DC on a Dime

On the bank of the Potomac River

We had the fortune of being able to accompany Keith on a business trip to Washington, DC. I was thrilled to death to get to take the kids to my old stomping grounds. I used to work in DC for over 3 years, and lived outside of DC for 7 years. It is one of my favorite cities and I was not disappointed at all on this return after an almost 20 year absence. It was clean and beautifully landscaped and the weather was truly Heaven sent. Your patriotic bones get all tingly feeling when you are in the nation's capital. At least mine do.....

I have THE BEST husband in the whole world - he drive the whole trip without any help from me. Of course, if you know me, my driving wouldn't have been much help. It was smooth sailing until we hit some construction. Two hours were added to the drive..... But we made it in one piece and got to the hotel without a hitch. We had a lovely view of the Potomac River and the DC skyline from our 11th floor room.

Tuesday, after room service, (I love room service) we headed for the Metro, which is the only way to travel when in DC. It is easy as pie and convenient and cheap. No traffic, no parking and it's FUN!
Our first stop was the White House. We saw some snipers on the roof and the grounds were gorgeous. I loved looking at the vast variety of plants..... The kids really liked the snipers. Go figure.

Then we headed to the Museum of American history where loads of fun items are housed - Archie Bunker's chair, the ruby slippers, Fonzie's jacket and then a bunch historical items. I had been salivating for months about seeing Julia Child's kitchen, and it was even better than I anticipated. I almost cried....
I absolutely LOVE Julia and was thrilled to be able to ogle her kitchen and gadgets and copper pot collection. It was so delightful! Bon Appetite!

We then hopped in a taxi, which was a first for the kids. I am sure it was not as exciting as they dreamed it would be, but we did it, and they can now scratch it off their list. The driver took us to Union Station, one of our nation's largest train stations. It is just plain fun to go there. The hubbub and hustle and the food court is once in a lifetime fun.

Outside Union Station

We then jaunted over to the Capital and tried to spy the filming of Transformers 3, but they were not filming at the time. I sprinted in and out of the botanic garden, although I really wanted to linger there for hours. Next time, I WILL LINGER AND LINGER! It was total eye candy for the plant enthusiast.... and that would be me.

Our next museum was the Air and Space Museum, but it didn't really seem to thrill the guys much. I thought it was pretty cool, but the largest McDonald's known to man was inside, and made it very fun.

Next, we trekked to the Holocaust Museum, but I really wish we would have skipped it. I knew it would not be a light-hearted visit, but had no idea how realist it was going to be. They tried to make you feel as if you were there, and it worked. I was overcome with grief and emotion. You just wanted to go back in time and prevent it from ever happening. If you plan on going there, you need to prepare for it. It is more than just a few artifacts and pictures, it is so much more....

We ate at several fun restaurants and took advantage of half-price burger night. The guys all agreed they were the best burgers they had ever eaten. I had a reubin and it was the best ever, too. Murphy's, we love you! The nest day, they had 25 cent wings, and they were SO GOOD!!! Bugsy's was equally as tasty!!!

Oh, and I finally got to go to Trader Joe's!!! I loved it! It is way better than Whole Foods and Earthfare. WAY!!! I am hoping and praying we get one in Chattanooga...

The Blue Ridge mountains were in the beginning stages of their fall plumage, and it made the ride so nice. The mountains have a much higher elevation than Lookout Mountain and it was simply gorgeous. Truly, it was a fabulous trip and we did it under budget, thanks to a $100 gift card that Keith got from his boss, and all the frugal things we did, like bring our own water and snacks from home. I hope the kids remember it as fondly as I will!