Saturday we headed to the Old Post Office Tower for a view of the city. The metro was closed for some work so we rode on the free bus shuttle. Here, Matthew has crammed himself between the railing and window.
View from the top of the tower towards the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial.
View towards the Capitol.
Sarah captured this photo of the hotel that contains the clock tower. It looks amazing!
Sarah thought this looked like a nice place to stay. It better be for the price you pay.
We then headed to the National Museum of American History where we saw an original Book of Mormon and sunstone from the Nauvoo temple, buttons from George Washington's 1st inauguration and a huge doll house with lots of furnishings. We also saw the American flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write "The Star-Spangled Banner."
North America from space around 1900. It's fun to pick out specific urban areas (and easier to do in the west than east, which is just one big urban area).
Matthew riding an old city car.
Matthew playing in Wonderplace, a play area for kids 0-6. He's driving a steamship.
Megan shopping for produce.
U and Sarah enjoyed building and inventing things in Spark!Lab.
U took advantage of the tree house design board to make one with apple cannons.
One of the things they had in Spark!Lab was an invention challenge. You drew two cards that would define what your invention needed to be.
Sarah drew something she would wear. She designed a dress that would have adjustable sleeves and hem depending on how cold you are.
U was supposed to make a toy that neighbors would enjoy. He made a spring loaded cannon that could be mounted on bike handlebars. He was sure the neighbors would love it.
Another board had you draw homes that were ideal for different situations. In another attempt to be funny, U drew a hobbit hole, "for hiding from dark powers."
U and Megan with Indiana Jones's hat and whip.
Matthew whirling an old-fashioned fire alarm. It was really loud!
They had gowns and table settings from many of the First Ladies.
Martha Washington's gown.
Practicing to be President.
George Washington's war uniform.
We decided to head to Arlington National Cemetery. Due to the work on the metro, we ended up walking from the Lincoln Memorial across the Potomac to Arlington. U told stories while we walked which was fun.
Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery with Arlington House up on the hill.
Close up of Arlington House. This was where Robert E. Lee lived before the Civil War.
View of the city from Arlington House. The tower located between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument is the Old Post Office Tower we went to in the morning. Also visible are the Capitol and the Jefferson Memorial.
Matthew and U at Arlington House.
The house.
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Changing of the Guard. Always moving.
Sarah, Matthew, U and Megan with some of the many graves. We did see the Kennedys' graves.
We walked to Iwo Jima/the Marine Corps Memorial. There is a park nearby with nice views of the city. The Old Post Office Tower is on the left with the Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Capitol and Smithsonian Castle on the right. The Netherland Carillon was located in the park and was being played while we were there, which was really cool.
This is my favorite view of the National Mall.
The Marine Corps War Memorial.
Me and Matthew with the Memorial.
Sunday morning, we took the metro to Rock Creek Park. It is a huge park in the middle of DC that is twice as large as NYC's Central Park. It's nice because it doesn't feel like you are in a big city at all.
Matthew, U, Megan and Sarah waiting for the metro.
Megan, Matthew, Me and Sarah walking on a trail.
We went to Peirce Mill. We were able to look at the mill to see how it worked. They had a mini model running on the main level as well.
Matthew grinding some corn.
Me grinding corn.
Sarah, Matthew and Megan with checkers. A few games were played.
The kids completed the Junior Ranger program. The ranger was super nice and helpful. The kids received badges, patches, tattoos, bracelets and a multi-purpose tool that had a flashlight, whistle, compass, thermometer, magnifying glass and signal mirror.
U and Matthew downstairs with the mill.
Sarah grinding corn.
Megan collecting the cornmeal.
As we walked through the park there was some beautiful scenery.
We found a park where the kids enjoyed playing.
Sarah and Megan on the swings.
Matthew in a mini car.
We went to the National Cathedral. There was lots of beautiful stained glass.
The space window. It commemorates the Apollo 11 trip to the moon and contains a piece of moon rock brought back by its crew. This window was neat and very different from the other more traditional windows.
Megan playing the organ in the Children's Chapel, which is built to the scale of a six year old child. Megan and Matthew loved having everything their size.
Looking from the main chapel through the choir to the High Altar behind. The choir was singing while we were there which was beautiful!
16th century tapestries tell the story of David and Goliath.
St. Mary's Chapel.
Memorial to MLK Jr. He preached his last Sunday sermon here before he was killed.
Memorial to Lincoln.
We were able to go up the tower to see a stained glass exhibit.
We took advantage of our location to get an upper view of the cathedral and its flying buttresses as well as the city.
View towards the National Mall.
We ate at the cafe by the Cathedral. Matthew and Megan got waffles with sprinkles that they thought were really cool
U, Megan and Matthew played Scrabble while we waited for our food.
Matthew, Megan and Sarah with the Cathedral.
We enjoyed looking at some of the gargoyles.
We found Darth Vader. We brought binoculars specifically for this purpose and were then able to point him out to others (he's up high and challenging to find).
A few more gargoyles.
Nice view of the Cathedral.
We went by the Cathedral of Saint Matthew. Matthew was, of course, quite excited.
It was beautiful inside! This is where JFK's funeral mass was held. They had the location of the coffin marked at the front of the chapel.
Matthew was thrilled to be given donut holes by one of the workers at the hotel when they learned that his allergies prevented him from having the chocolate they had out for guests. He shared with his family, which was very nice.
What great memories!
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