Washington, DC (you didn't disappoint)

Post date: Apr 21, 2015 4:59:38 PM

We've been here for three weeks.  All of the planning & research (thanks to Renee) was well worth it.  We took our time getting here, knowing that we wanted to be in DC in the Spring.  When we first arrived, it was cold & windy. But we found that's what Spring is all about.  You can experience warm temps, rain, thunder storms & blossoms, sometime all in the same day.  

We used the first day venture into the City, getting to know the Metro, buying Senior discount passes & figuring out the parking.  

It took us a while to find the White House!  Unlike like the movies, you can't walk down Pennsylvania Ave. and expect to see it.  So many barriers & detours.   Amazing how someone can scale the fence & run across the WH lawn!

Our first tour was of the White House.  Renee requested a tour in December , and we were lucky to receive a pass.  The rules are strict, no bags, purses or cameras - then you wait in line for over an hour, going through 3 check-points - BUT it was worth it.  We were inside the White House! It was a self guided tour, with Secret Service people stationed throughout, answering questions.  I was feeling disappointed not seeing the portrait of JFK along with the other Presidents, but as we were leaving, there it was, in the main reception, all by itself. We exited out the door, out to the portico (under the famous huge lantern, where all the dignitaries enter from their cars) We stood on the steps, overlooking the lawn & fountain before walking off the grounds....yep Mary-jo Ferreira, from Concord California, was in the White House.

We took a 6-hour bus tour & were able to see all the monuments on our list;  FDR, Vietnam, Lincoln, Iwo Jima, WWII, Korea, and MLK.  

We took a boat ride on the Potomac & saw the Pentagon.  

We walked along the front of the WH and saw the West Wing (a Marine was outside the french doors, so we knew the President was in his office) & Lafayette Park (with one lone Peace protester, that has been there in a tent since 1989.  An end-date was not entered on the permit request.  And as long as someone is there 24/7, security cannot make them leave)

We went to the Smithsonian (six separate buildings)  Saw Julia Child's kitchen, the Hope Diamond, the First Ladies' Inaugural gowns and the Mercury 7 along with hundreds (thousands?) of other items.

We saw the National Botanical Gardens, National Sculpture Gardens, Washington Monument, and the National Mall.

We saw the cherry blossoms in full bloom, while we walked with thousands of people during the Cherry Blossom Festival.

We spent a day at Mt Vernon.  Beautiful grounds & home of George & Martha Washington

We toured the Capital Building & the Library of Congress.  

We stood on the steps of the Supreme Court.

We visited the National Archives.  Saw the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, the Articles of Confederation & the Constitution.

We came, We saw, We experienced Washington DC

Perfect!