Washington D.C. Trip

Ever since moving out to North Carolina, Josh has really wanted to visit Washington D.C. We finally got that opportunity this past weekend when Josh was able to get a day off work so we have a three day weekend in Washington D.C. We stayed in Arlington, V.A. a short shuttle and metro ride away from downtown and planned out a very full weekend.

Starting at Union Station we made our way down past the Supreme Court and into the Library of Congress eager to see an original Gutenberg Bible and the Giant Bible of Mainz as well as the reading room. Right across the street is the backside of the U.S. Capitol where we proceeded to take many pictures enjoying both the tulips in bloom, the water fountains, and the tourists not knowing where they wanted to go. 

Above: The Supreme Court

Above: The Library of Congress

Above & Below: Backside of the Capitol

Above: The view of the mall from the Capitol

We passed the Capitol reflecting pool and the Ulysses S. Grant Memorial and had lunch at a bench nearby. Then we entered the National Air and Space Museum of which we were told is one of the best of the Smithsonian. We enjoyed learning about planes, and spaceships, the moon, and space. It was a very crowded day in the Museum and we decided to take a moment to relax in the huge Imax theater and see Hubble 3D which was a film about the history and the last repair of the Hubble and saw some of the incredible pictures it has taken. After the film was over we headed across the mall (which is currently being repaired and looked ugly) to the National History Museum where Nicole thoroughly enjoyed the exhibit full of the world’s best pictures. We visited the National American History Museum. We wandered up the street to find Ford’s Theater (where Lincoln was shot) and the house where Lincoln died, but unfortunately the theater was closed and the house was packed! By this time we were really hungry and decided to take the Metro to this place called Ray’s Hell Burger. The travel channel called it one of D.C.’s top 10 best restaurants so we decided to give this “hellish adventure” a try. A made to order burger that is too big for your mouth with a decent price, we enjoyed ourselves! Below is a pictures of the restaurant.

We ended the day by driving into D.C. at night to admire the memorials from afar. Below is one of the pictures we took during our drive.

The following day we took the metro to the spy museum and enjoyed spending the morning pretending to be a spy and learning more about real spies and their tricks. After the museum we proceeded to walk to the back lawn of the white house and take a few pictures among many others. 

There was a parade going on this day and we had to dart across, while it had paused so we could finish exploring. We enjoyed our lunch in front of the Washington Monument with a view of the parade. After eating a scrumptious meal we headed towards all the memorials to take pictures. 

Above: World War II Memorial

Above: Vietnam Memorial

Above: 3 Soldiers Memorial

Above: Lincoln Memorial

Above: Korean War Memorial

Above: FDR Memorial

Above: Jefferson Memorial

Above: National Archives

There is this awesome bike company in D.C. that has stations all over the city and all you have to do is pay a fee and rent the bike, ride around, and return it wherever they have a location throughout the city. After returning the bikes we were very eager to see the original Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After waiting in a line to get into the building, we had to wait in another line just to see these documents. But, they were worth it. Then we took the metro almost to Maryland were the National Zoo is. The best part about this zoo is that it’s free! Being late afternoon, a lot of the animals had already been put away or gone to sleep, but we did get to see panda’s, an elephant, a komodo dragon, and several other small mammals and reptiles. Below are a few pictures from the zoo.

After taking the metro back to our hotel we drove back into the city to find our dinner and explore the monuments at night. We found a free three hour parking lot and walked into the city past the Washington Monument. We stumbled upon Harry and Harriet’s and the Pulled Pork Sandwich caught Josh’s eye. We enjoyed chili cheese fries with our meal! Yum! After dinner we walked to the front of the White House and took some pictures enjoying the luminous House. Then we rented bikes again and cruised through some of the memorials back to our car. What a day! Below are some of the pictures we took during our evening on the town!

Our last day in D.C. we spent most of our time at the Arlington National Cemetery. This is one of the things I remember most about my 8^th grade trip to D.C. We got there just in time to watch the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It is an honoring ceremony. We also got to witness the laying of the wreath from both a school and a Boy Scout troop. Afterwards we walked around the cemetery observing the various memorials. Eventually we made our way to President JFK’s memorial and gravesite along with his brother Robert. We ended our trip at the cemetery visiting President William Howard Taft’s gravesite. Before leaving to drive home we stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial. 

Above: Changing of the Guard Ceremony

Above: Laying of the Wreath

Above: JFK Memorial & Gravesite

Above & Below: Iwo Jima Memorial

What an incredible weekend we had and we are so thankful to be living so close to all of this history. After the end of our trip we totaled the amount of walking we had done: 30 miles!