Just back from DC

[live4christp1]

......We had a fantastic time and did a ton of things. We walked well over 20 miles in 3 days, getting ready for WDW in 6 days.

Anyone want details?

 

[golfgal]

YES!!! We are going in October, where did you stay, what did you do, where did you eat?

 

[live4christp1]

YES!!! We are going in October, where did you stay, what did you do, where did you eat?

We stayed at the Comfort Inn Springfield VA and I would highly recommend it. The rooms were excellent! (we had 8 cub scout families altogether). They booked our rooms together. Each room has a nice size refrigerator and microwave. Free parking. Free shuttle to the Springfield/Franconia Metro station - the station is just a couple of minutes drive as well. They have a nice continental breakfast with a waffle iron to make your own waffles, cereal, bagels, toast, english muffins, danish, fruit, yogurt, boiled eggs, whole milk, skim, 2%, chocolate, orange juice, cranberry juice, coffee, hot tea. There also was coffee and hot tea available in the lobby 24 hours a day. The staff is friendly and efficient. My DD likes a cup of chocolate or strawberry milk before bedtime and there wasn't a gas station nearby. DH just went down to the desk and asked if they had chocolate milk and they went right away to get him 2 containers.

The hotel shares a pool with the Hampton Inn next door. It was not open the first day we were there and one of the moms complained.......it was ready the next afternoon! We did attempt to swim one afternoon but it was to cold still. Kids stayed in maybe 20 minutes, they were freezing.

The Springfield mall is just across the street. The only disadvantage was that other than the food court at the mall, there weren't many places to eat right there at the hotel. We did find several places within just a few minutes drive though, such as, TGIFridays, Outback, Subway, McDonalds, KFC, Quizno's, etc. The staff will gladly print off turn by turn directions to most anything including landmarks if you ask at the desk.

Will post more on what we did and saw shortly.

Cristy

 

[live4christp1]

We (4 of the 8 cub scout families) started our trip off at the Chattanooga National Cemetery on Saturday morning May 24 at 7:30 AM. The scouts and families took part in the ceremony followed by the placement of flags on each of the 45,000+ gravesites. We were finished there at 9:30 AM and set out for Springfield VA.

Arrived in Springfield around 7:30 PM from Chattanooga TN. We checked in and unloaded and headed over to the mall to grab some dinner. Several choices for dinner at the food court, we had Manchu Wok but it was not very good (should have gone with my gut instinct and just opted for Arby’s).

Sunday morning we headed out to the National Zoo. You can reach DC from the Springfield/Franconia metro station in about 25 – 35 minutes depending on which stop you are getting off at and what time of day, etc. for crowds. To get to the zoo from here you have to get off at Metro Center and make one transfer to another train. This was the first subway trip for several of the kids but by the end of the trip they all felt like pros.

The zoo was good, it took a lot longer than I had anticipated. We got there about 9:30/9:45 AM and weren’t finished until shortly after 4:00 PM (we did have lunch there). DS loved the zoo and says that along with seeing the President were the highlights of the trip for him, he is an animal fanatic, so any zoo pleases him. There were several animals that we didn’t see at all and only one of the Pandas out. But as you all know, zoo viewing is unpredictable. One family had arrived a day earlier and said they didn’t see any of the big cats at 2:00 PM as it was too hot and they were all hiding. We saw all the big cats at approximately the same time the next day.

We had planned to go into the National Mall area that afternoon but some of the kids wanted to swim. My two decided they’d like to swim also so we headed back to the hotel for a swim. The water was to cold to enjoy. We went to TGIFridays and ate dinner. It was okay but not anything spectacular. It was getting late and we needed to be up by 5:00 or 5:30 AM the next morning so we opted to turn in early and hit the mall area the next afternoon.

**Our family had intended to go to the Capital for the 8:00 PM Memorial Day concert but we didn't make it back down there. One of our families did go. They said it was extremely crowded. They had seats on the steps. They enjoyed the concert.
Coming Next: Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery.

 

[live4christp1]

Memorial Day (May 26th, 2008) at Arlington National Cemetery. In advance of our trip I had contacted the staff at Arlington National Cemetery for advice on when to arrive to make sure we were among the 5,000 admitted to the service in the Memorial Amphitheater and we were advised to be there at 7:00 AM. Two of our families opted not to go, one thought it was to long to make a child wait (service wasn’t until 11:00 AM) and the other was convinced by others that we would probably not get in as people would be camped out from 3 or 4 AM to get in. The other six families (to include ours) arrived at the gate shortly after 7:00 AM (gates do not open until 8:00 AM). The guard directed us to turn around and come back at 8:00. We asked if we could park along the side of road and wait and were told, “I can’t tell you TO PARK and I can’t tell you that you cannot”. Two of the moms got out and talked to them (there was only a hand full of people lined up at the gate at this point) and were told that soon there would be bus loads unloading and the first metro train arriving. So the moms all decided to get the kids out and get in line while the dads, turned the vans around again and lined up to enter the parking lot once opened. We were on the first bus load up to the theater and ended up 8 rows from the front. We entered at 8:00 AM and it was probably 8:30 AM when we were seated after the bus ride up the hill and going through security checks, etc. The wait was not to terribly bad. We could get up and exit the seating area to take the kids on a short walk and get some water, use the rest room, etc. The band played from about 10:00 AM to 11. When President Bush entered the cemetery they started the 21 gun salute, which we could hear resounding in the theater. It was not possible to view the wreath laying and also be in the seating area so we opted for the seating area but everything that was taking place on the other side at the Tomb of the Unknowns was narrated. The wait wasn’t to bad, we got to watch the snipers as they came in and took position (we couldn’t see them but we knew they were up there) the explosive dogs check out the area, political figures entering as well as talk to a lot of local folks seated around us. The kids (ranging in age from 4 years old up) did an excellent job and they all said seeing the President was worth the wait. It was the highlight of the trip for many of them. If you are ever in DC on Memorial Day……..GO SEE THIS…….it was a not to be missed event in my book and I’m considering going again. The other families (after hearing our report back) were kind of disappointed that they had opted not to go.

Parking at Arlington - There is plenty of parking at Arlington - generally it is $1.75 per hour for the first 3 or 4 hours then it goes to $2.00 an hour. However, parking was free on Memorial day until 1:00 PM.

UP NEXT: Lunch, National Museum of Natural History, The National Archives and visiting the monuments on the National Mall.

I'm trying to be brief so if you have questions please ask and I'll answer them as best as I can.

 

[live4christp1]

Once we left Arlington we headed over to eat some lunch at Chili’s in Springfield. We really enjoyed our meal there the food was fast and fresh and our waitress did a great job taking care of the 15 of us who decided to go to lunch together. Following lunch we drove over the S/F Metro station to park as parking was free on the holiday and took the Metro in to the Smithsonian stop.

We split up at this point with our family going to the National Museum of Natural History. The Memorial Day parade had ended just prior to our getting in to the National Mall area and to our surprise the area was considerably empty. We toured the museum without big crowds and had ample time to see everything including the Hope Diamond which we were told we wouldn’t be able to get close to because of the crowds. DH got some excellent photos of it. We finished up there and headed over to the National Archives building. The summer hours are extended and Archives were open until 7:00 PM (NMNH was open until 7:30 PM). We entered the building at 6:15 PM with absolutely no line whatsoever. There were very few people inside and we went straight to the Rotundra area to view the documents. We didn’t go through the entire building but did wander through some other areas until 7:00 PM. We exited the building at closing and stopped to get ice cream and drinks from a street vendor and sat enjoying them outside the Archives building.

After a short rest we walked down to the Capital and then proceeded to the other end of the Mall, it was getting dark at this point. We got some great photos of the Washington Monument and then headed right toward the White House. We took some photos of the White House from the gate. We proceeded onward to the World War II monument which is absolutely breathtaking at night. Took many photos there and then headed to the Lincoln monument. (Let me just say, it doesn’t look like it’s that far away, but trust me, it’s a hike). The monument at night was worth the walk though and it also is a sight to see at night, not to mention the view of the other monuments you have from the top of the steps. There is also a little museum area in the lower area of the monument. It was getting late and we were all tired so we headed for the nearest Metro station. BTW = the nearest metro station to the Lincoln monument is Foggy Bottom. From the monument it is about 8 or 9 blocks up hill through the George Washington University campus. This was a nice area and we felt safe enough, not many people out and about at this hour and there was some construction that had parts of the sidewalk closed. It was a long walk though after a very early start to the day with two tired kids. We boarded the metro and got back to the Comfort Inn a little after 11:00 PM it was pushing midnight when we turned in.

COMING UP: Capital building tour & evacuation, Native American Museum, National Museum of Air & Space, inside the Washington Monument, The Korean War memorial and Vietnam Wall.

ADVICE - Unless you plan to do the Tourmobile or something similar at $25.00 per person per day.......be prepared to walk, wear comfortable shoes and clothes. I think it is a 3 mile area from the capital to the Lincoln monument (which we made 3 trips down in one day not to mention the side items).

 

[SydneyBristow]

Great trip report.

 

[TEENEE]

Thanks for sharing. I'm anxiously waiting for the next chapter.

 

[live4christp1]

Tuesday May 27th (also my birthday BTW) – We have a tour of the Capitol building at 10:10 AM so we are up and ready to go at 8:30. Take the Metro to the Capitol South station (rush hour) and walk down Independence Avenue to retrieve our tickets. While awaiting the arrival of the remainder of our group sirens start going off and floods of people come pouring out of the building. We later learned that it was a fire drill, this put us a little behind schedule as it was almost 11:00 when we got started on our tour.

Side note - One of the families went into DC early that morning on the 7:00 AM train and got tickets for our entire group to go into the Federal Bureau of Printing and Engraving at time slots of 12:30 and 1:15. They also got tickets for the entire group to go into the Washington Monument at 2:30.

Back to the Capitol. We were joined by several young ladies from Chile which DS took an immediate liking to and stayed with them throughout the tour. Inside the building is absolutely beautiful. So much time and talent went into the artwork of the building, it’s amazing. Our tour guide pointed out interesting points of different pieces and the kids got to ask lots of questions. We also had the special privilege of entering a room they said was usually not open, it is where the first senate met…..with George Washington’s original desk. The tour was very interesting, someone else had told me that they really felt it wasn’t worth the time but we enjoyed it. Our guide also gave us tickets to the Senate Gallery, some of our group went and others did not as it was close to 12:00 and to hit the time for the other tour at the opposite end of the mall was cutting it close.

AROUND THE CORNER: National Museum of Native Americans (I'm not sure if I worded that correctly or not)

 

[live4christp1]

Okay, I just looked it up and the correct term is National Museum of the American Indian. This is a beautiful, beautiful building. Our family had already planned to tour this building before we were informed that the other family had the passes for the Printing and Engraving. We opted to tour this museum, other went to the printing & engraving tour. They really enjoyed the tour there. While the NMAI was not totally what I expected, it was enjoyable over all. We needed some lunch upon arrival so we check out the food court area which features five different stand all related to one region of American Indian. They did have kids meals at one of the stands including chicken tenders, hamburgers, cheeseburgers with frieS. There was also a good selection of fruits, fruit juices, desserts, etc. I’m not a very adventurous eater so I opted for some fruit. DH had a plate with two soft tacos with a chicken mixture on them served with salsa and cheese. The selections were pretty expensive with the kids meals consisting of 3 tenders and fries for $8.75. I think DH’s plate was $12+. The museum has a level devoted to the dress of the Indians and it was probably the most fascinating to me. There are some beautiful items there. There are also sections of hand made toys, beadwork (which is also amazing), dolls, arrowheads, guns, knives…….and lots of info. They also had a drum group come in at 2:00, they actually started about 5 minutes early so we got to stay and listen to them for a few minutes. It appears that this museum has lots of space to expand as items are added, I think it is a relatively new facility. We left the museum about 2:05 to head to the Washington Monument for our 2:30 tour (did I mention it is at the other end of the mall).

We made good time and got to the Washington Monument about 2:25 PM and joined our group. We didn’t have to wait very long for admittance, went through the security check and had a seat in the waiting area, at which time my DH decides to lead everyone in singing “happy birthday” to me, this brought most of the staff to look and see what was going on, thanks dear! We boarded the elevator to proceed 555 ft and 5/8 inches to the top (I think those numbers are correct). You have an amazing view from up at the top. Please be advised, if you do not order tickets in advance you need to be in line by or before 7:00 AM. They give them until they run out. One of our families tried for Sunday morning but they ran out about 20 people in front of them. We were very fortunate for the family from our group to be able to get passes for our entire group Tuesday morning. If you have never done this, everyone should at least once. Be advised though, you can feel the tower swaying at the top – I think they said it goes either way by about 8 inches. We spent a fair amount of time up top before taking the elevator back down.

NEXT – WE HEAD BACK DOWN TO THE OTHER END OF THE MALL….

 

[live4christp1]

Our next stop brings us back down the mall to the National Air & Space Museum. This is a huge exhibit. We could have spent hours, upon hours in here. We did spend over two hours there but we didn’t read everything. The food court here has a McDonald’s, a pizza place, and a Boston Market (we don’t have a Boston Market here anymore and it’s been so long……note to self, next time do Air & Space at meal time). There are so many things to see here, planes, helicopters, rockets, space shuttle, on and on. (We did stop and grab some Powerade on the way down the mall before entering the museum-trying to keep everyone hydrated while we run back and forth).

After touring the museum we start back up the mall back toward the Washington Monument – we had hurried back down to the NASM because we thought they closed at 5:30 but they were indeed open until 7:30 that evening. So no matter what the door or website says, check by calling the museum or popping in and asking. We could have saved a trip back down the mall if we would have known they were open later. Did I mention this is I think trip #4 on the 3 mile National Mall.......

Along the way we stop at the beautiful rose garden. There are so many pretty flowers and the smell is heavenly. We took pictures of the flowers and of the kids among the flowers. This trip up the mall was a more leisurely stroll and not a mad dash. We took some time to admire the architecture of the buildings etc along the way.

Once we reach the Washington monument again, we go over to the WWII monument again and take some more pictures during the day. Then we head left to the Korean war monument. My dad is a Korean War Veteran so it was special for me to see this memorial. The soldiers eyes seem to be following you as you move about the memorial area. We spend some quiet time here reading and taking pictures. Next we cross over in front of the Lincoln Monument over to the Vietnam wall. DS wants to know how many names are there and asks a ranger. There are 58,270 names on the wall. They were in the midst of removing the articles left for the Memorial Day Holiday. One of the volunteers said that they archive these items and store them. There were pictures, letters, flowers, flags, notes, Bibles, statues, medals, a baseball, all sorts of things left at the wall. We finished our visit here at around 7:30 and head back to the Foggy Bottom metro station to return to Springfield.

We meet some of our group at Outback in Springfield for dinner and birthday celebration. It was a wonderful ending to a busy but great day! It will be a birthday I will forever remember. We had requested a tour of the White House for this day and had been a little disappointed that we weren’t going to get to visit it. Even without the White House tour this was a wonderful few days in Washington DC. A trip that we, along with our children will long remember.

IWO JIMA and Heading home are up next.
Sorry but I have to go home now so you will have to wait until tomorrow for me to finish this.

 

[Mischa]

Great trip report!

Having lived around DC and currently work in DC - I have to say that is one of the best reports I've read. Sounds like you all had a great time.

To anyone thinking of visiting DC - The Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP) can be a fascinating place and I highly recommend the tour. I worked at BEP for 10 years and whenever I could sneak away for the tour I would!

Also, if you can get tickets for the White House tour - that is also cool - especially if you are visiting around Christmas time! That is a must!

Just my 2 cents!

 

[live4christp1]

Great trip report!

Having lived around DC and currently work in DC - I have to say that is one of the best reports I've read. Sounds like you all had a great time.

To anyone thinking of visiting DC - The Bureau of Engraving & Printing (BEP) can be a fascinating place and I highly recommend the tour. I worked at BEP for 10 years and whenever I could sneak away for the tour I would!

Also, if you can get tickets for the White House tour - that is also cool - especially if you are visiting around Christmas time! That is a must!

Just my 2 cents!

Thanks! Can you please tell me if it is possible to get White House tour tickets for a family of four and if yes, how to go about doing it. The only info I have been able to find is for group tours. We did request our group tour first of January by going thourgh the congressman's office, submitting names, SS#, etc. and were denied because we were not exactly 6 months from requested date.

We would like to go back again just our family of 4 - while going with the group was fun we tend to cover more ground alone and enjoyed the time when we split up from the group. It is a log quicker to only have to wait for 3 other people to go potty than for a group of 15 or more.

***** I'll try to finish this up shortly *****

 

[Mischa]

Thanks! Can you please tell me if it is possible to get White House tour tickets for a family of four and if yes, how to go about doing it. The only info I have been able to find is for group tours. We did request our group tour first of January by going thourgh the congressman's office, submitting names, SS#, etc. and were denied because we were not exactly 6 months from requested date.

We would like to go back again just our family of 4 - while going with the group was fun we tend to cover more ground alone and enjoyed the time when we split up from the group. It is a log quicker to only have to wait for 3 other people to go potty than for a group of 15 or more.

***** I'll try to finish this up shortly *****

I haven't done the whole DC tour thing in a long time, but...from what I understand you can get tickets for the White House tour but the tickets are given on a daily basis - first come/first serve (at the White House Visitor's Center). Last time we did that we had to get up extra early to stand in line for tickets. I found a phone number I had in my rolodex that may answer any questions: (202) 208-1631.

There is also now a Spy Museum (I think it's on F Street NW). I haven't visited there yet - but it's on my list of things to do.

Hope the info helps!

 

[ilisao]

Thanks! Can you please tell me if it is possible to get White House tour tickets for a family of four and if yes, how to go about doing it. The only info I have been able to find is for group tours. We did request our group tour first of January by going thourgh the congressman's office, submitting names, SS#, etc. and were denied because we were not exactly 6 months from requested date.

We would like to go back again just our family of 4 - while going with the group was fun we tend to cover more ground alone and enjoyed the time when we split up from the group. It is a log quicker to only have to wait for 3 other people to go potty than for a group of 15 or more.

***** I'll try to finish this up shortly *****

White House tours are given to groups of 10 or more and are arranged through a Member of Congress. If you are a party of less than ten like in your case, the member's office will put together a group which will consist of various constituents in town at that time. The procedure is the same as you did.

General tours are self-guided though members of the Secret Service Uniformed Division are stationed throughout the rooms to answer any questions you may have (and they are wealth of info; I have yet to stump them with any question).

Keep in mind there is NEVER a guarantee that you will get your White House tour. Even if you are approved (and approval won't come until about a month or so prior to your requested date), the tour can always be cancelled due to a special event.

 

[ilisao]

]I haven't done the whole DC tour thing in a long time, but...from what I understand you can get tickets for the White House tour but the tickets are given on a daily basis - first come/first serve (at the White House Visitor's Center). Last time we did that we had to get up extra early to stand in line for tickets. I found a phone number I had in my rolodex that may answer any questions: (202) 208-1631.[/B]
There is also now a Spy Museum (I think it's on F Street NW). I haven't visited there yet - but it's on my list of things to do.

Hope the info helps!

That has not been in effect since around 9/11.

 

[live4christp1]

Wednesday May 28, 2008 – Most of us slept in a little later today. Packing up things and loading to go home. The kids are a little sad to be leaving but a quick reminder that we will be headed to WDW in one week lifts their spirits. We have decided, along with two other families, to drive over to the Monument for the Marines, Iwo Jima before heading back to Tennessee. It’s a short drive from the hotel to the monument. All I can say is WOW! It’s huge. From the pictures I’d never imagined how big it is, it must tower over you by about 6 stories. It is breathtaking! I am so glad we decided to make this last stop. There were a few tour buses there when we arrived but they were gone about 15 minutes later and there weren’t very many people around at all so we got some great photos. This was a perfect ending to a wonderful trip!
IN CLOSING – If you have not been to DC, please add it to your list of things to do. It was amazing, inspiring, moving, there is so much history there. Here I am already trying to figure out how to get back there. DS is crossing to a boy scout troop on June 16th and this troop is going to DC July 7th – 13th, hmmmmm maybe I can figure a way to work that out. LOL! There are many more things to do than could physically be done in one trip, kind of like WDW, but different.

As far as food goes in The Mall area, I’m sorry I can’t give much info on that as other than the museum café’s and the street vendors, we really didn’t see a lot. We never made it over to Union Station and didn’t venture down the side streets beyond the mall except to get on or off the metro.

Next trip I know I need to do a little more research. We were not prepared for how far the stops where from the mall and had some trouble locating them. It was quicker to just walk it than to look for the stops.

WORDS OF ADVICE
1. Be prepared - do research as if you were planning your WDW trip.
2. When they say no bottled liquids, they mean no bottled liquids, not even water. We had a family that had to pour drink and pour out several bottles of water before entering the capitol building.
3. Take some time to enjoy the beauty and history around you.
4. If you want tickets for the attractions that do require timed tickets either order them online or be in line before 7:00 AM to get them. They are generally all gone by 7:20ish (that’s for the whole day). It must have been some fluke following the holiday that we were able to get tickets for the Washington Monument and Bureau of Printing & Engraving for our entire group, we had requested them via group registration in advance and told they were all gone except for the block of tickets they reserve to disperse to the public on the morning of.
5. Brush up on your history – I was shocked at how much of our history I have forgotten since high school.
6. If you have kids, stop at one of the ranger stations when you first get to the National Mall area, they can pick up a Jr. Ranger book and it has some fun little things they can do at each monument. When they are finished you take it back to the ranger station and they get a Jr. Ranger badge.

I must say, I was so very proud of our kids and also the other scouts who went along. They were well behaved. Before our trip I had stressed to our DD & DS that the cemetery, monuments were solemn places, to be respectful, etc. They did a great job of waiting at Arlington Cemetery and never once complained. The guards and rangers do reprimand those who are not being respectful, we saw this happen several times. This trip will be forever remembered and I hope it gives our kids a great sense of pride and patriotism in knowing much of the history behind our nation and seeing the enormous sacrifice made by others who have given so much in the pursuit of our nation’s freedom.

From the Korean War Memorial – “Our Nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”

From the WWII Memorial – “They fought together as brothers-in-arms. They died together and now they sleep side by side. To them we have a solemn obligation.” Admiral Chester W. Nimitz.

From the Iwo Jima Monument – “Uncommon Valor was a Common Virtue”

From President Bush’s Memorial Day address – “And so today, here in Washington and across our country, we pay tribute to all who have fallen – a tribute never equal to the debt they are owed. We will forever honor their memories. We will forever search for their comrades, the POWs and MIAs. And we pledge – we offer a solemn pledge to persevere and to provide the security for our citizens and secure the peace for which they fought.”

 

[live4christp1]

National Mall Info:

It would have helped me to have had this layout before hand.

If you are at the Capitol facing the Washington Monument Independence Avenue is to your far left and Jefferson Drive is center left. From the capitol here are the museums in order American Indian Museum, Air & Space Museum, Hirshhorn Museum, Arts and Industries, Smithsonian Castle Information Center, behind this building African Art Museum & Sackler Gallery, Ripley Center International Gallery, Freer. The beautiful Folger Rose Garden is in front of the Arts & Industries building.

To the right from the Capitol Building far right is Constitution Avenue and center right is Madison Drive. In order of appearance National Gallery of Art East Building, NGA West Building, Sculpture Garden, Natural History Museum, American History Museum. The National Archives Building is behind the Natural History Museum and sculpture garden, we walked down to 7th street from the NHM and turned left to the next block. Also another block over is the Reynolds Center American Art Museum Portrait Gallery.

The Washington Monument is at the middle point of the mall. The White House will be to the right if you are facing the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, the Boy Scout Monument is in the area leading to the White House. The WWII memorial is the first one you come to after passing either direction around the Washington Monument. Pass the reflecting pool on either side leading to the Lincoln Monument. The Korean War Memorial is to the left from the Lincoln Monument and the Vietnam wall is to the right from the Lincoln Monument.

Hope this helps those planning future trips!

 

[TEENEE]

Thanks for sharing. I love DC. For anyone that has not been I too highly recommend it. Many people don't realize admission to all of the musuems, monuments and the zoo are free. It's a great place for a family vacation.

 

[live4christp1]

Things I'm sorry we didn't make it too and will make sure to hit on the next trip:

The White House Visitor's Center - was never by there during open hours. We had to have walked right past the Boy Scout Memorial but didn't realize it until later. The American History Musuem (closed for renovations). I'm sure there are a ton of other things I'll think of later but these are on my next must do list.