Talk about an awesomely exhilarating tour of Washington DC!!! I can’t believe I hesitated when my sister, Teresa asked if I would like to accompany her along with our cousins, Billy and Janice to our nation’s capitol. I really encourage you to go if you have not…or if like me, haven’t gone recently. There is so much culture (mostly free) in an easy to navigate (by metro and foot) city. Plus, it’s clean and beautiful and makes you proud to be an American even with our history’s highs and lows.
Billy was able to get us a tour of the White House through his Representative Pete Aguilar and staff, Stefanie and Carla. You have to get approval in advance and when you are there…you go through three serious security checkpoints (and can’t take in purses or bags). Once in, you aren’t really rushed and can take your time viewing the downstairs formal rooms.
Monuments not to miss:
- The Korean War Memorial
- The Supreme Court
- The Mall (especially at night) with
- the Jefferson Memorial and
- the Lincoln Memorial
- The Martin Luther King Memorial
- The National Cathedral
- And there are so many more.
Stefanie and Carla from Pete’s office also graciously provided us with a tour of the beautiful Capitol building. We even got to go on the floor of the House of Representatives (they were on recess). See George Washington in the dome?
We were able to visit the popular new National Museum of African American History and Culture (need tickets in advance). It’s emotionally moving from the early slave trade stages, segregation and up to the current African American achievements.
We enjoyed the Library of Congress (notice the amazing ceiling), the National Gallery, The Newseum (the green parts on the globe are the only places with total freedom of the press) and the Portrait Museum. Mostly all FREE. We also liked The Natural History Museum…so much to see! There are more museums and not enough time so all the more reason to go back.
Teresa had between 12k and 20k steps on her Fitbit every day on our tour of Washington DC (I figure I was about the same). So, we splurged eating!
- Old Ebbitts Grill (oldest saloon in DC–Teresa and I split the fish and chips).
- We had the seafood tower at Fiola Mare and
- French food at Le Diplomat
Thanks, Billy and Janice for all you did for Teresa and me for an amazing tour of Washington DC!
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If you go back I would highly recommend DC Design Tours! We went a few weeks ago and Carolyn (the owner and our guide) was a wealth of knowledge in both the history of DC and the design and architecture. Next time we go I’m hiring her again! Such a great trip!
Great idea! Thanks.
.Wow. It looks like you really had a thorough tour of the city!!! I love the Smithsonian museums. When I was young my parents took us to all the museums and one off the mall – it was the Medical Museum – something like that. They had all these old specimens in bottles. There was a elephantitis leg. lol. It made such an impression on me. No one ever heard of that museum and no one even went there. I have no idea how my parents found it!!! That leg!!!!!! omg.
My highlight going to Washington DC was with the United Jewish Appeal and Reagan spoke to us, which was a thrill even though I’m a die hard dem.
So, the White House? Was it beautiful? Did it look cared for, not shabby? I always wonder about that. All those fabrics and furniture must fade.
This comment is way too long! Sorry!!!!
Yes, Joni. We only got to go through the downstairs but the rooms look great and are in use for formal events. They are redone as needed but with donor money. That is cool you met Ronald Reagan…a California boy. I took a picture of his statue in the Capitol building 🙂 Love your fashion post…so pretty.
I’ve never been to the American capital, but I think I’d like to go sometime. The Canadian capital is so beautiful, especially in the fall.
I’ve never been to Ottawa (I would like to)…but Montreal and Quebec City are beautiful. And we traveled to Alberta several times as a child to visit relatives.