We made it to DC! This post is going to be in two parts because we stayed in DC a little longer than our other stops and I don't want these posts to be so long and boring - I will try to keep this brief!
What did we do?
The first two days Zack had to work so I did my usual routine - work on the blog, workout, do any other random to-do's. Each evening we would go into DC, grab food, and then check out a few different memorials/monuments with our friends. Our first night, we went to the Lincoln Memorial which, can I just say is so beautiful at night when it's all lit up?! Most of the monuments are lit up at night and it's really cool to see them essentially sitting as beacons.
The next night we went to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. I've been to DC before, but never got around to seeing these two. In the spring there are cherry blossoms all around the Thomas Jefferson Memorial which would have been so cool to see buuut we are traveling in winter and so naturally we missed it... I think the best parts about the memorials is that they have quotes etched in the walls from our past leaders. Something about being in our nation's capitol and reading the quotes seemed really special to me. I wish I could go back in time and see what it was like during pivotal moments in history.
Fun fact, if you reach out to your state representatives (go to their official websites) you can request tours at the Capitol Building, White House, Library of Congress, etc. They can help arrange these things to make a trip easier. We heard about this and decided to try it for ourselves..although we did it like the day before (I recommend you don't do that). We lucked out because it was winter and not peak season for DC tourists so we got a slot for a private tour at the capitol! A staff member gave the tour and took Zack, Cameron, and me to the Speaker's Balcony! It had such a great view of the city and was pretty cool to look down on the balcony below where past presidents have been sworn into office (another special moment for me).
Cameron left us after the tour so Zack and I used the rest of the day to see the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History. Thank you Smithsonian Institution for making these museums free!! It's pretty amazing that so many museums in the area are free to the public. We loved it for sure and both were great! I love walking through museums and reading about history though and that's not always everyone's thing but I really loved it. The time went by way too fast and before we knew it, they closed down for the night...Note to self: give ourselves more than 2.5 hours to get through 2 museums.
Commentary by Z: I like museums, but I'm not one of those people that can spend 4+ hours in one and see everything they have on display. So we've been avoiding museums this whole trip to save up our attention and enthusiasm for the cool (and free) museums in DC! 2 hours in each museum = plenty for me.
What did we eat?
Applebees - ok not the most exciting place...buuuut our friends wanted to take us to trivia night and that was so much fun! Our table worked as a team and while we ate we answered some trivia and competed against other tables! There were two halves to the game and we did great the first half and we were even in second place! But then came the second half and well...we struggled ha but it was still fun.
Founding Fathers - This place is always busy so we ended up making a reservation and then left to look at the memorials while we waited. The food was fantastic. I got butternut squash ravioli and Zack got Meatloaf! The food was so fresh and so good! I love butternut squash so this restaurant has a special place in my heart ha!
Commentary by Z: H is def too nice since she neglected to say that we had to wait 45 minutes past our reservation time because the people that were eating at our table before us wouldn't leave. They gave us free fresh cornbread to say sorry though... so almost #worth
Sticky Rice - Really great place for sushi and other asian dishes. I'm all about sushi so I had to get some! It did not disappoint!
Final Thoughts
DC has been great so far and we can't wait to have a full Saturday to explore more! The food is great, the city is great, and we are loving our time here. Only down side??? It's freaking cold! We have been spoiled being in the south for so long and have been shocked into reality that it is still in fact, winter.
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