At the end of October, Jordan and I were able to go on a little vacation - just the two of us. I absolutely love vacations and although we missed our little guy, Larkin was in good hands with his Mimi and Pop and Jordan and I really got to enjoy some time alone exploring Washington D.C.
The Northeast at this time of year was just gorgeous. There was a crispness in the air and the leaves were so beautiful and falling everywhere. Unfortunately I only brought my iphone so the pictures won't be able to do it justice.
The Capitol Building - I was hesitant to tour the capitol (so much else to do) but it was actually fascinating. It's hard to believe how much history each of these buildings hold and once you take a tour, so much of the history of our country really comes alive!
Pennsylvania Avenue- closed off to cars now as it is right in front of the White House. The trees were gorgeous and there was a little park that overlooked the White House and this area that we enjoyed one night.
Our hotel wasn't far and so we'd find ourselves walking this street every day. One night we saw a helicopter landing on the White House lawn. It was the evening the president was due back in Washington after campaigning, wondering if it was him!
Too cute not to capture: fall recess in D.C. the kids come out to play in the leaves... this little scene made us miss Larkin, but it was so cute to watch!
Outside the capitol building one of the many gorgeous trees, again my camera doesn't do it justice!
Exploring the city the first day - a look at the White House. During Lincoln's administration anyone could walk into the bottom floor of the White House. People would come and steal corners of the drapes or await an audience with the president or even sleep on the floors. This all changed after Lincoln's assassination. Now you have to book months in advance to get a tour.
Our first night there we did a night tour of all of the National Monuments. They were beautiful all lit up. It was a nice little romantic tour and again the history and significance of the people they memorialize was fascinating.
Jefferson Monument
Our favorite: The Lincoln Monument; outside this monument we spotted Chris Matthews talking with a group of people.
MLK momument- one of the newest and very well done
The gorgeous Washington Monument. The construction was started in 1848 and was paused during the Civil War because of lack of funds and the uncertainty of the survival of the Union. It was completed in the 1880s and was recently closed due to structure damage from a nearby earthquake. (Found this all interesting- maybe I'm more of a history nerd than I thought.)
FDR Monument- So much of this monument I didn't get photos of, but it was one of my favorites... really cool depiction of his presidency and the Great Depression and it's effect on Americans.
White House at Night
We ate at lots of fun cafes. One morning we went into Georgetown where we saw the famous cupcake shop (on TLC's show) the line was down the street at 9am!
And we found an adorable little cafe "Leopold's" with tasty pastries, food and espressos!
We took a bus to and from Georgetown - one of the only times we took public transportation. We walked so much on this trip- it rivaled our day-long hikes in Jackson Point a few years ago. Each day my feet were exhausted by the end, but it was fun to be walking around the city.
J resting his feet.
Other cafes
Another morning we went to Ford's Theater and the house across the street where he died. After just reading Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly I found this tour even more fascinating.
Natural Museum of History
Other highlights included seeing the Constitution and Bill of Rights and the actual autographs of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Hancock.... pretty cool.
We also toured the Air and Space museum and saw the Spirit of St. Louis - the plane Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic, we saw one of the Wright brothers' first planes, and Apollo 11 command module Columbia.
One of our favorites, although not a "lighthearted" museum, was the Holocaust Museum. This one stuck with me the most. It was so incredibly well done, I found myself in tears listening and seeing the stories of the families and the children that were murdered. I highly recommend this museum.
In regards to food, we at so many fun places that were recommended- Matchbox, Old Ebbitz and so many yummy cafes. One night we went to see Argo at a local movie theater.
The final night we enjoyed dessert and coffee at our hotel. We had so much fun spending time together alone and soaking in the sights of D.C. but we were also excited to see our little one the next day!
Goodbye Washington!
Thanks to all my friends who gave such good recommendations and also to Mimi and Pop for watching little Larkin!
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