went to the top. I swear I could feel it sway. Ate lunch in Capital cafeteria & then caught up with congressional staff guy for a tour of the Capital. Then we headed to the Kennedy center. We changed into dress clothes in the car (tricky putting those pantyhose on:) and had dinner reservations at the Roof Top restaurant that overlooks the Potomoc. Afterwards we attended Yo Yo Ma in concert downstairs. Amazing.
http://www.yo-yoma.com/event/2010/10/21
The WaPo review here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/10/22/AR2010102206366.html

Friday, October 22:
Mount Vernon. Martha W had some weird obsession with the color green. Lunch at Mount Vernon. Supreme court tour was scheduled but nixed as no time. Visited Smithsonian (Natural History & American History buildings to see Dorothy's Ruby slippers, Julia's kitchen & First ladies inaugural gowns). Union square – ate dinner there & caught tour mobile to tour Monuments & Memorials at night. Awesome.
At Mount Vernon.

Saturday, October 23:
White house tour. World War II memorial. Lunch at hot dog stand. National Archives to view historical documents. Smithsonian (Air and Space museum). Drove out to see the temple. Ate Thai food (Ruan's Thai)
At the World War II memorial.

Sunday, October 24:
Georgetown. National Cathedral. Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard.


Monday, October 25:
National Gallery of Art. Go see, go see, people! Ate in cafeteria downstairs. Bureau of Engraving and Printing (for my numismatist hubby), then back to National Gallery of Art (because I loved it so much:)



Tuesday, October 26:
Flew home. A great, fast paced trip with wonderful people.