Ahhhh Spring . . .

Day 4 - The Zoo and the Mall

Oh mercy! We ate at California Tortilla on our last day. It was EASILY the BEST mexican food I have ever eaten. . . We need one of these!

Our last day in Washington DC was spent mostly at the Zoo.
An amazing place! (and once again free)






McCartney was throwing one of her patented fits and she ran from me while we were heading toward the lions and tigers. We rounded the corner and we found this little clearing with these Chimpanzee sculptures. The kids loved "monkeying" around with them . . .


Smoochies!


My buddy!


Who you talkin' to? Me or the monkey?












After the Zoo we went back downtown to the Mall and visited the Vietnam Wall. It was another long walk after the long walk at the Zoo. But man, aren't they cute holding hands?



The Wall was amazing and moving . . . .





Mommy and McCartney visit the World War 2 Memorial again. Daddy and Dustin ran back to the Zoo to get the car. They had to travel the entire length of the Mall, travel 2 different subway lines and walk about 5 blocks back to the Zoo. We had all planned to go back and get the car, but McCartney was throwing fits because we had walked A LOT that day and her little legs were TIRED. They ran back to get the car partially so we could rest, and partially because we would've never made it before the Zoo closed, locking our car inside the gates. Not good. So the littles and I took a leisurely stroll back down the Mall and the boys came to pick us up. They made much better time than we ever would have.

Day 3 - More Smithsonians . . .

We started off on the Monday with another trip on the subway. Who knew we needed quarters only for the meters at the subway station? And that a quarter only got you 15 minutes. Robert made a trip over to the 7-11 and bought some Now-n-Laters in order to get change. If you look closely the kids have blue tongues in most of the pictures . . . we had a lot of Now-n-Laters. . .


Our first stop of the day was the National Museum of Art and Portraiture, to the National Portrait Gallery. We wanted to see the Steven Colbert "exhibit". Steven Colbert took a picture of himslef to the Smithsonian and asked them to display it since he was an American icon. They refused and sent him to the NPG. They went along with the joke, displaying it in the bathroom area on the second floor. Lo and Behold their attendance skyrocketed. We had to wait for others to move so we could get a photo. The building was amazing!


The presidential portrait hall as amazing as well . . .
We headed over to the pavillion for lunch. While there, Robert found another interesting thing to do. We took a glass elevator up to the 9th floor of this Historic Post Office building and then another to the 12th floor where you could see the entire downtown of Washington. It was a cloudy and rainy day, but the view was still very cool. Here the kids are eating right near the elevator . . .
Our last stop downtown of the day was the National Museum of Natural History. the kids LOVED this one and we spent most of our time over in the dinosaur area. We planned to see an IMAX 3D, but the 3D was not functional that day so we scrapped it . . .


We ate at an IHOP in Maryland late that night and here is McCartney with her green eggs and ham and who-cakes. . . Mmmmmmm . . . .

Day Two - Smithsonian . . .

The National Air and Space Museum was awesome. (Other than paying $35 for McDonalds) The Museum of American History is closed for renovation, so they also had some items from America's culture like Dorothy's ruby slippers, C3PO, and Mr. Roger's sweater. It was really packed but the kids were engaged so they did great. When they are older I am sure we will spend much more time here.



A full day and some tired kids . . .

Day Two - The Mall . . .

When we reserved our room for Washington during Spring Break, we had no idea we were going to be there during the Cherry Blossom Festival. I was THRILLED to see the trees in bloom. I really want a Cherry Blossom Tattoo, so it was inspiration . . .

We saw many people of all walks of life. This gentleman must have been a kindred spirit . . .








We must have walked MILES on this day as we traveled along the mall and around to the various spots of interest. Thankfully there were many places to stop and rest and many things to see . . .



Mostly we used "normal" restrooms, but the mall was so busy with all the extra tourists for the Cherry Blossom Festival so they did have some port-a-potty places. The boys had no issue using them, but McCartney refused in true-girl fashion and decided to hold it.

Day Two - Monuments . . .

Here we all are at the World War II Monument. It is massive and beautiful. There is a pillar for each state and an amazing tower for the Atlantic and one for the Pacific. It also includes a large fountain in the middle with water features on each side.






Harrison was really excited about seeing the Lincoln Memorial. He knows a bunch of information about President Lincoln and was really looking forward to seeing the Monument. The last three are pictures of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Monument and the reflecting pool .
We also saw the Korean War Memorial during day 2. The wall is amazing has has images etched into the war of actaul soldiers from this war.