Washington, DC 2009 Edition

Our trip to DC last week was really fabulous. Not only did we get to hang out with Hillary and her family but we also got to see so much. Honestly, I am astounded at how much we crammed into the 3 days we had in the city.

I could show you lots of pictures but I won’t bore you with that. Instead, I’ve selected just a few of my favorites. The highlights, if you will.

tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier
There was a visiting dignitary from South Korea at the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The ceremony was much more elaborate and we were fortunate to see it.

dale-outside-fords-theater

presidential-box-at-fords-theater

Dale was thrilled that we were able to visit Ford’s Theater.

dale-and-vietnam-wall

We found the name of Peter Moskos on the wall.  He was from our town and Dale knows his family.  Finding his name really personalized the wall for us.

dale-at-the-capital

I call this one “Mr. Dale Goes to Washington.”  There are plenty more like this – Dale at the Washington Monument, Dale at the Lincoln Memorial, etc.  Be glad I only chose a couple.

wwii-memorial

I was very pleased that we got to see the World War II Memorial this time since I missed it last year.  It’s huge and really impressive and frankly, quite magnificent.

There were loads of things we saw and did that I don’t have pictures of. Like lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill and dinner at Union Station. (They have happy hour in DC and that makes the Massachusetts visitors very happy.) We also saw the original Star Spangled Banner, Lincoln’s Top hat that he wore the night he was assassinated, the surrender flag from the Civil War, the furniture from Appomattox Court house, the Seinfeld puffy shirt, Kermit the Frog and Oscar the Grouch, Minnie Pearl’s hat and the Ruby Slippers, and the Hope diamond. We saw several of our country’s most important documents like the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The 19th Amendment, the Louisiana Purchase and the homestead papers of Charles Ingalls were also on display at the National Archives.

As much as we saw, I still feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of all that DC has to offer. We’re just going to have to go back!

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This Post Has 32 Comments

  1. Isn’t it a wonderful place to visit? I haven’t been in a few years – I need to go back. Glad you had such a wonderful time!

  2. When I was a kid we went to DC every Feb. vacation. It’s a wonderful place to visit, even in cold weather. I don’t think we ever saw it all either. We keep talking about going back.
    I remember seeing the changing of the guard in the rain and it was exactly the same as in the sun. You were so lucky to see the more elaborate ceremony.

  3. It looks like you had a good time and good weather. I spent 10 days there in 1976 and it wasn’t enough time. It’s a great city with so much to see and do. You can never do it all.

  4. That’s my home! Well, close anyways. I live in VA just next to DC and I still haven’t seen it all! My only recommendation is that if you come back in warm weather, check out the monuments at night. There is nothing like it! My favorite is between Lincoln and WWII monuments at night. Or walk down by the basin and there are more monuments like George Mason! Night time gives it an entirely new feeling. Plus there arent as many people out!

  5. What a wonderful account of your trip to DC. I grew up in VA and still feel that I haven’t seen all that there is – it is such an amazing city. We took our kids there a few years ago and stayed with a friend whose mother is a tour guide – while her mom was out of town, I got on the cell phone with her while at the Lincoln Memorial and she gave me a virtual tour…I learned that there was a typo in the writing around the interior and if you look a the profile of Lincoln the back of his hair is Robert E. Lee’s profile. Our other favorite tour was the National Cathedrel – you could spend hours there.

  7. Looks like a great trip. I went to DC a lot as a kid (relatives in the area), and remember Ford’s Theater in particular.

  8. I also am from Virginia, Alexandria to be exact. On your next trip you should tour the area around there including Mount Vernon, Gunston Hall, the Light Horse Henry Lee House, the torpedo factory (which made torpedo’s when I lived there) and the Masonic Hall. I miss the area!

  11. We go down to Baltimore numerous times per year and never think to hop on the MARK and go into DC! This was supposed to be the week we were going to do it, but plumbing issues and an injury have forced us to postpone till later in March. I will have to forward this to Terry, though….what he most wanted to do is visit the renovated Ford’s Theater as he is quite a Lincoln fan!

  12. Oh, by the way, after seeing a full-length red carpet shot of Meryl Streep, I have to agree…great dress. It lost something sitting down, though.

  16. I love visiting the monuments and memorials. I always took my visitors there. Which ended up being a good thing, because my best friend got lost coming off 395 once and I was able to direct her out straight from memory and back onto the highway. 🙂

  20. It is an amazing city. I haven’t been there in quite a while; we should probably take Miss B at some point if she doesn’t get to go on a class trip or some such.

  22. I love the “Mr. Dale Goes To Washington” photos. We need more of those, Carole. Maybe for the next trip out of town? 😀

  23. What a trip! I’d love to spend about a month at the Smithsonian…don’t know if I’d venture out in to the rest of Washington or not. VBG!

    She who holds the camera doesn’t have to worry about unflattering shots of herself…I know that ploy. Dale looks handsome, as always.

  24. We live in Baltimore and we don’t go nearly enough. It’s funny how something can be so close and be taken for granted…

  26. I love visiting Washington, D.C. and have to agree with you that the World War II monument is magnificent. It made me very emotional. Well, all of them did, but that one really got to me.

    So glad you had a great visit.

  27. I’ve been once – for two days! And, it is on my list for my vacation spot next year! I want to spend a week there! And, plan on taking the train – it will be so cool!!!

    hey, gotta have something to look forward to each year…

  29. We went 13 years ago this coming May as a sort of work trip/honeymoon provided by DH’s company. We were staying in Fredricksburg, VA (another area full of history). We only spent one day in DC but got to see the mall, Vietnam Memorial (where I found a boy’s name who lived across the street from me as a child), Arlington Nat’l Cemetery, changing of the guard of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (awesome) and the air & space museum and one other exhibit at the Smithsonian.

    A really freaky thing happened on the mall – it was the day before Memorial Day and there were tons of motorcyclists and vendor booths for the holiday. We stopped at a few and one had POW/MIA bracelets. I picked up the first one I saw and had to buy it. He was a Korean War POW whose first name was my maiden name, his middle initial was same as my first name and his last name was my new married name.

    Every American should make the trip at least once!

  31. I really love that photo of Dale walking by the Wall…. something about the shadows that are being cast, and him wearing his glasses, obviously reading it as he slowly walks by.. and it captures the epic size of the Wall.
    Great shot.
    I love Washington DC – and yes, I agree it takes a few visits before you even begin to see everything (grins) But wow – you saw alot!

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