Washington D.C. 23 part one

We arrived just south of the city on Friday night and went to Olive Garden with the girls. It is their favorite restaurant. Instead, I would have gone to a local diner, but with the kids, it is often easier to go places they know and like. Then Saturday morning, we got up, ate breakfast, and entered the city. We arrived just before the parking spaces started filling up, so we got a spot right along the west end of the mall, not too far from the Washington Monument. Can I say cold? Cold would be an understatement as it was freezing, and the girls struggled to adjust their attitudes accordingly, but as the morning progressed, it got warmer, and by late afternoon, they were begging for ice cream. Our first stop was at the Vietnam Memorial. The volunteer at the wall talked to the girls about the architect of the wall and the design. He did an excellent job. We then headed to the Lincoln Memorial. I had not seen the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, so we hopped across the street to see that. The older girls are learning about historical events to correlate with the monuments, so it was fun to hear what they were learning about at school. I forgot we saw the Korean War Memorial and the WWII Memorial. It was lunchtime when we moved the car, so we grabbed some hot dogs and fries at one of the many food trucks that line the area around the White House and the American History Museum.

I visited the American History Museum long ago, but so much has changed. One of the first things we saw was Julia Child's kitchen. The girls loved seeing the American flag, which no longer hangs behind protective glass. Then it was on to the White House, where we snapped a few photos, and my friend Lucy, her dad, and her boys joined us before walking over to the Jefferson Memorial. Obviously, there is so much more we could have seen, but that will have to wait for another trip. Overall, it was a good day and we could see a lot. I forgot we also swung by the Capitol Building before heading out of the city.