The DC experience
Saturday, August 1, 2015 at 06:11AM A vacation is like love — anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort, and remembered with nostalgia. ~Author Unknown
Last week Anne and I flew with grandsons Paul and Miles to Washington DC for a week of exploration and sightseeing. While different from some of our earlier road trips with the boys*, it was great experience. Overall I found the city traffic far worse, museums more crowded, and meals more expensive than when I took the boys' Uncle Brady there in 1999, but it was still a fun place for two bright kids (and two senile adults).
A few photos and comments that Blue Skunk readers should just skip over, but that will help ME remember the trip...
Day One - Getting there
The boys have not flown a great deal, so budget Spirit Airline was first class for them. The low cost fares are off-set by hard, narrow seats, expensive baggage fees, and inconvenient airports (we flew in and out of BWI), but Miles approved of the snack box that contained a wide assortment of chips, dried fruits, crackers, and cookies. He tragically lost a beloved pocket knife at security, forgetting it was in his backpack from a Cub Scout camp. His grandpa has lost a few pen knives himself that way. Anyway, timely, if not very comfortable, flights on Spirit.
Day Two - Getting Around
The Metro became a big part of this trip, as it was in my other previous trips to DC. We stayed at the Virginian Suites in Arlington - great rooms and service - about a 15 minute walk from the Rosselyn Metro. Metros for me are like a game, figuring out the lines and directions and transfer points, whether in NYC, Paris, London, or Tokyo.
We spent the morning at the Lincoln Memorial end of the Mall, visiting the sites in those areas. I tried to tie history to the boys' family experiences, explaining how their Aunt Neva was a nurse flying wounded soldiers out of Vietnam and their great grandfather served in the Korean Conflict. Back at home, I was very impressed that 9-year-old Miles could tell me the name of every memorial, every statue, every museum in every picture.
Nothing says souvenir of Washington like a squid hat from the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. This squid is about to be eaten by Tyrannosaurus Rex. We moved to museums later in the morning since big brother Paul was hurting from a sunburn he got on the previous week's canoe trip.
I've decided not to take "monument only" photos anymore. Does the world really need another picture of the Washington Monument or Lincoln Memorial or Capitol Dome? We stopped early on that very hot Monday, returning to Arlington to see the Minions movie in air con and then going back to the hotel for a swim after supper.
Day Three - On the Bus
Tuesday was spent on the DC Sites, hop-on, hop-off big red bus, traveling all three routes. I'm not sure I would recommend DC Sites - two of the three routes had nearly inaudible recorded narrations and there were some very long wait times for buses to appear, especially in the afternoon. But riding gave Paul's legs another day to heal which was a good thing.
I was amazing by both the number of kids visiting Arlington Cemetery and the quiet and respect they showed there without having to be reminded. During the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, there were dozens of group-t-shirtted kids watching in awe-struck silence. Number one site on Paul's list was Arlington House, Lee's former residence, which we toured.
Number one on Grandpa's to-do list was visiting the Wahington National Cathedral, one place I'd never seen on previous visits. It turned out to be one of the most fun places we went since there was scavenger hunt designed for kids with a dozen or more images, sculptures, and rooms to find. The Darth Vader gargoyle was tough to see, but we think we located him.
Day Four - Movies, museums and the Capitol
The Newseum was Grandma Annie's priority for this trip. Kinda pricey on admission, but full of fascinating exhibits and movies about the 4th estate, including this 4-D introduction to the history of investigative journalism. The 911 terrorist attack was told in a moving film about journalists involved on the scene. Between movies and hands-on activities, museums take a LOT of time to visit with kids anymore.
Miles experienced touching both a moon rock and a piece of Mars at the museums, along with seeing the Star Spangled Banner, the Kitty Hawk, the Hope Diamond, and George Washington's false teeth (my favorite). Does this make history more real? I remember my son's comment on leaving the Anne Frank house in Amsterdam - "I didn't know Anne Frank was a real person." I suspect there is more than one child who may not know if George Washington was real or fictional.
It seemed that half of Washington DC is under construction. The Capitol Dome is and we were just in time to be able to even get in the Rotunda before it was to be closed completely to visitors for something like 5 months. We had a great guide and asking our congressman's staff to get tour tickets in advance worked like a charm. The boys are shown here with one of Kansas's greats, John James Ingalls, honored with a statue in the building. Do you know by whom your state is represented?
No trip with the boys is complete without an eating adventure or two. Paul here is pictured with his salmon penne at the Il Radiccio restaurant. He's becoming a daring epicure, ordering salmon sliders and sushi on this trip as well. Miles sticks with cheese sandwiches, cheese pizza, and mac and cheese, but he too was a less fussy eater than in the past. We did order pizza in one night, we got heat-n-eat from a little market's frozen food case the night we got in, and we even ate leftovers one night. Miles did complain to his mother when she picked him up that he had gone too long without a "home-cooked meal." Poor child.
Day 5 - Crusing to Mt. Vernon
Cruising to Mt Vernon with Brady was one of my favorite memories from that trip, so we repeated it. After a metro ride that included a transfer, we found the pier where the "Spirit" cruises departed, sailing 90 narrated minutes down the Potomac to George's plantation. Which was under re-construction.
The mansion was much as I remember it, but since I had last visited a very good museum, visitor center and cafeteria had been added. Washington's false teeth had their own display and explanation (they were not wood, but bone and ivory and looked very painful). Tributes to the "enslaved persons" who worked the estates were rightfully prominent and I enjoyed learning more about the fishing and agriculture of the time. I did not know that by owning 8,000 acres along the river, Washington was our richest president.
Day 6 - Biking, swimming, and a movie
One of the traditions of the summer trips has been a bicycle ride so I booked the Monuments Tour with Bike N Roll. It was a leisurely five miles of dodging tourists on the Mall's sidewalks, being entertained and informed by a very good guide. Miles, who two years ago was nervous about going on a trail-behind with Grandpa, rode his own bike on this ride with very few problems. Go, Miles!
While we had seen most of the monuments on our walk on Monday, the guide's narration was a great way to help understand them better. Miles however did set the guide straight when he suggested the Pentagon is not a very interesting place. Having just studied Washington DC in 3rd grade with the Pentagon as his personal topic, Miles stated that the building was very interesting if one knew anything about it.
The inscription reads "Out of a Mountain of Despair, a Stone of Hope". The MLK and FDR monuments along the Tidal Basin are my favorites. Anne, just having read The Hemingses of Monticello, wondered if Jefferson should have been so honored with his memorial nearby.
After the ride, we returned to the hotel for a swim, a light supper, and then the boys and I metroed to see the Antman movie. A relaxing final day of our stay.
Day 7 - Home again
Based on a TripAdvisor comment, I used Uber to take us directly from our hotel to the BWI terminal at a cost similar to what we'd have paid on Amtrack. I'd not used Uber before and was amazed by the good service. We had leisurely lunch at BWI, an uneventful flight to MSP, and then a quick stop at the Mall of America to replace Paul's outgrown, water-soaked Merrell shoes and Miles's confiscated Swiss Army knife. Home with deli chicken.
Great trip with two great boys. I've started planning next year's adventure - hiking in the Grand Canyon. And the next year, and the next? Suggestions?
More photos for the terminally bored.
* former grandson road trips
- 2014 - St. Louis (no blog post?)
- 2013 - Northern MN
- 2012 - Wisconsin Dells
- 2011 - Black Hills
Uncle Brady, circa 1999:
Reader Comments (2)
So happy you had a great time and were able to visit during the one week this summer that hasn't been rainy. :-) You certainly covered a lot of territory.
Next time you come let me know and I'll get you into the Newseum for free. Nothing magic, just a membership benefit. Also, I might be able to get you a behind the scenes tour of the cathedral. It's an amazing building (A few shots from my last visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/assortedstuff/sets/72157638187594616).
Hi Tim,
I should have thought of you before heading to the area! Great photos of the Cathedral. The one common reaction I had this time to every place I visited was that I wished I had more time!
Doug