The Presidential Suite

I travel quite a bit. Not as much as I would like. If I could do it for a living, I would.  I have been to several different countries, many different states, cities, and capitals…but never to “The Capitol”.  The place where leaders of our country work to attain our freedoms and rights as citizens…where there are more museums than there are Starbucks…and…where job turnover has been at an all-time high in the last 6 months. Check your Twitter feed. 

D.C. is fabulous. A friend of mine went for work, and I graciously accepted the tag-along invite.  It was also my birthday (week).  Kind of a big one.  Happy Birthday to me…all week long.  Big city. Good eats. Lots to do. And LOTS of history.  And unlike some bigger cities, it is very clean. With any new city I visit…I had my laundry list of things I wanted to conquer…and I successfully checked them off one by one.

One of the coolest things I think we did was going to the National Archives Museum to see the Constitution and the Declaration of the Independence.  History that we have learned about since grade school and celebrate every single year sitting right in front of me.  You can’t take pictures, or I would have been all over that. 😁 Thanks, Smithsonian people, for being so selfish and ruining my day.  

The International Spy Museum.  Marci’s pick. D.C. is known to be a “cheap” place to visit due to all of the free museums and such.  The International Spy Museum is actually one you have to pay for.  It wouldn’t be the first place I would recommend, but it was pretty interesting.  If you are a James Bond fan, this is your place to go.  Pretty sure I would be a fantastic Spy.  #BondGirl

I acted like the average D.C. tourist and hit up every single Smithsonian, memorial, monument, etc. that I could squeeze in in 4 days.  This is how it went:

Ford’s Theater

Four Scores and many years ago.  Where the famed president got shot by an actor that was cast in performances in this very theater.  Who knew James Wilkes Booth was an actor?!  Very interesting, enlightening, and informational.  I also got to tour the Peterson House which was right across the street.  It’s where Abraham Lincoln actually passed away.

The National Museum of American History

HUGE.  #COULDSPENDALLDAYINHERE  My undiagnosed ADD eventually took over.  Lots of awesome, interesting information that all of us can relate to.  Well…maybe not The Swede.  The most interesting thing about it…you can find the very first American flag housed here.  So cool.  It was big.  Unfortunately…you can’t take pics.

Arlington National Cemetery

This place was huge…and probably the reason I clocked 30,000 steps this day.  If you ever go to D.C., put this on your list.  Presidents John F. Kennedy and William Taft are both buried here…along with the beloved Jackie O and several other Kennedys.  It is also the home of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is has been guarded 24/7 since July 2, 1937.  Read about it here.

The National Air and Space Museum

If you like planes, space ships, and pretty much anything that flies, this is your dig.  I didn’t get to spend much time here, but it was really neat.  It features the Wright Brothers (whom you should thank for the ability to travel across seas [without taking a boat], get somewhere in a fraction of the time, and fulfill your instant gratification with next day air shipping), Amelia Earhart, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and many other space heroes, The Sprite of St. Louis, and lots, lots more.  The best part…the awesome Virtual Space Ride.  Big kid right here. 🙋🏼🙋🏼🙋🏼

The United States Holocaust Museum

I left this museum with an extremely heavy heart.  This is a period of history that we read and learn about…but very seldom talk about.  It’s a period of time where people who didn’t live through it will never understand or grasp the incomprehensible cruelty that people expelled on innocent human beings.  It too is a museum that you can spend many hours in.  It’s easy to get lost in disbelief.  And as it might not sound like it after I have said this…it should definitely be at the top of anyone’s list.

Capitol Hill 

You can’t visit the capital city and not visit “The Capitol”.  There is so much to do and see up on the hill in The Presidential Suite….and I tried cram in everything I could.  One of my favorite buildings, The Library of Congress, was by far one of the prettiest.  The architecture was amazing.  And as in any building in D.C., there is lots to look at it and read.  It houses Thomas Jefferson’s library, and one of the coolest researching libraries I have ever seen.

 

The Supreme Courthouse was neat.  It was somewhat underwhelming in comparison, but seeing the actual court room was neat.

And lastly but certainly not least…the Capitol itself….

Monuments and Memorials

The presidential monuments and memorials are fantastic…and you must see them at night.   We saw the big three, The Washington Monument, The Lincoln Memorial, and The Jefferson Memorial, along with the WWII Memorial (which I thought was one of the prettiest).

Every night, after nonstop days, we hit up some awesome places for eats and drinks.  I would recommend each one of them.

Old Ebbitt Grill:  Washington’s oldest bar and restaurant.  Iconic tavern-like dig with cozy, green velvet booth and delicious crab cakes!

Barcelona:  Awesome tapas/winebar place that seemed to be the “in” place to be.   The wait was an hour and a half on a Thursday night.  Make a reservation. The crepes we had for dessert were freaking awesome.  I’m pretty sure we told every restaurant we went to that it was my birthday so we would get dessert.  Best. decision. ever. 😝😋😁

Ambar:  An all-you-can-eat and drink Balkan (Mediterranean-ish) tapas place.  You get a menu of delicious Mediterranean tapas and drinks…and you can order until your little heart desires.  It was really good. And this empty plate is the only pic I got.🤷🏼‍♀️

Georgetown

The last day of the D.C. extravaganza (my day of birth) was spent in Georgetown.  It’s a super cute (and super expensive to live in) neighborhood full of shops, coffee joints, and good eats.  Birthday brunch at Farmers Fishers Bakers was definitely the best decision I made that day.😋

The houses were all so cute…and the buildings were quaint and quirky.

Annnnnnddddddd….this staircase, that is located right in the middle of Georgetown’s campus, was featured in The Exorcist.  The one and only movie Gaylon has walked out on in the theater.

Non-stop, informational, and over all…fantastic trip.  Would love to go back!  Here are a few random pics (because there aren’t already enough) to round it off.  (Hover over pics for captions.)

Side Notes:

• In Maryland, right outside of D.C., they have an entire storefront dedicated to this  tasteless, edible chick that some people classify as candy.  Such an insult. 

• PB&J has taken on a new form.  And they aren’t terrible.  They aren’t fantastic either.  
• Finished the newest season of Orange is the New Black.  It sloooooooooowwwwly got a little better, but it definitely was not the best season.  Probably the worst actually.  Netflix…please step up your game.  I can only handle so much disappointment. 
• My mom turned the big 6-0 three short days after my birthday.  Every year I can’t help thinking about what a fantastic birthday present I was a few years back. 😂😂😂  She is 60 years young, wise, and fabulous…and I’m thankful each and every day for her. Love her to pieces. ❤️❤️❤️
• I learned a new word the other day.  “Plandid“.  A planned photo that is supposed to appear candid.  If you check out Instagram, it is covered with nonchalant “plandids” that mimic cutesy “I’m not looking at the camera, but I really am” photos.  I can’t imagine.  I’m going to go out on a limb and say they look a little something like this…

Big Hugs.  Lots of Love.

P.M.T.