Our Washington DC Trip

   With only 2 students in school, we put in our name quite some time ago to go along on a High School class trip to Washington D.C. There were 12 in the group this time, including our son, JS.
With the distance we have to travel, our school makes a 5 day trip of it. The students were doing fundraisers all year to raise the money.

I have not been in DC since my senior trip in '89. Wowsers! 24 years.

Day 1-
Get up early. Drive to DC. Park at our hotel and learn how to ride the Metro to get around. Go to the Air & Space Museum and watch the old classic "To Fly" (who hasn't seen it at A&SM?) Walk to the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. Very cool.

Check into hotel, freshen up, then walk to 'The Vantage Point' restaurant on the 17th floor of a hotel. Awesome view, great food. Walk back to hotel and fall into bed. 

Day 2-

Go to Bureau of Engraving & Printing to watch money being made. [That's a cool million in $10 bills]. Like the sign "How do you think I feel? I just printed my lifetime salary in a couple minutes."



Go to the Capital and meet our Congressman. Take a tour of the Capital building with his intern. 

That's some fascinating architecture in that room right there.

Sit in on a bit of a House session. Marvel that anyone knows what their doing- it sure looks like they're just milling about talking, not voting.

Retrieve bags, umbrellas & food from the Congressman's office.

Find a street vendor and pay DC prices for lunch. Best hot dog I had in a long time. Seriously. 

Sit through a bit of a Senate session. Umm, Mr. Senator, do you know you're presenting arguments to an empty room, save Madam President and the visitors gallery? Sorry, I sure don't get how government works!

Go to the Supreme Court. Is that cool or what? -a life size photo of the building to cover the scaffolding during remodeling. Why didn't we think of that when we remodeled?!

Excellent tour guide there.   

Walk to the National Archives. Stand in a long line to see amazing documents like Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Learn to [politely] push & shove your way to the front since you're too short to see over everyone's shoulder.

 

Stop for group photos at a gazillion places. 

 Metro back to hotel, order in pizza, rest our tired feet.

Set out on the famous/infamous [for our school] night time memorial walk.

It's a 3 mile trek. Well worth the effort though.  

 Finish up at 11pm. Wait ...and wait... and wait for a taxi. Worry about missing the last Metro. Shiver. Make predictions about sleeping outside all night. Learn never to call a certain cab company. Shiver some more. Miss the last Metro. Try to keep in perspective that some day we're gonna have a good laugh about this. Hail a random cab. Worry about sending 4 students off with a complete stranger. Hail another random cab and experience our own first taxi ride (for once fate was on our side and we got a very talkative, interesting cab driver -he was hilarious!) Feel so relieved to be back at the hotel that we tip the driver extra and consider it money well spent. Hey, someone got their wish- a "capsi" ride! [inside joke] Fall into bed at 12:45am.    

Day 3-

   Go to Ford's Theatre. See artifacts connected to Lincoln's assassination and watch a production in the theatre [this is the presidential box where he was shot].  





Cross the street and tour the house where Lincoln died.

Shop for souvenirs.

Walk to the White House. Take obligatory photos. 

[Note: the barricades are back a little farther than usual due to the Boston Marathon bombing.] 

 Tour the White House Museum (which is really just a trailer with a film about the W.H. since the real museum is closed for remodeling). Fight to stay awake during the film.

Walk to the Museum of American History. Take a quick spin through the First Ladies gallery (C) or the GM gallery (R) but soon decide sitting outside would be more pleasant than a crowded museum. Kick your shoes off and wriggle your toes to get the blood flowing in your aching extremities.

Walk to the Holocaust Museum. Spend 2 hours trying to process the horrors.

Metro to Union Station and feast on burgers in the Thunder Grill as the trains thunder in & out of the station below you (yes, the whole building vibrates). Discover after sitting for an hour that your joints are so stiff & sore that you can hardly get moving again.

Metro back toward the hotel and slosh through the pouring rain for 3 blocks. Hallelujah! We did not carry umbrellas around all day for nothing.

Debrief with the students, while drinking honey-cinnamon tea and praying it will work it's magic on your aching joints. Feel embarrassed because everyone jumps up and offers you their seat because you are moving like a little old grandma. (Yes, I knew I should have been "training" for all the walking but I simply didn't have time with my packed schedule the last couple weeks.)  

 

Day 4-

   Wake up feeling less sore, but drink another cup of cinnamon honey tea anyway. Drive to Mt. Vernon. The rain dropped the temp 30* overnight; shiver and feel grateful for your souvenir hoodie.

Browse the museum- taking in such marvels as Washington's dentures & collect Martha Washington's recipes... Tour the house and marvel at George's ingenious inventions and Martha's stamina to host massive amounts of company here.

   Check out other items of interest around the large estate, including the graves of the couple.

Do your part to support the preservation of the estate by purchasing [overpriced] lunch at the food court. Snag the last table in the sun at the outdoor dining area and shiver through your meal. There were plenty of tables inside but we were doing it for the experience. ha.

 

Return to DC and head for Arlington Cemetery.

Thank the Lord for sending the sun to warm the air. 

Take obligatory photos of the cherry blossoms.   

Walk very fast to make it to the Tomb of the Unknown in time to witness the 2:30 Changing of the Guard. Stay for the 3:00 Changing, and a double 'Laying of the Wreath' ceremony.  

Feel impressed with the extreme dedication.

Feel sad that society doesn't exert the same honor & respect for God.

View Kennedy's grave with it's famous eternal flame.

Wait and wait for a Metro. Miss getting into Library of Congress.

Return to Air & Space Museum for another IMAX film, Air Racers 3D.

"Marinate" on the mall for awhile, then mosey down the street until we find a souvenir stand for last minute purchases.

Go to TGI Fridays for supper. Splurge because fundraiser money is paying the bill.

Metro back to the hotel. Another debriefing with a tired bunch.

 

Day 5-

   Sleep in a wee bit, pack up and check out of the hotel. Drive to National Cathedral. Take pictures in the garden; huddle together to keep from freezing. Crack up at the jokes of the guy who offers to take

our group photos.

  

 Tour the cathedral. See where Helen Keller is buried in the cathedral. Be impressed by the acoustics when the choir sings, but hate how the organ echoes so loud you can't figure out where they are in the song to help sing along with the congregational singing. Feel grateful our home church service doesn't involve so much sitting & standing & group recitation that a bulletin is required to keep up. 

Leave DC around noon and drive home. Stop at a Western Sizzling along the way.

Laugh until your sides ache at the guys, who are getting more & more jacked on caffeine/pop the longer your drive. Feel content when they deem this "the best trip ever"!

Fall into bed, exhausted, but with memories to last a lifetime. 

Thanks, T&J and students, for an awesome experience!