We got back home Sat. from our trip to Washington, D.C. We all had a great time - thanks to all the DIS'rs who helped me with planning & my last minute worries.
We arrived on July 3rd. Thanks to a thunderstorm in Chicago, our flight was changed & we ended up flying into Reagan instead of Baltimore. (that's good!
) Unfortunately, two of our bags didn't arrive. (the two belonged to my teen daughters - that's bad! 
) Luckily, the missing luggage was rescued & delivered by American to our hotel later that evening. (That is VERY good - try telling an 18 year old spending 2 weeks from home that she has no clothes, shoes or make-up!) We checked into the hotel & since our room was not ready, we walked a few blocks over through Lafayette Park & got a view of the White House.
Our first evening we went on a "moonlight monument" tour. The bus picked us up from our hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) and took us to see the White House, the Capitol building, numerous statues and government buildings, the FDR, Jefferson, WWII, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials. It was almost midnight by the time we got back to our hotel, but the tour was well worth it. The lighting at the monuments and memorials & the cooler evening temps made this a great way to see the sights.
July 4th - I was a bit worried about the crowds, but it ended up not being bad at all. We walked down to Constitution Avenue & got a spot in front one of the Smithsonian buildings to view the parade. Maybe I've been to WDW too many times, but we were all a little bit disappointed in the parade. Not that much bigger than our local hometown celebration. In the end, the heat beat us out & we left a bit early.
Headed back out for the evening festivities & decided to see if we could near the capitol grounds for the concert. We ended up quite accidently picking the right cross-street & ended about 40 feet to the right of the stage with a great view of the concert. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) was the MC - Jo Jo, a country singer whose name escapes me at the moment, Vanessa Williams & Michael Bolton sang, the National Symphony Orchestra played. Cuba Gooding Jr. came out & introduced the feature honoree - Steve Wonder! He sang several songs as the fireworks began to go off in the background over the Washington Monument. Spectacular!!!
The rest of the week was spent seeing the usual DC sites. We did get to see the baby Panda at the National Zoo. Had a wonderful dinner one night at Bobby Van's and also enjoyed the Old Ebbitt Grill, the Hard Rock Cafe & surprisingly, the hotel restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn.
After the 3rd night we moved to the Grand Hyatt - thank you Priceline. For $89 a night we found the hotel & its location to be a fantastic value. There was a Metro entrance from the lobby, which made getting around very easy (for the most part - more on that later). We did see the International Spy Museum and the Holocaust Museum - both very impressive each in their own way!
On the 15th, we took my older dd up to the University of Maryland at College Park for the National Student Leadership Conference. My dh flew home that day & my mom flew in. She had never been to DC before, so it was a treat to get to show her around all the sites.
As some of you know, I have a bad ankle from an injury last Fall. I ended up renting a scooter. I did okay with it the first week, but the second week was an adventure. My battery ran out one day while we were walking back from the Smithsonian - that was a joy. Called the rental company & the had us jiggle this & that & it turned out the battery had not charged properly. The next day I got stuck a inside the Metro station because the elevator was broken. Our only choice was to ride back to the previous stop to a working elevator - too far for the scooter once again & my dd ended up helping me limp & push it back to the hotel. After that the scooter stayed put & I just toughed it out.
We got a treat the last couple of days - based on a tip from a tour bus driver we made a stab at getting a tour of the Capitol. Turned out all the passes were distributed for the day, but the man at the info booth recommended we try to visit our congressman's office to get a pass for the gallery since the House was in session. So off we went to Ernest Istook's office - a very nice intern there offered to take us on the full tour! We got to see the Capitol as well as sit in the visitor's gallery during session - our timing was such that we got to hear Mr. Istook speak. We weren't expecting the tour so this was an unexpected highlight. So if you are planning on visiting DC plan in advance through your congressional office, but don't completely right it off if you don't get in booked in time - they may still be able to give you a tour!
Our last full day we rented a car & drove out to Charlottesville. We got to see Monticello (Jefferson's home), Montepelier (James & Dolly Madison) and Ashlawn-Highland (Monroe). My dd & I had seen Monticello before & we were returning because it was a memorable favorite, but Montepelier was an unexpected treasure - it is in the process of restoration & will be as rare a gem as Monticello and Mount Vernon when completed.
DD loved her conference & we all had a great time. 13 days was a BIT long - but we never ran out of things to do & still had some unfinished sites when we were all done. Just very happy to be home in my own bed! I won't miss the traffic & humidity of DC, but it was a great trip! Both my dd's studied US history at school this year & this trip made it all come alive for them. I plan on putting 1776 on my summer reading list! Feel free to ask questions - DC is a great family vacation.
We arrived on July 3rd. Thanks to a thunderstorm in Chicago, our flight was changed & we ended up flying into Reagan instead of Baltimore. (that's good!
) Unfortunately, two of our bags didn't arrive. (the two belonged to my teen daughters - that's bad! ) Luckily, the missing luggage was rescued & delivered by American to our hotel later that evening. (That is VERY good - try telling an 18 year old spending 2 weeks from home that she has no clothes, shoes or make-up!) We checked into the hotel & since our room was not ready, we walked a few blocks over through Lafayette Park & got a view of the White House.Our first evening we went on a "moonlight monument" tour. The bus picked us up from our hotel (Hilton Garden Inn) and took us to see the White House, the Capitol building, numerous statues and government buildings, the FDR, Jefferson, WWII, Iwo Jima, Vietnam, Korean and Lincoln Memorials. It was almost midnight by the time we got back to our hotel, but the tour was well worth it. The lighting at the monuments and memorials & the cooler evening temps made this a great way to see the sights.
July 4th - I was a bit worried about the crowds, but it ended up not being bad at all. We walked down to Constitution Avenue & got a spot in front one of the Smithsonian buildings to view the parade. Maybe I've been to WDW too many times, but we were all a little bit disappointed in the parade. Not that much bigger than our local hometown celebration. In the end, the heat beat us out & we left a bit early.
Headed back out for the evening festivities & decided to see if we could near the capitol grounds for the concert. We ended up quite accidently picking the right cross-street & ended about 40 feet to the right of the stage with a great view of the concert. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) was the MC - Jo Jo, a country singer whose name escapes me at the moment, Vanessa Williams & Michael Bolton sang, the National Symphony Orchestra played. Cuba Gooding Jr. came out & introduced the feature honoree - Steve Wonder! He sang several songs as the fireworks began to go off in the background over the Washington Monument. Spectacular!!!
The rest of the week was spent seeing the usual DC sites. We did get to see the baby Panda at the National Zoo. Had a wonderful dinner one night at Bobby Van's and also enjoyed the Old Ebbitt Grill, the Hard Rock Cafe & surprisingly, the hotel restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn.
After the 3rd night we moved to the Grand Hyatt - thank you Priceline. For $89 a night we found the hotel & its location to be a fantastic value. There was a Metro entrance from the lobby, which made getting around very easy (for the most part - more on that later). We did see the International Spy Museum and the Holocaust Museum - both very impressive each in their own way!
On the 15th, we took my older dd up to the University of Maryland at College Park for the National Student Leadership Conference. My dh flew home that day & my mom flew in. She had never been to DC before, so it was a treat to get to show her around all the sites.
As some of you know, I have a bad ankle from an injury last Fall. I ended up renting a scooter. I did okay with it the first week, but the second week was an adventure. My battery ran out one day while we were walking back from the Smithsonian - that was a joy. Called the rental company & the had us jiggle this & that & it turned out the battery had not charged properly. The next day I got stuck a inside the Metro station because the elevator was broken. Our only choice was to ride back to the previous stop to a working elevator - too far for the scooter once again & my dd ended up helping me limp & push it back to the hotel. After that the scooter stayed put & I just toughed it out.
We got a treat the last couple of days - based on a tip from a tour bus driver we made a stab at getting a tour of the Capitol. Turned out all the passes were distributed for the day, but the man at the info booth recommended we try to visit our congressman's office to get a pass for the gallery since the House was in session. So off we went to Ernest Istook's office - a very nice intern there offered to take us on the full tour! We got to see the Capitol as well as sit in the visitor's gallery during session - our timing was such that we got to hear Mr. Istook speak. We weren't expecting the tour so this was an unexpected highlight. So if you are planning on visiting DC plan in advance through your congressional office, but don't completely right it off if you don't get in booked in time - they may still be able to give you a tour!
Our last full day we rented a car & drove out to Charlottesville. We got to see Monticello (Jefferson's home), Montepelier (James & Dolly Madison) and Ashlawn-Highland (Monroe). My dd & I had seen Monticello before & we were returning because it was a memorable favorite, but Montepelier was an unexpected treasure - it is in the process of restoration & will be as rare a gem as Monticello and Mount Vernon when completed.
DD loved her conference & we all had a great time. 13 days was a BIT long - but we never ran out of things to do & still had some unfinished sites when we were all done. Just very happy to be home in my own bed! I won't miss the traffic & humidity of DC, but it was a great trip! Both my dd's studied US history at school this year & this trip made it all come alive for them. I plan on putting 1776 on my summer reading list! Feel free to ask questions - DC is a great family vacation.
