Jamie to Washington DC

I still can't believe that I got to fly to Washington DC to visit my friend Megan this summer. What started as looking at plane tickets on a whim, transformed into my first solo trip since having children. I am so thankful to both sets of grandparents and Ben for making the trip happen and will forever be grateful for the opportunity to reconnect with Megan and to see DC all on my own. Now I just can't wait to return with the boys: they will love it! 

My first day I had a direct flight and Megan picked me up at the airport. That evening she took me to dinner at her favorite restaurant in the city, Rose's Luxury. It was such a fun and fantastic meal with highlights being the Lychee Salad and a gluten free/dairy free chocolate cake with passionate fruit, coconut ice cream, and cashew cream...which was heaven for this allergy girl! I enjoyed getting to ride the metro for the first time and all the architecture of the city. Other highlights of the day included only taking care of myself at the airport and on the flights and sitting through an entire meal with uninterrupted conversation with a dear friend.

Loving the architecture!

The cool interior of Rose's Luxery; I felt like such a grown-up eating a meal at the bar.

The food was fantastic; I would return to DC just for these two dishes! 

Day two was a Friday, so Megan went to work and I was out in the city on my own! The sense of independence was so fun! On this day I would walk a total of 8.3 miles and also have a stint on an electric scooter in which I didn't kill myself or anyone else.

First stop (after making sure to take the metro in the right direction): Library of Congress

The main interior and Thomas Jefferson's library; it was such a beautiful building.

The main reading room which also has a beautiful dome. 

First view of the Capital Building

Getting a little closer; unfortunately, I didn't go for a tour, or even get into the gift shop, as they wouldn't allow food or drink and didn't have a place to check backpacks. It was too early in the day to ditch my snacks and water! 

First selfie of the weekend; they make me feel awkward.

From the capital building I walked to the Botanical Garden, on the recommendation of the man I sat by on the airplane. I'm so glad for his advice, because it truly was one of my favorite places of the trip: I love my flowers! 

The atrium and one of many orchids that I would obsess over

I loved the orchid room! 

More orchids

Okay, last one...

I couldn't have been more excited about seeing this pitcher plants; this was one of many moments that I really wished the boys were with me! Has anyone else seen the Planet Earth episode about the pitcher plants that lure ants into them with a sweet smelling liquid at the bottom? (Hand in picture to show the size of the flower!)

More pitcher plants...they were so amazing! 

Everything in Capital Mall is so much further than it seems like it would be from a map; by this time I had walked at least three miles and still had so much more that I wanted to explore. It was also getting quite hot. So, I rented an electric scooter, which was a blast! I rode for many miles and saved my feet! I ended up scooting to a restaurant to meet Megan for lunch at Sweet Greens in Foggy Bottom. It was so fun to eat at all these different restaurants in the city. 

The bummer of scooting is that you don't stop to take as many pictures as you would if you were walking, but I did have to snap a picture of the Mexican Embassy and this bust of George Washington.

I also loved this street on the campus of George Washington University 

After lunch, I made a quick stop at the Museum of American History. My friend Amanda had recommended that I see the exhibit of the First Ladies' Inaugural Ball Gowns. I absolutely loved the exhibit and was happy to linger over a display that I'm sure wouldn't have pleased the menfolk in my household as much as me. 

Next, it was off to the National Gallery of Art. I was a little rushed because of closing time, but I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see so many of painting that the twins and I studied together during Classical Conversations.  

I may or may not have teared up with Monet's paintings (and returned to see them again another day)

I love impressionism, can you tell? (Monet)

Monet's Cathedrals 

Van Gogh...it's so fun to see the textures in his painting. I loved how the gallery didn't have glass over the paintings and that I was allowed to walk right up to close to them and see the textures.

I wanted the boys to be able to see the cool metro stations so badly!

I felt like the metro was an art form all of its own.

That evening Megan took me to an outdoor theater called Wolf Trap. I watched my first opera, The Barber of Seville. What a fun way to watch my first opera!

The lawn was filled with people eating their picnic dinners and waiting for the show to start.

Our fun tapas dinner...what a treat!

What a fun night!!

Day 3 was Saturday and Megan had a birthday party to go to in the morning. So I hopped on the metro again and headed to Arlington Cemetery.

It was a beautiful and sobering experience.

I went to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier

And watched the changing of the guard. It was a beautiful ritual. 

The cemetery is enormous and filled with beautiful old growth trees.

It was a very peaceful place and made me contemplate the cost of freedom. 

Afterwards, Megan and I met for a lunch of Greek food then visited the National Portrait Gallery.

 

This is a place I would have never thought to visit without the recommendation of Megan and I absolutely loved it. There is an exhibit with a portrait of every president; I found it fascinating how I could follow the styles of art throughout the sequence of the paintings of the presidents. I also loved how in more recent years, the portraits really seemed to reflect not only the era, but the personality of the presidents. I would return again in a heartbeat. 

I loved this photograph of President Lincoln. It was taken after he heard that the Civil War was over and there is such a peaceful and content smile on his face.

I also loved the portrait of President Obama

By this time, I had walked so much throughout the past few days and my feet were killing me (I walked 5.3 miles this day). Also, Megan has a hip problem, so we both needed a rest. That evening Megan took me to Ethiopian food for dinner, which I had never eaten before. It was such a fun experience!

It was such a unique combination of flavors. I liked it, but probably wouldn't eat it frequently.

My city friend teaching me about new kinds of food

If we hadn't already packed enough into this day, after dinner we went down to the Capital Mall so that I could see the monuments lit up at night. It was very beautiful! 

Lincoln Memorial

Such an enormous statue

View of the Washington Monument from the HUGE columns in the Lincoln Memorial

The reflection pool in front of the monuments was so very beautiful 

World War II Monument with the Washington Monument behind it

Day 4 was Sunday and I was excited to visit Megan's church. However, their service is in the afternoon, so we had the morning to explore. We went to brunch in old town Alexandria, which was a really neat and historic part of DC to visit. Afterwards, Megan really wanted to show me Georgetown University, where she attended college. That was a super fun college campus to visit! 

One of the Georgetown buildings.

That afternoon we went to church and then out to Thai food (yes, we ate as much varieties of food as possible). Afterwards, we stopped by the Air Force Memorial. It was a super neat structure. 

There was a neat view from the memorial as well. To the right of my shoulder is the Pentagon.

I saw a lot of statues during my long weekend.

Day 5 was my final day, but my flight didn't leave until 5 pm, so I practically had the entire day! Megan went to work and I headed out determined to conquer all that I could. First stop: the Vietnam Memorial. This place was particularly special, as my mom's Dad, Charles Chemis, died during the war and is listed on the wall. 

It was very special to see his name and very sobering to see all the names of fallen soldiers listed...so, so many names...so many families impacted, including my own mother. It made my heart hurt for her loss, when she was so young, only 8 years old. 

It was a sunny day, so hard to get a clear photo. 

Washington Monument from the Vietnam Memorial

Afterwards, I walked the blocks in the National Mall area, enjoying the historic buildings (There are so many! Everywhere I looked there was an important government building!) I finally made it to the front of the white house, but due to construction happening, I really couldn't get a clear view or picture. 

Then I walked to the Washington Monument, which I couldn't enter due to construction. Afterwards, I arrived for my scheduled a tour for the African American History Museum. Megan had really recommended this museum to me, and I thought it a good fit, as I wasn't quite sure that I could handle the Holocaust Museum, but still wanted to visit somewhere impactful.

The tour was one of my favorite experiences of my trip. In short, the museum walks you through the history of the African Americans and their fight for freedom. The history is heavy, but I think that it was so important for me, as a white person, to see it and read about it and to try to understand what it would be like to have that history as your heritage. 

This is a statue of Thomas Jefferson, who owned over 600 slaves in his lifetime, yet fought for and wrote about "freedom." 

Contemplation pool at the end of the museum. One my favorite things in the museum was that at the end of the walk through history, there was a display all about President Obama. After reading and seeing so much about the fight for Civil Rights and equality, I couldn't help crying to see an exhibit of a black President. I finally understood how important it was for African American people to have President Obama elected. It was a super powerful moment for me. 

After that heavy morning, I had one last lunch with Megan at another cool salad restaurant. Then I hoofed it back to the National Gallery of Art, this time starting in the East Gallery, which has a super cool building more modern art. 

I got to see some Georgia O'Keefe and Pablo Picasso. Afterwards I took the super cool lighted tunnel to the West Gallery to again visit the impressionist paintings. I loved them so much. 

Then I needed to hustle and buy souvenirs for the boys and get myself to the airport. I had a direct flight again and arrived home at 8 pm, so happy to kiss my husband snuggle my boys! I had such a wonderful time and it was so refreshing to have some independence, but nothing beat being reunited with my family.

 Seth and Sam displaying their souvenirs, all built! Josh has one of the Washington Monument and I'm not sure why I don't have a picture of him.