I'm baaack!!

Wow .... we returned home last night and it sure was good to sleep in my own bed.  You know that old saying, it's fun to travel but great to be back home!!  Our return trip on Delta was not as bad as the one trying to get to DC, but it was not without delays.  Guess that's what you get for traveling in the summer.  Everything was good - we got to Baltimore airport a little early and made the trip to Atlanta with no problems.  Atlanta flight was on time, BUT .... because of traffic in Charlotte, we had to sit on the Atlanta runway for 40 minutes!!  Ironic since the flight from Atlanta to Charlotte is only 40 minutes!!  Then, it took forever for our baggage to come down the ramp.  We finally made it home around 9 pm ready to just "veg." 

Here's a run-down on a lot of what we did while in DC.  I had to write it all down or I'd forget!!

Friday:  Ashley had to work so Sonny & I dropped her off and went to a great little deli near Walter Reed for lunch.  That night, we went to the Green Turtle and watched our Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the STANLEY CUP!!

Saturday:  Drove out to Fort Meyer so Ashley could get some ribbons, etc. for her uniform for her promotion.  After wandering around the PX, we went to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center near Washington Dulles International Airport.  It is part of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum and is the companion facility to the Museum on the National Mall.  It provides enough space for the Smithsonian to display the thousands of aviation and space artifacts that cannot be exhibited on the National Mall. The two sites together showcase the largest collection of aviation and space artifacts in the world.

Sunday:  We went to church, had breakfast at the Georgetown Cafe in Bethesda and went to the National Cathedral.  Ashley and I had toured it before but Sonny never had so we took the guided tour.  That night we went to Wolf Trap to see The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show.  It  featured:  The Drifters, Jimmy Beaumont & The Skyliners, The Contours, Willie Rogers & The Soul Stirrers, The Clovers, Randy & the Rainbows, The Marcels, The Edsels, and The Blue Suede Orchestra.  We were singing to these hits:  “Under the Boardwalk,” “Do You Love Me,” “Love Potion No. 9,” and “Blue Moon,” with artists featured in the popular PBS special.  It was great!!  I even got Sonny up to dance a couple of times!

Monday:  We had Ashley's ceremony at the National Archives Museum.  (Read blog post HERE and HERE)  We went to the top of the Washington Memorial which was an awesome view of the city!!

Then we headed to the Smithsonian American History Museum where we saw such things as Julia Child's Kitchen, Dorothy's Red Ruby Slippers, Kermit the Frog, Edith & Archie's chairs, Roberto Clemente's jersey, the original Star Spangled Banner and flag .....

Tuesday:  After breakfast at The Original Pancake House (YUM), we headed downtown again via the Metro to the Newseum Museum.  It was awesome and we were there all day!!  It bills itself as "the worlds most interactive museum."  It showcases history through the lens of our media, from newspapers to movie reels, television to the Web.  You don't have to be a history buff to enjoy the Newseum.   Take the Virtual Tour HERE.  I don't know what was my favorite part .... from the old newspapers you could view the end of the Civil War, the section of the Berlin Wall and photographs, or the traveling exhibit of Pulitzer Prize Photographs (From the poignant shot of an ailing Babe Ruth watching his number being retired at Yankee Stadium, to the U.S. Marines raising an American flag atop Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima, the photographs illustrate the enduring power of the still image.)  We finished the day off with Stromboli's!!

Wednesday:  We got a late start today and skipped breakfast.  We went straight to lunch with Philly sandwiches.  Then hopped on the Metro to check out the Supreme Court and The Library of Congress. We heard a lecture at the Supreme Court as to how it all works - they were not in session at the time.  Then we just wandered around on our own.  They have a gorgeous Spiral Staircase that is a self-supporting eliptical staircase.  There are 136 steps that complete 7 spirals while ascending 5 stories from the basement. 

We were very surprised at the Library of Congress.  We really just passed it by and decided to go in and see what it had to offer.  We were so glad that we did!  It is the most gorgeous building inside!!  It is the nation's oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections.  There are actually 3 buildings that house the Library of Congress .... we toured the Thomas Jefferson Building.  I would highly recommend the tour.  HERE is a virtual tour of the second floor of the building.

Well, enough for now!  I'll finish the tour another day.  Hope you enjoyed it!