Washington D.C. - Day 2

For lack of any title creativity, I figured I'd just stick with description.

Day 2: June 24, 2010 - We venture into the city...

Since we had just visited an air & space museum, I convinced the boys to visit a different themed museum & then we'd go to the air & space on our 3rd day.

Highlights of Day 3:

• Record heat for the D.C. area. It was well over 100°F with humidity. We greatly appreciated the air conditioning, but found the heat really drains you when you're walking between monuments.

The boys' first foray on the Metro. Since Springfield was the first stop on the blue line, we were able to get seats. This was not the case for our return trip as we boarded the Metro during peak rush hour & had to stand for most of the journey. This was not a big hit with an 8-year old who was hot, tired, and thirsty.

• The National Museum of American History was the first stop of our day. We spent most of our day here, as the museums are so large it's difficult to see all that D.C. has to offer. Due to the enormity of the museum, we concentrated our visit on personal interests:

Julia Child's Kitchen: After seeing the movie Julie & Julia w/my BKFF, I just had to check this out. It was very impressive - the collection of pots & pans, cookbooks, & custom fitted counter tops to accommodate Julia's above average height.

We spent some time within the inventions area of the museum & had that chance to see Stanford's entry into the DARPA challenge. A fully autonomous vehicle - pretty cool!


Inventions - Including Thomas Edison's light bulb & lab notebooks. However - I was on information overload at the moment, so I opted to visit an exhibit I thought the boys' wouldn't be too interested in: the First Ladies' exhibit. Mary Todd Lincoln's dress was amazing - such a tiny waist. It is now tradition that the First Lady donates the dress she wore at the inauguration to the Smithsonian. Michelle Obama's dress and Jimmy Choo shoes are prominently on display as she is the current first lady. I didn't take photos - so enjoy via the aforementioned link.

After spending several hours at the museum we decided to brave the heat & humidity and walk along the Mall to visit some of the memorials:

The Alaska pillar at the World War II Monument

At the end of the Mall we visited The Lincoln Memorial. My BKFF says I was to rub Lincoln's left foot for good luck. Couldn't do that as his statue was way up high & behind ropes. So - I hope good luck comes nonetheless.


Near the Lincoln Memorial is the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial. This is a special place for me as my father was killed in Vietnam in December 1970. I have no memories of him as I was only an infant. Fortunately for me - my mother & step-father made sure I maintained a close relationship with my paternal grandparents & family. My father's sister is one of my favorite people in the world.

Grandchildren he never got to meet in person, although I'm sure he's smiling down on them. My oldest looks uncannily like his biological grandfather. I know he would be proud of these 2 boys.

Capt. James R. Heimbold, Dec. 4, 1970

By the time we'd finished walking the length of the Mall & visiting the Lincoln & Vietnam memorials, we were pooped & ready to head back to Virginia.

A good first day in our nation's capitol.

Ciao!