Five Day Whirlwind Tour of DC

Since this was the only time that JC and Marie were able to visit us while we're here in DC, we tried to cram in as many things as possible. Since a lot of these are places that I've already been and blogged about or places that I'll be going back to, I'm just going to list the things we did each day, maybe a short sentence or two, and a few pictures. It'll probably still be a pretty long post.

Day 1:

White House Visitor Center

White House Tour - We were lucky to get this tour. The rooms we were allowed to see were all beautifully decorated for the holidays.

Washington Monument - always such a nice view of DC and the surrounding area.

Natural History Museum - If you're with JC and you go to a natural history museum, it's a given that you'll be checking out the dinosaurs.

Day 2:

Tourmobile - This bus tour takes you by most of the museums and monuments. This is a great way to see a lot of popular sites, but don't do it on a weekend. Traffic around the mall was so bad, that we ran out of time at the end and missed a couple memorials that we would have liked to have seen. These are the places we actually got out at:
  Arlington National Cemetary
  Lincoln Memorial
  Vietnam War Veterans' Memorial
   Union Station
   Jefferson Memorial

Shear Madness at The Kennedy Center - This play was so hilarious. You must see it if you have the opportunity. It's a whodunit where the audience helps in solving the crime.

Day 3:

American History Museum

A Christmas Carol at The Lansburgh Theatre - Five minutes before curtain time the fire alarm went off and the entire theatre had to be evacuated. It was a really great show. The actor who played Scrooge was phenomenal. And, pyrotechnics are always fun. I think this is the best Christmas Carol I've ever seen.

National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum - I didn't realize that these two museums are actually in the same building. This courtyard was enclosed during a major renovation. I love the way it "floats" overhead.

Day 4: We had a late start. I had wanted to take them all to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing so that they could see how our currency is printed, but it was closed for the week. I tried to substitute another activity for the morning, but everyone voted to sleep in a little instead.

Voice of America tour - We took a behind-the-scenes tour of live broadcasting in radio, TV and the internet. VoA broadcasts live around the clock. This was informative for anyone interested in broadcasting. It was fun even for someone who knows nothing about broadcasting.

Air and Space Museum

US Botanic Garden - We met Rich's brother and his family here to see the Windows to Wonderland exhibit.

National Christmas Tree

Day 5:

Library of Congress

Capitol Visitor Center - This just opened a few weeks before we were there. The same staff assistant who helped me get the White House Tour tickets also booked a tour for us at the Capitol. I hope to go back when it's less crowded and get some good pics.

Capitol Tour - The Capitol tour starts and ends in the new Visitor Center. It starts with a short orientation film, "Out of Many, One" and then takes you through parts of the Capitol. Here's a pic from Statuary Hall.

Supreme Court Building - We got to the Supreme Court Building just in time for a public lecture about the history of the building and the Court, and how cases are brought before the Court. We walked around the building and looked at a few exhibits after that. This picture is looking up one of the spiral staircases in the building.

As you can see we had a very busy five days. I don't think we could have fit anymore in there. If you're coming for a visit and you tell me that you want to see everything, I'll do my best. Just make sure you're well rested before you get here.