We left Dubai at 2 a.m. and arrived in D.C. around 8 in the morning. Longest 6 hours ever. The flight isn't really getting any easier, though we all prefer a straight shot to extending the travel time with layovers. Jess took a picture while chasing the sunrise.
I thought there was a "before" picture to show how tight her braids were before a 14 hour flight, but I can't find it. This is Jess about to go on the giant bus/tram things they have at the DC airport.
Once we arrived, we were able to get an early check in for the hotel. The kids crashed for a bit while Matt and I went out to figure out the subway system and buy SIM cards for our phones. After the complete failure of T-Mobile last time, we were going with AT&T. No problem. On the way back, we stopped by a grocery store to get some basic supplies. We had kitchenettes available in the hotel, which was nice though we ate most of our meals while out and about.
Our first real meal in America in 2015 was from a Mexican food truck and it was AMAZING. We tried to find this particular one again, but didn't manage it. We did enjoy a variety of truck food fare a couple more times over the next few days.
Isaac tried to pose for me so I could sneakily take a picture of this guy's shirt, but he totally knew what I was doing. He was really nice and came over for a chat.
The Capitol dome has been, still is, and will continue to be under re-construction. Bummer, but still quite impressive.
Jess fell in love with the Washington Monument. She took dozens of pictures of it. I have quite a few too. It's so striking and makes a great orienteering landmark. You can see it from miles in any direction.
Jess truly turned into "Doug" from Up. She would be walking/talking and mid-step/mid-sentence point, say squirrel and take a picture.
Inside the construction under the dome.
That's where he sat AFTER being president and rejoined the House doing his best to fight against slavery. He was the only president take another "lower" elected position post-post-presidency. Wow. I have much respect.
Loads of people walk through the Capitol building on free tours each day. There are dozens of amazing things to do and see for free all over the city.
Center point of the city.
There are statues from the states all over the Capitol. We took pictures of a few.
We walked through the tunnel connecting the Capitol to the library. It's so beautiful.
There are quotes all over the library. I took pictures of some. I think you could explore the walls and ceilings for a week and not see all the treasures hidden here. It's like the first "hidden pictures" game. Here are a few quotes:
Ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge the wing where with we fly to heaven.
Books must follow sciences, and not sciences books.
Too low they build who build beneath the stars.
Words are also actions, and actions a kind of words.
In books lies the soul of the whole past time.
Science is organized knowledge.
There are wings where there are special displays for a few months at a time.
We walked by the Supreme Court, but didn't go in the first day.
The heart of the building is quite small. This was the most enlightening part of our visit to DC, for me. I just didn't know much about this branch. There is one "higher court" in the land, it's a basketball court on the floor just above. Ba dum, tsch!
They were almost as excited about the rain as the city!
I have no idea what this is, or dozens of other important looking buildings. They are just everywhere.
One of the biggest highlights was the Air and Space Museum. We stayed till hunger drove us out. At least two of my kids would love to be astronauts. They couldn't get enough.
This is outside the Air and Space Museum.
The kit of the original U2 pilots. And below, the original cameras. The plane body hasn't changed, though the contents sure have.
How they first used airplanes for bombs.
The Wright Brothers
This was a little funny to me. We saw lots of Mennonite (probably) people in the city. I just found the juxtaposition of their simple old fashioned clothes watching a video about space exploration fascinating. What brought them to this building highlighting some of the best moments in human engineering and technological advancements that day?
We walked by some outdoor art on the way to lunch.
Ford's Theater
Bit of a morbid keepsake for posterity.
Books written about Lincoln.
I have no idea what this building is today as I type, but I still like it.
You can see Secret Service on the roof. Below, the view looking the other way.
Feet are getting more tired each day.
SQUIRREL!
World War II Memorial
Gettysburg Address
2md Inauguration
Squirrel!
We found where young George chopped the cherry tree! Just kidding. That's totally a myth.
Duck
The Circulator--Red Line. $1 a ride and it goes all over the mall.
Jefferson Memorial--starting to rain again.
On the steps of the Jefferson Memorial
On our last day, we started at Arlington National Cemetery.
This was a VERY old Tomb of a woman that pre-dates the cemetary.
In General Lee's home.
The room where he agonized over the choice to take the job as commander of the Confederate States' army. And where he drafted his letter to accept.
Discussing which way to go. We didn't go that way. ;-)
Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
JFK
We ended up at the Museum of Natural History. It was pretty crowded and made us wish we lived nearby and could pop in for a few hours midweek on our homeschool schedule.
A giant squid in a huge tank at a Smithsonian storage building was a plot point in one of the Dan Brown books. The tank was made out to be much bigger, but hey, it's a giant squid in the Smithsonian!
The room of skeletons was very cool!
Prehistoric shark.
I LOVE this display.
After giving up on the big crowds and on our way out to go find food, look who I happened to see by the elephant. We postponed food for another 1/2 hour while we caught up a bit.
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