vacation update
Jul. 7th, 2009 10:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rhuMonday was monumental. @ Wash Mon got tix for 8pm, then WWII memorial (very nicely done), along the reflecting pool to the Vietnam memorial, the Lincoln, the Korean, the FDR, the Jefferson. A lot of walking and a lot of explaining history to the kids. Then lunch at the Holocaust Museum Cafe (they have kosher options) -- felt kind of guilty about that (six million Jews died so I could have lunch?) but what can you do? It was also a bit ridiculous to pay $50 for four sandwiches and drinks. Then back to the hotel to rest, back to Eli's in Dupont Circle for dinner (same place as we'd eaten on Sunday --- good food at reasonable prices - for kosher, anyway) and to the Washington Monument for our 8pm appt.
They'd had computer problems and way overbooked 8pm. Major kudos to the Park Dept Rangers for (1) staying good natured about it (2) keeping us good natured about it (3) keeping things moving reasonably close to schedule.
After, we walked across the Ellipse to show the kids the White House exterior; then back to the hotel.
Today we went back to the Archives to actually go in. Wow. Magna Carta is on permanent display now just before the line for the rotunda. The kids were gobsmacked by the Charters of Freedom. (And yes, the Bill of Rights has all twelve amendments: NULL, 27, and 1-10.) And right now the original Articles of Confederation are also on display. We ended up spending over three hours there. Which meant that by the time we had lunch, it was really too late to do the second thing we had planned, which was to use our House Gallery passes on the one day when they're in session this week. So we had a nice leisurely swim and then met our college friend Debbie for dinner at Pomegranate's in Potomac MD.
This turned out to be an "OMG" meal. Expensive and worth every penny --- extraordinary food, perfect service. The kids listened politely to the children's menu offerings and then insisted on ordering from the adult menu --- and were glad they did.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the American History museum, then I'm going to catch the 3:27 MARC to Baltimore for the NPL con. Thursday H will take the kids to the national zoo and then they'll join me there.
I should note that we've had great weather: highs in the high 70's to mid 80's, low humidity, and no rain to speak of.
They'd had computer problems and way overbooked 8pm. Major kudos to the Park Dept Rangers for (1) staying good natured about it (2) keeping us good natured about it (3) keeping things moving reasonably close to schedule.
After, we walked across the Ellipse to show the kids the White House exterior; then back to the hotel.
Today we went back to the Archives to actually go in. Wow. Magna Carta is on permanent display now just before the line for the rotunda. The kids were gobsmacked by the Charters of Freedom. (And yes, the Bill of Rights has all twelve amendments: NULL, 27, and 1-10.) And right now the original Articles of Confederation are also on display. We ended up spending over three hours there. Which meant that by the time we had lunch, it was really too late to do the second thing we had planned, which was to use our House Gallery passes on the one day when they're in session this week. So we had a nice leisurely swim and then met our college friend Debbie for dinner at Pomegranate's in Potomac MD.
This turned out to be an "OMG" meal. Expensive and worth every penny --- extraordinary food, perfect service. The kids listened politely to the children's menu offerings and then insisted on ordering from the adult menu --- and were glad they did.
Tomorrow we plan to go to the American History museum, then I'm going to catch the 3:27 MARC to Baltimore for the NPL con. Thursday H will take the kids to the national zoo and then they'll join me there.
I should note that we've had great weather: highs in the high 70's to mid 80's, low humidity, and no rain to speak of.