Hola!
We just returned from our jaunt to Washington D.C.
The tim
ing of this trip was pretty much for David and Frank to be able to go to a little bit of the Boy Scout Jamboree 2010, their 100-year celebration. To send a scout for the entire 10 days, was around $2200. We quickly calculated and decided, "We could take our whole family down for that much!" (And actually, this little vacation was even less expensive because Frank's sister, Dana, lives just outside D.C. in northern Virginia. She was very kind to let us stay with her.)
Anyway. True to this Whitesell family's form, we crammed as much as we could into each day. Here's our summary...
DRIVING. Mapquest said this trip would take us 8.5 hours. Considering we would drive through New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. to get to Dana's house, we scoffed and said "add 4 hours to that!" Luck was with us and we made it down in 9.5 hours, and back in 9. Whew!
ing of this trip was pretty much for David and Frank to be able to go to a little bit of the Boy Scout Jamboree 2010, their 100-year celebration. To send a scout for the entire 10 days, was around $2200. We quickly calculated and decided, "We could take our whole family down for that much!" (And actually, this little vacation was even less expensive because Frank's sister, Dana, lives just outside D.C. in northern Virginia. She was very kind to let us stay with her.)Anyway. True to this Whitesell family's form, we crammed as much as we could into each day. Here's our summary...
DRIVING. Mapquest said this trip would take us 8.5 hours. Considering we would drive through New York City, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and D.C. to get to Dana's house, we scoffed and said "add 4 hours to that!" Luck was with us and we made it down in 9.5 hours, and back in 9. Whew!
D.C. TRAFFIC. We avoided rush hours, and did relatively well, actually.
D.C. PARKING. No need to worry about this one: there quite simply IS NO PUBLIC PARKING IN DOWNTOWN D.C.!!! Nope. Nada. None. Ridiculous. So much to do 
and see, and these multiple thousands of tourists are supposed to share approximately 12 parking places. Frank would drop us off, then drive around 25 minutes to find a space. Feed the meter, watch your clock, and go move the car--most said "2 hours max." At any given moment, you could look up and down the street and see no fewer than 3 meter people giving out tickets.
WASHINGTON MONUMENT. Striking and beautiful, we hiked around it (photo in header). We would have loved to go up the elevator also and see the city view, but tickets, while free, disappeared quickly every day, by 10 a.m. It was hard for us to get into the city before that; like I mentioned before, we avoided rush hours.
and see, and these multiple thousands of tourists are supposed to share approximately 12 parking places. Frank would drop us off, then drive around 25 minutes to find a space. Feed the meter, watch your clock, and go move the car--most said "2 hours max." At any given moment, you could look up and down the street and see no fewer than 3 meter people giving out tickets.WASHINGTON MONUMENT. Striking and beautiful, we hiked around it (photo in header). We would have loved to go up the elevator also and see the city view, but tickets, while free, disappeared quickly every day, by 10 a.m. It was hard for us to get into the city before that; like I mentioned before, we avoided rush hours.
SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS. We went to the National Air and Space Museum (see photo), the Museum of Natural History, the Postal Museum, the Gallery of Art, and the Zoo. Each is an amazing collection--huge, beautiful, clean, and free to the public. I don't mind one bit that my tax money goes towards the upkeep of these valuable resources! They are incredible.
PRINTING MONEY. We also visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Here are the kids (Kara, Teresa, & their cousin Nick) next to mo
ney sheets totaling a million 
dollars.
PRINTING MONEY. We also visited the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Here are the kids (Kara, Teresa, & their cousin Nick) next to mo
ney sheets totaling a million 
dollars.MY PERSONAL FAVORITE. This kind of surprised me, but my very favorite place that we visited was Mt. Vernon, the home of General and President George Washington. A beautiful, huge complex of many buildings and gardens, 
set right on the Potomac River.
set right on the Potomac River.They tried to make the complex self-contained: they grew their own food and had a blacksmith shop. We learned about the leadership and life of our amazing first President. He could have stayed President for life, but instead served two terms and handed power over to the next leader.
Sadly, after so much success as a General and 2 terms as president, he went home to live out his days, and only lived 2 more years. He thought he was catching a cold, but it was some infection, and he died within a few days. He was only 67 yrs. old.
It's a lovely home, though (see header). Seems he was a sort of celebrity near the end, and people kept showing up to stay as houseguests of the Washingtons. One year, Mt. Vernon had (drumroll...) SEVEN HUNDRED overnight guests! Quite an expensive feat to feed and provide liquor for all those people.
Vacations are a wonderful chance to remember that there's a world out there, with beautiful things in it.
Sadly, after so much success as a General and 2 terms as president, he went home to live out his days, and only lived 2 more years. He thought he was catching a cold, but it was some infection, and he died within a few days. He was only 67 yrs. old.
It's a lovely home, though (see header). Seems he was a sort of celebrity near the end, and people kept showing up to stay as houseguests of the Washingtons. One year, Mt. Vernon had (drumroll...) SEVEN HUNDRED overnight guests! Quite an expensive feat to feed and provide liquor for all those people.
Vacations are a wonderful chance to remember that there's a world out there, with beautiful things in it.
Well, now we're back! Let the house problems continue. I'd list them all but I think it would make me cry...I know that patience is a virtue. I'd just prefer other people to have it instead of me. :)
Have a great week, Kari
Have a great week, Kari
3 comments:
Fun trip-and yes, so true to form!
I know just what you mean about Mt. Vernon-we lived there for 2 years and that was definitely one of my favorite things to do although I never would have guessed that.
I would love to take our kids there to visit the sites-so much to do!
I think you need to be a professional vacation planner Kari. It sounds like you did a great job, once again, at seeing and doing everything. So you have the "work" the traffic thing in DC too huh? No traffic up here, just wide open spaces for miles around.
Laurel loves it back there, She wants to go back after her student teaching next spring. She is a pro at the Metro ,loves the people, the places and her job! Anthroplogie.
What a wonderful trip! We absolutely LOVE D.C. In fact, it's about time for another trip. Mt. Vernon is one of our favorites as well.
Right up there with Mt. Vernon for us is Ford Theater. It was recently refurbished, and we can't wait to see it again!
We adore traveling. I am trying to figure out a way to get Discovery Channel to give me my own program with the "World-traveling Mom on a budget" theme. My idea is that they pay for our family to visit fantastic sites, and we show people how to see said sites without breaking the bank.
Key words are "they pay for it". I'm happy to do the research though, and the family will provide the entertainment value!
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