Doing D.C.

Last week during spring break we ventured to Washington D.C. After experiencing Boston last March with temperatures in the single digits, I can’t say it was the coldest we’ve ever been. But, D.C. certainly wasn’t warm.

The Spouse and I hadn’t been to the capital in recent years, and the girls had never been. So, what we didn’t think through was how much walking is required to get around there. We used Uber and Lyft for our very longest treks, but I think we still logged close to eleven miles on foot on our first day. The Kindergartener spent most of her time on the Spouse’s shoulders, but we heard quite a bit from the other two about how their legs were “about to fall off.” My mom went along, too, and she mentioned several times that she should have done some sort of aerobic training beforehand. I’m sure some treadmill time and maybe a little Cross Fit would have been particularly helpful since her assigned “buddy” in the museums was the Kindergartener.

Apart from improper training, my biggest mistake of the week was not packing good footwear. The 5th Grader took some cute black boots along and by midday on our first day in the city she had blisters and could barely walk. She and Mimi spent half the afternoon trying to find new shoes. Apparently she wears a 3 instead of a 2. Who knew?

Once the shoe situation was resolved we were all in better spirits and ready to continue the sight-seeing.

We spent a good bit of time in the Smithsonian museums. While they are all free and all incredible in their own right, I think our collective favorite was the Museum of American History. The strange thing about visiting it as an adult is seeing relics from my childhood being displayed as “history.” For example, this computer:

The girls couldn’t believe how strange that Macintosh looked. And, my attempt to explain a floppy disk was met with confused stares. They had similar reactions in the section showcasing the evolution of mobile phones. It’s unbelievable how commonplace smartphones and Wi-Fi are to this generation. They would have no time for cords and MS-DOS prompts.

Of all the displays we saw in Washington, they were probably most baffled by this one:

Our beloved Bozo the Clown has his own case in the Smithsonian. {I just saw where Frank Avruch, Bozo himself, passed away yesterday at age 89.} I tried to tell them how I started many a morning in the ’80’s watching Bozo and Cookie and the Grand Prize Game on WGN-TV. All they could say was, “but he looks so creepy.” I’m afraid the beauty of Bozo was totally lost on them.

They had a little more understanding for the case dedicated to public television. I was so glad to see Mister Roger’s sweater and a tribute to Sesame Street.

One of the most fascinating sections in the museum is the transportation area. Of course, my childhood family car {and the Spouse’s, too} is now considered a piece of history. Who can forget the wood-trimmed Dodge Caravan?

One of the lesser known Smithsonian museums is the U.S. Postal Museum. We did a quick tour of it one morning. I thought it was interesting, but as you can see, the Kindergartener loved it.

D.C. is a little more suited for older kids, but she was somewhat amused by the animals at the Natural History Museum.

And, she seemed to enjoy several parts of the Museum of the Bible. It opened this past fall, and the technology and interactive rooms and stories were pretty incredible.

We were surprised by all the security measures in place at ALL of the museums and sights in the D.C. area. Bag checks and metal detectors and security lines are just the norm at any public building or attraction there. By far, we spent the most time getting through security at the Capitol. When they say “no food or drinks permitted,” they mean business. The girls watched in shock as the attendants trashed our sealed bags of pretzels, juice boxes, Rolo’s, and Sweet Tarts. I’m pretty sure the Kindergartener would have rather kept her candy than tour the Capitol building, but the dome and the architecture truly is a sight to see:

Despite their fatigue, everyone agreed to smile for one picture with the John Sevier statue.

What you can’t see in the picture is that someone from our group had just passed out and been wheeled off. And, the girls were convinced at this point in the afternoon that they were going to be next to pass out since they had walked all morning, their snacks had been trashed, and we were surely never going to finish the tour or feed them again.

Traveling with girls is never dramatic.

Said no one ever.

There is just so much to take in in a city as sprawling and historical as D.C. that some of it was overwhelming. For example, I knew we were out of our league in the National Gallery of Art when the 3rd Grader sighed and said to me:

“What about Bob Ross? Is his stuff in here?”

As much as I appreciate happy tress, I’m afraid his work is not featured in the National Gallery collection. She also observed that the bare-skinned statues were “just inappropriate.” I think it will be a few more years before we develop a keen appreciation for art history.

We didn’t make it to all the monuments and memorials, but our favorite monument stop was probably the Jefferson Memorial because it was so pretty around sunset.

 

Because of fencing and security, we couldn’t get anywhere near the White House. So, on the way home we stopped off at Mount Vernon to see George Washington’s home place. Standing in line to enter his home on a clear but crazy breezy day was possibly the coldest we were all week.

The Mount Vernon tour is interesting {albeit drafty!}, and the museum there is every bit as well done as one would hope. I didn’t know George Washington never had children of his own. We also learned he had plenty of dental troubles, but his teeth weren’t really made of wood. And, Martha wore dentures, too!

Overall, I think the girls enjoyed touring the interactive museums and getting a glimpse of the nation’s capital and its monuments. We may not have checked off all the major sights or soaked up as much history as some would do while in or near the city. But, we did develop an appreciation for the hugeness and beauty of Washington D.C. It would take far longer than four days to take it all in. Mimi would note that when you’re touring with the Kindergartener you can do all the attractions in less than an hour because her primary goal is to buzz through it and get to the nearest gift shop. But, most people could spend four days in any one of the museums reading all the signs and placards. It’s a great and important city for any American to visit.

One final note. While there we discovered the Spouse’s new favorite coffee at a bakery and breakfast joint called Le Pain Quotidien:

If we don’t get back to D.C. soon for any other reason, I know we’ll have to go back for a cup of this coffee. I’m not the same kind of coffee connoisseur since mine consists largely of cream, but I’ll go along for their pancakes any day.

And, next time I’ll more diligently read the rules about what can and can’t pass through security at the Capitol so we don’t lose any of our precious snacks.