Washington, DC - Day 1 - Sept 17

DC - Day 1

We spent two days touring Washington, DC and if you've ever been there, you'll know we only scratched the surface.  My cousin Janet and her youngest daughter Brooke joined us for part of the first day - we took two cars and parked at Pentagon City - a very large mall about 15 minutes from DC.  From there we took the Metro to Union Station.  Brooke had a ball as she never rode on a train and in a very short time, got to ride on two trains.  Once at Union Station, we checked out the tour companies and decided on Old Town Trolley - a very wise choice.   Their trolley drivers actually narrate the tours vs using pre-recorded material.  They also injected their own stories which made the tour very interesting.  Every driver we had was great and I can't say enough about their customer service.

We waited for the Trolley outside in Columbus Circle and Brooke had a great time chasing the pigeons.  She didn't understand why they wouldn't stay still so she could pet them.  She was a little disappointed at that, but she certainly entertained us.

Our initial plan was to ride the trolley around the orange loop, then decide which stop to make our first.  We scrapped that idea fairly quickly and made the Smithsonian American History Museum our first stop.  Our targets here were to see Julia Child's kitchen, Archie Bunker's chair, the ruby slippers and Seinfeld's puffy shirt - I was assigned the task of getting a picture of the shirt for my cousin Jeff.  We didn't get to see the slippers or the shirt as the exhibit area was being re-arranged and those items were in storage - the guard said everything would back by the weekend, which would be too late for us - we'll just have to see them on another trip.  There was an area where Brooke could play a little, then we went to see the First Ladies' dresses.

From there we walked across the Mall to The Castle.  Brooke wanted to see the princesses and didn't quite grasp that no princesses lived there.  We passed through this building on our way to the Metro so we could go to Arlington National Cemetery.  By the time we got to Arlington, Janet had to get right back on the Metro to be home about the same time the boys and Erin would be home from school, so we said our goodbyes until we would see her later that night.

If you've never been to Arlington, please make it a point to go.  The first time I visited Arlington was on a Spring day in the late 1970s and it was a drizzly day - as was the weather on this day.  We rode the Tourmobile which took us to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, to the Kennedy gravesites and to Arlington House.  Our first stop was to witness the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.  This is a very moving ceremony and not to be missed.  The solemnity and the precision are awe-inspiring.  Each time the soldiers make a turn, they swing one leg out wide and tap it against their heel very sharply.  I noticed they each have a block attached to the side of their heel which accounts for the loud crack.

From there we decided to walk to the Kennedy gravesites - a  bit farther than it seemed.  As we walked, we just reflected on the people who are buried here and their contributions to our great country.  Edward and Robert are each buried a short distance from John and their graves are marked by a simple white cross and a small headstone.  I would have to dig out pictures from my first visit for comparison as I didn't remember that Robert's grave was so simple.  Buried alongside JFK are Jackie, his son Patrick who only lived a few days and an unnamed daughter who was stillborn.  The eternal flame is still burning.

On the bus back to the Trolley stop, we met a delightful couple from Calgary, Canada (their names escape me at the moment).  They were in Washington for a few days, then going off to tour more of Virginia and civil war sights. We parted company the at the Trolley and we made our way  back to Union Station.  We had dinner at the American Restaurant on the main level.  We sat on the "patio" so we could people watch.  Since the rain had stopped, we decided to take the night tour to see the monuments lit up.  We chose the Double Decker tour for price and time - not recommended.  They kept us waiting at least 30 minutes before they took off and their customer service was lousy, plus they use pre-recorded narration and you can not get off at all.  The Old Town Trolley also has a 2 1/2 hour night tour that ended about 10 pm and you can get off at the monuments.  Once our bus got going, the tour was adequate. 

After the tour we made our way back to Pentagon City - that very large mall.  I remembered the level we parked on, but not how we came into the mall.  As a result, we spent at least 30 minutes trying to find our way to the parking garage.  The mall stores were closed so there was very few people there and no one we asked could direct us.  Once we got into the garage, we were on the opposite end of the garage.  Thank goodness for panic buttons as I kept hitting mine til we were close enough to trigger my car alarm.  To make our comedy even more crazy, I dropped my glasses while we were exiting the garage and I drove "blind" a short distance.  But... we made it back to Janet's safe and sound.

Day 2 is my next post.  Check out our Day 1 photos - DC Day 1.