We were finally able to take a trip with our 2 oldest kids that I had been
wanting to do for a couple of years!
Covid kept pushing things back.
(I hope to never relive those days).
The main reason we were going (the DC temple open house) was time sensitive,
so I only had a small window to pick from.
Lucky ducks got to miss a few days of school!
Checking with all of the teachers since it was finals month, and
Lane had an AP test he could not miss, was a little tricky.
But we figured it out and off we went!
Even better that Grammy got to come with us!
DC and Philadelphia, here we come!
Even before we landed I had goosebumps.
I WISH SO BAD I would have known to have my camera out and ready during landing.
I had no clue we would fly right past the Washington Monument.
We were so close I think I gasped out loud, and yelled, NO WAY, LOOK!
Like the BIGGEST tourist there ever was!
Lane is already embarrassed of me, that did not help my case, ha!
By the time we got our luggage, and rental car it was dark and we were starving.
A lot of places were already closed.
We picked a place and hoped for the best!
We ended up at a fancier Mexican type of restaurant.
Ya know, with the $20 bowl of guacamole.
The grown-ups sure enjoyed it.
Kids... they don't appreciate the finer things in life.
Just give them a Taco Bell burrito!
I must preface that I have never researched a trip more than I did with this one.
It was daunting with so many (important) things to do and see, and not nearly enough time!
HOURS I spent looking at maps, talking with friends who have lived in the area,
picking the brains of strangers on FB.
My neighbor was a high school history teacher, and has done this trip numerous times.
She came over with a giant map to show me exactly where everything was, and different ways to concur everything of importance to me.
I was grateful for all of the input and got great pointers.
But man, such different ideas of what perfect is while visiting DC!
I wanted it to go so, very smoothly and not waste any time on driving, walking,
parking, riding metros...whatever it may be.
I was anxious driving up to our hotel that I mulled over, maybe even lost sleep over.
I wanted it to be in the perfect location.
Seeing it, I got the most overwhelming sense of peace.
Peace that everything would go as it needed to.
Sounds so dramatic.
But I needed that.
With a sigh of relief, we checked into our cute hotel!
The Hamilton
I love boutique style hotels.
They have their own charm.
I let them sleep in the morning for as long as I could stand it.
Time's a-wasting!
Rise and shine!
Which, we were grateful for the shine.
Rain was in the forecast.
I wasn't able to get tickets for the Washington Monument online before-hand.
It was like trying to win the lottery.
Casey dropped me off at the ticket counter first thing so I could stand in line for walk up tickets.
Which worked, phew!!
But we had a few hours before our time slot.
We finally nailed a breakfast place that turned out super yummy!
It kind of had a Bosa donut vibe, but tons of options. Bubble tea,
smoothies, acai bowls, waffles, a slew of hot and cold sandwiches.
It was perfect!
Now to start our adventure, tackling the National Mall!
I had heard how horrendous parking can be.
We were pleasantly surprised how we easily found a spot.
Covid restrictions had opened up not that long before, which definitely was in our favor.
Most people were still working from home, or not traveling a ton.
We only had to wear masks in Government buildings.
It was still busy, but not nearly the mass crowds it usually has.
So, cheers to that!
We parked alongside the Potomac River!
Sweet Rusty, always willing to be my picture model.
You can see the bridge that crosses the river over to Arlington.
Our first stop was the Lincoln Memorial.
Pinch me!
You see and hear about these buildings in history books, tv/movies your whole life.
Now I'm standing in front of them in person.
Coolest moment, ever.
There is also a reverence at these monuments that is tangible.
Hello, Mr. Lincoln!
The architecture is so detailed.
Must have been cleaning day.
They were scrubbing the columns with a wire looking toothbrush.
Across the reflections pond was the Washington Monument
and the Capitol building behind it.
Spring was still hanging on.
Cutest mama duck with her chicks.
We walked down to the World War 2 Memorial.
Next up was the White House.
It was easy to see, but man we could NOT figure out how to walk there!
We went up a long street, only to find barricades. So back down we went.
I could hear loud music, then the Olympic theme song.
I googled, events at the White House, and sure enough President Biden
was hosting over 600 Olympians. Security was extra tight to say the least.
This was as close as you could get.
You can see them on risers on the front lawn.
Bummer. We tried.
Lunch time!
Food trucks for the win.
We had about 20 minutes before our elevator trip to the top of the monument.
We killed time taking fun pictures.
The view was pretty neat up high!
You got a good view of the layout of the city, which was nice for me to visualize.
You could see the White House, everything on the Mall, the Pentagon, and the Arlington
Cemetery. Unlike New York, everything is in pretty good proximity to each other.
By that point the Olympians had left.
I'm so glad I was able to snag tickets for this.
A MUST do!
The bummer part about DC is that you are in a rush against the
clock and everything closing at 4pm!
We had enough time to squeak in a visit at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.
Well, not nearly enough time.
But we scurried through and found the big stuff!
The famous Hope Diamond!
45.42 carats worth $200-350 million.
Bling, bling!
With the mall officially closed we headed to dinner.
Now, with all of the different recommendations, EVERYONE said you must eat
at Founding Farmers.
Sold. I even made reservations a month in advance.
So glad I did. It was a hopping place.
And delicious at that!
Everything made from scratch, and fresh.
You could taste the quality.
The restaurant just so happened to be in Georgetown.
It is the oldest neighborhood in DC, and has a university.
Lots of historic homes with so much charm.
Super cute and trendy in a unique way.
I wish I could have explored more there.
It also has the famous Levain cookie bakery!
I couldn't have been more happy about this.
These cookies have been on my bucket list for years. YEARS!
Come to mama!
They were as good as I thought they would be.
A baked piece of heaven in my hand.
It didn't stop there.
Down the street from Levain was the very popular Georgetown Cupcake shop.
So much so, there was a huge line, 30 minutes before closing.
Yep, I hopped right in it.
People are troopers when they travel with me.
I gotta get all the food or I get fomo, big time!
Not many choices left, but I was excited to try them!
We blearily drove back to the hotel with sore feat and were ready for bed.
Not without tasting cupcakes, of course:)
My mother- in -law was mentioning that she didn't have much of a view in her room.
I hadn't even looked out our window yet.
I LOLed when I pulled back the curtains!
I guess we had more a view than she did.
Umm, dude, shut your curtains!
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