I think its safe to say that it was a bit overwhelming the amount of sightseeing we did in D.C.! The sheer volume of walking we did was not matched in any other place we visited in the U.S. We were very lucky to have stayed with Guy’s Peace Corp friend, Lindsey, and her boyfriend Will during our stay in D.C. They helped us navigate public transportation, made us delicious meals (Lindsey even packed us lunch!), and were overall very wonderful hosts.
The first day in the city we hit the Library of Congress, the Capitol and the Supreme Court. The sheer size of the buildings in D.C. is quite impressive, and the architecture of these buildings was quite stunning. I was pretty frustrated during our tour of the Library since I have trouble hearing and missed most of what was said. Despite that, the incredible artistic design kept me plenty occupied as I snapped dozens of photos of the beautiful interior. The U.S. Capitol was next on our list, and was as busy as I’m sure it ever is. We were one of many tour groups going through the building for a quite brief, but interesting look at (part of) the structure. I was relieved as we were all handed headsets so we’d be able to hear our guide loud and clear! At this point we raced over to the Supreme Court, so we’d be able to take a quick look through it before it closed for the day. Having never been to D.C., I was quite awestruck standing if front of these buildings, and thinking about the historical and present day significance these places hold for not only Americans, but people all around the world!
The next day in D.C. was devoted solely to the Smithsonian Museums. One could certainly spend an entire day (or couple of days) in any one museum. We decided since we might want to see different places at different paces, we should split up for the afternoon. With about 3-½ hours, I knew I wanted to look at 3 museums, and gave myself an hour at each (they‘re all free, after all!). I raced over to the Air and Space Museum first, to see things such as the Wright Brothers plane, Neil Armstrong’s space suit, and the hilarious flight attendant uniforms worn in the 60’s. From there, I headed to the Natural History Museum. On the way over, I walked through the Sculpture Garden, which was very nice, but made me realize the one we have in Minnesota is pretty nice too!
In the Natural History Museum I got to get a close up look at the hope diamond (amongst many other amazing jewels), an extensive collection of dinosaur bones, and real “stuffed animals” that actually didn’t creep me out! At this point I was actually right on my self-imposed schedule, and (amazingly) saw the majority of each museum. I’m sure I looked like a crazy-woman running through each building, but having only myself (vs. another person with me or a stroller) made it easier to go on the fly!
The final museum was probably my favorite: American History. Dorothy’s ruby slippers, Abraham Lincoln’s hat and all of the first lady’s dresses can be found in this museum. I definitely could’ve spent more time here (well, all of them really), and may have “accidentally” cut in line to catch a glimpse of the ruby slippers and Fonzie’s jacket, but I looked really quickly and got out as fast as I could…
When Guy and I met up to compare notes, we both went to the Natural and American History Museums, and Guy also went to African Art, which he liked quite a bit. We were definitely both exhausted, and ready to relax a bit! The night before we had met up with a few other Peace Corps friends, and met up again with them for dinner. We went to Ray’s Hell Burger, where Obama recently dined. The burgers were huge, but really scrumptious, and we walked to a gelato place where we squeezed in a bite of dessert.
Our final day in D.C. we spent traipsing across the Mall looking at all of the Monuments: Washington (only from the outside, we learned you have to reserve tickets months in advance ), Lincoln, WWII, Korean, Vietnam and a few smaller ones along the path. We finished the day at the White House (again, just outside), where we sat on a bench in the park across the street and just relaxed for awhile. There were a few protestors that threatened to ruin my experience, but Guy let me rant and rave for a bit to help me feel better about the weirdos out there. The police must be annoyed, amused or callous on a daily basis by the circus of freaks that pass by…
The magnanimous scale of D.C. was certainly a lot of absorb in a few days (but isn’t the whole trip?). The best thing about D.C…so much is free!
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