My wife and I went to D.C. in 1996 as part of a trip from NV to OH and then driving to D.C. I had been once before but my wife had never been. I think everyone should go at least once in his or her lifetime. In fact, I hope we get to return there soon.

Below I would like to share some passages from a journal we kept of our trip. These are unedited, but comments from me now (5 years later) are added. The journal excerpts are in italics.

Saturday, May 25, 1996 - Our first day in Washington, D.C.! Caroline thought the Metro station was “different, but cool.” We got off the Metro and saw the White House and Lafayette Park. Neither of us were very impressed with the White House, so we decided to skip the tour! We went to the Ellipse, and then to the Washington Monument. We saw lots of baby ducks at the Reflecting Pool by the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial was incredible, even though the murals were under renovation. We saw the Korean War Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, and the Vietnam Women’s Memorial. After that we walked for a long time to get to the Jefferson Memorial. Another long walk brought us to the U.S. Capitol, but we were too late to take the tour this day. We went to the Library of Congress and it was simply beautiful! We took the Metro back to the car and ate dinner at a Wendy’s in Alexandria.

The Metro (the subway system) is the only way to travel in D.C. It is clean, safe, and easy to learn. I can't fathom trying to drive around this city. Looking back it's kind of funny to see that we thought the White House was not very impressive. I guess when I go back I'll want to see more, but the lines were long. The Vietnam Vets Memorial is probably the most powerful thing to see in D.C. (I say that with one caveat, I have never seen the Holocaust museum.) Needless to say, we hit many of the big monuments on the first day!

Sunday, May 26, 1996 - Once again, we woke up late today! We went to the Capitol and took the tour first after we got into Washington. The tour was incredible! We saw the Rotunda, Statuary Hall, and the Old Supreme Court chambers. We were able to roam around a lot, and we got to see the Senate chambers and the House chambers! We also saw some really incredible paintings, murals, and statues. After that we went to the Air and Space Museum. It was like a zoo! We got really tired, so we went back to Alexandria and ate dinner at Joe Theismann’s restaurant.

Yes the capitol is amazing. I would recommend that you contact your Congressman or Senator in advance because you may be able to get special tours this way. I never did that. BTW, Jo Theismann's restaurant is really good!

Monday, May 27, 1996 (Memorial Day) - We went to Arlington National Cemetery today. We didn’t know what time the ceremony was going to begin, but we stumbled upon President Clinton’s Memorial Address. It was really incredible to be able to see him speak! We saw the Tomb of the Unknowns and JFK’s tomb before we left the cemetery. Next we went to the Smithsonian Castle and on to the Museum of Natural History where we saw the Hope Diamond! We went to the Museum of American History, but we only shopped in the store. We didn’t tour it because we were tired and the museum closed at 5:30 p.m. We went to the Mall at Pentagon City and ate dinner at Mozarrella’s Cafe.

OK, we were stunned to get to see the president speak. It was really cool and we just stumbled upon it. We wondered why the Metro was so crowded! Don't take a pocket knife. The Secret Service confiscated mine. The Smithsonian could take an entire week to see everything you want to see, so you really have to pick and choose. Mozarrella's Cafe is another great restaurant and the mall in Pentagon City is huge!

Tuesday, May 28, 1996 - After breakfast at the hotel, we went to the National Archives where we saw the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Bill of Rights. Afterwards we went to the Museum of American History. It was truly incredible! It was Scott’s favorite Smithsonian museum. We ate dinner in Pentagon City again and did some shopping while we were there.

The National Archives is amazing. I didn't get a chance to research any while there, but I hope to return someday to do genealogy research.

Wednesday, May 29, 1996 - Today we left Washington, D.C.! We went to Annapolis to see the United States Naval Academy. We took the tour and saw Lejeune Hall (sports stuff) and Dahlgren Hall (ice hockey arena). Then we saw Bancroft Hall (c. 1900), the dorm which houses all of the midshipmen. It is the largest granite building in the U.S. and houses a memorial for graduates who died during war. We also saw the Chapel and the crypt of John Paul Jones.

This was a really short trip to D.C., and I know there is so much more to see. We added the day in Annapolis because Caroline's grandfather and great-uncle both graduated from the Naval Academy. They died in WWII and Korea. It was an incredible place to visit, and if you have time, I highly recommend it also.

I hope you enjoyed this little flashback to my trip 5 years ago. I know I did. I think that anyone going to D.C. has a lot of choices to make.

I know this was another break from my medical epinions, but
hopefully it will help someone who is planning a trip.

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Thank you for reading and good luck in your travels.


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