Washington, D.C. Highlights

Washington, D.C. was our first family travel destination of 2017. We spent Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend there, seeing the sights and witnessing the city’s monumental preparations for the Presidential inauguration. Over the course of four days we visited the International Spy Museum, the National Zoo, Ford’s Theater (where Abraham Lincoln was shot), the Petersen House (where Abraham Lincoln died), the National Archives, the National Air and Space Museum, the National Holocaust Memorial Museum, Arlington National Cemetery, and Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home). We logged 22 miles on the pedometer for the weekend but, because most of the museums closed by 5 pm., we were always back in our hotel rooms by early evening, sipping milkshakes from the Shake Shack and watching movies or reading with our comfies on and our feet propped up. We had fun, learned a few new things, spent quality time together and even enjoyed some downtime. Really, what more could a person ask for?

International Spy Museum. (A combination of espionage history and James Bond movie artifacts make this a fascinating and fun experience.)

{ James Bond’s Aston Martin }

{ Metal dentures belonging to Bond villain Jaws – the actor could only keep them in his mouth for about 40 seconds at a time because they were so painful to wear. }

The National Zoo. (Home of pandas and other adorable critters. Unfortunately, winter offers limited viewing of many of the animals.)

Ford’s Theater and the Petersen House. (Informative museum outlining events leading up to President Lincoln’s assassination. The bedroom where Lincoln died felt especially eerie.)

{ The gun John Wilkes Booth used to shoot Lincoln. }

The National Archives. (Highlights include the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution and one of the few remaining original copies of the Magna Carta. No photography is allowed in this building).

The National Air and Space Museum. (A popular museum chronicling the history of flight and the exploration of space. This was by far the busiest museum of the trip. }

The National Holocaust Memorial Museum. (An emotionally taxing experience, but it should not be missed. The world needs to remember human rights atrocities so they are not repeated…)

{ Portraits of families and friends from one Jewish village in Poland taken before the war. Most of the villagers were killed during the Nazi occupation. }

The Lincoln Memorial. (After visiting the Ford Theater and Petersen House we felt compelled to see this monument. It was interesting to observe the preparations for the inaugural celebrations but the set-up was bothersome when it came to taking those iconic photographs.)

Arlington National Cemetery. (The resting place of more than 400,000 active service members, veterans and their families. It is also the home of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.)