Cousins!!!!!!!!
No travel destination beats cousin time! The one thing about traveling is the people are the same every day, whether we like it or not we spend 99% of our time with each other. Of course, this is one of the great things about traveling but occasionally a familiar face other than your siblings or parents is much welcomed. Luckily we have cousins just outside of DC who invited us over for the night. I don’t think there could be a better group of smiles than these kids together. Their time spent wasn’t long but they had enough fun for an entire week. These girls were the highlight of Washington DC and that says a lot. The bird was also a highlight and the adults had a great time as well although no photos of our lovely snapshots together for evidence. Our kids are already asking when they will see their friends next, such sweet memories to make while on the road.
Cupcakes and the much-anticipated ZOMBIE frappuccino
Colette loves watching DC Cupcakes and specifically requested we make a visit. It was worth it. Very hard to decide on one flavor but the cupcakes were super yummy! We later learned this spot, Georgetown Cupcakes often has a line around the block seeking out these sweet morsels. On the gross side of sweets, the girls found out the Zombie frappuccino was coming for Halloween. We have a long story about missing the Unicorn frappuccino, and I have never been forgiven. I waited one too many days and by the time we tried to get one they were gone! Oh my! You would’ve thought the world ended! Well, it didn’t and we even survived to see the Zombie come to life. Commercialism at its finest right? I had one sip and that was enough for me, I think it was caramel apple, mixed with some blood-like concoction of chocolate. Two of the kids made it through the massive sugar intake and Lennox did not but this was probably a good thing. I wonder what the next limited edition holiday drink will be.
National Air and Space Museum
It blows my mind that only a hundred and some years ago humans began to fly. It’s been a blink of the eye in time from wood flying machines to supersonic jets and space travel. Who could have imagined this progression? The Air and Space Museum is phenomenal, It takes you through the entire history of flight and the planes, rockets, and spacecraft on site are amazing to see. There was an entire room dedicated to the science behind flight and hands-on experiments. The kids also had an amazing lesson on the principals of flight which they still talk about (lift, gravity (or weight), thrust, and drag) Much better than anything I could teach. We are so lucky to have these beautiful museums to preserve our history and it is even more astonishing that they are free of admission.
Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
We discovered that there is not just one Air and Space Museum but a large annex as well! The annex is about 45 minutes outside of town and holds the Space Shuttle Discovery. Matt had to see it, so before heading to our next stop, we went. I have to say it is an incredible experience to see the enormity of the shuttle knowing it traveled out into space many times. When we were kids, space was everything, we remember watching the launches, they were a big deal, the Challenger disaster was a poignant moment in our adolescent lives. Discovery beyond our planet, the adventure, and exploration of space captivated the world. I like most other kids wanted at one point to be an astronaut and even convinced my parents to let me go to Space Camp! Needless to say, when you stand in front of this monster of a spacecraft all the memories from those times come back, it’s almost like I could feel each launch I viewed and the exhilaration of lift-off. Ok, maybe we’re just old space nerds but it was pretty cool. Of course, the museum had lots of other amazing aircrafts, including an SR-71 Blackbird and the Enola Gay, definitely worth the short drive and a visit.
National Gallery of Art and Sculpture Garden
Art is everywhere and along our travels, the kids play games trying to spot the next piece of art. It makes me smile as I think they are learning to appreciate art and the stories it tells. In each city we visit there are usually multiple galleries, studios or museums I want to go to but I’m also realizing going with a four-year-old is sometimes more stressful than not going. So maybe this trip will be more about discovering cool street art I don’t have to worry about a little man with ninja moves destroying. Saying that we did make it into the National Gallery of Art East Wing, we had a good 30 minutes of enjoyment before I felt the million dollar paintings began to be at risk. It is a beautiful place filled with amazing art, I will return. The Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden was a better space for wild kids and had great pieces so we enjoyed this especially with the amazing weather we had in October.
Museum of Natural History
This is one of my favorites, and the kids as well. We had such a great day here I didn’t take many pictures. You can view prehistoric creatures, animals of today, mummies, and one of our favorites gems and geology. We watched a great movie about our evolutionary relatives, lead by one mammal everyone on earth is related to, a Juramaia (which was similar to a rodent). We were fascinated by how many colors and beautiful structures can be found in nature and I missed it but when Lennox went to see the Hope Diamond, in a crowded room of people oohing and ahhing he says loudly, “What? that’s not a very big diamond!” and everyone busted out in laughter.
and a few other shots to top off our trip
We loved Washington DC. I could’ve stayed here 2 weeks because there are so many amazing things to do. I already want to return. It is ironic because I really despise the politics of this city, but somehow when you are surrounded by the history of our nation and the great people who contributed to what we have today I have to look at our future with a positive regard and believe great things are to come and will continue.
