On our second leg of our trip we drove to Washington DC. We stayed for 4 days and for us that was plenty. It may be due to the fact we were yet to be used to the cold, the kiddos were a tad sick, KJ's croup was acting up and I didn't bring his medicine, or just the sheer mass of people. Don't get me wrong we loved seeing the sites, but it was less on the relaxing side of it all. It could have been due to the fact it was New Years.
Of course our main goal for DC was to visit all the museums. The Natural History Museum was amazing. Again the crowds I could have done without. The kiddos were in awe over all the animals and Alabama actually had a piece of a meteor that fell on display. For me the gems were rather amazing and the building itself.
We went to the Art museum twice actually. The kiddos enjoyed it more than I thought they would. KJ about died every time we passed a partial nude. Ha. I wish I remembered the painting, but there is a work of art with a violin that is placed on a table. If you walk a semi circle in front of the painting the violin always faces you no matter where you stand. AMAZING to say the least. The saturation of color in so many of the pieces was astounding and I was moved by so many pieces.
Next we went to the Air and Space Museum. Did you know there were two? We didn't till right before our trip. This one is right off the lawn with all the other museums and the second is by the airport. The crowds were even more insane here. Oh, and did I mention Ellie has a knee buckling melt down inducing fear of heights? This was not the place for her. The buildings are high and the railings are glass and put her with that many people and well my main job was to her calm. Never the less KJ was head over heels for it.
The Museum of American History was one of favorites! For some reason no one was there and we really got to explore. I may have teared up seeing Julia Child's kitchen. Why? Who knows! It really was amazing. Seeing the doll houses and all the first lady's inaugural ball dresses was quite captivating for both Ellie and I. The boys were drawn more to the swords, guns, and locomotives. If was fun seeing how much history the kiddos knew and telling them things they never heard. I can not tell you how much we loved this museum. May be an all time favorite even.
The kiddos had one request for the DC leg of our trip and that was to see Honest Abe. Seeing this site with them was like me seeing it for the first time all over again. We sat and stared and talked about what a great man he was. It was memorable moment for our little fam.
We happened across the National Cathedral and decided to take a gander. If was breathtaking. Still under construction, but inspiring none the less. They had gardens that I am sure would be amazing in the warmer months too.
The second Air and Space Museum was another favorite and so worth going out to. We loved it more than the first plus it WAY less crowded. Even Ellie enjoyed it thoroughly. I was inspired by all the textures, colors, and the fact that God actually instilled such a spirit that led to people wanting to invent a piece of equipment to fly in the sky. I still think the idea of a plane is rather wild, but the original ones? They really thought that was a good idea to try them out? Wild, just wild. This is also where the Discovery is. I made it a point to be watching KJ's face when he first saw the shuttle, but in the end I am not sure if the Mr or he was more jaw dropping excited. It really is incredible.
We ate at the Shake Shake and it was delicious. More delicious for the rest of the family since due to my gluten free-ness I got a patty. Ha. Still enjoyed it though! We ate mostly at the museums various food courts. The first night we did eat at Ruth's Chris since it was walking distance from the hotel and after driving from Charleston we were in no hurry to get back in the car. I was happy to see the etiquette classes paid off too. I am sure we will be going back to DC once the kiddos are older, but it's not on our immediate return schedule.
