Last Friday after work, Aaron and I packed our bags, grabbed some Chick-fil-A and hit the road to Washington D.C. We will definitely be going back, just can't see everything in one day.
 |
| Bought some Toms for our trip to London in a couple of weeks and decided to test them on this vacation. |
We stayed in Arlington, which was perfect, because it was just blocks from the metro station, which is the best way to travel around to the different sites in Washington.
 |
| Our metro passes have been purchased and we are ready to go. |
 |
In the distance you can see a blue light,
that is the train heading our way. |
 |
| First stop, Arlington National Cemetery. |
 |
If you look closely, you can see the Washington Monument.
This was taken from JFK's gravesite. |
After we visited the Arlington National Cemetery, we hopped back on the metro and stopped at the National Mall. This is where we spend most of the day. All of the Smithsonian Museums are here, as well as the Holocaust Museum, the Capital building, Washington Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. We walked A LOT. Next time, we will take advantage of the city bikes that you can rent, to save our legs. Boy, were we tired on Sunday.
 |
| Smithsonian Castle - welcome center and gift shop |
 |
| This was as close as we got to the capital building. |
 |
| My new shoes were AMAZING!!! |
 |
| It is so FAR AWAY!!! |
Anyone who knows me very well, knows that I LOVE The Wizard of Oz, ,so it only seemed fitting to see the "real" Ruby Red Slippers. I had really hoped for a light to be shining on them to make them sparkle and a little more fanfare, but it was still incredibly neat to see them.
Sadly, that museum was so crowded we didn't get to see much else. On the list of things to see next time we go.
For my foodies everywhere, the food trucks were AMAZING. Now I am not a very brave soul, so we didn't actually try any of the food from the trucks, except for an extremely expensive pretzel at the end of the day. There were literally blocks of trucks lining both sides of the streets with every type of food imaginable. The smells were delicious.
Note to self: go to the Holocaust Museum first, so you can obtain a ticket, and go through the museum later in the day. We found this out a little too late, but no worries we will be back. The outside of the building was pretty cool.
 |
| It is getting closer. |
 |
| Do you notice the change in the color of the bricks? |
 |
Next stop in the Lincoln Memorial, which seems so far away.
We are standing at the Washington Monument. |
 |
We made it.
Now we have to climb all those steps to see Abe Lincoln. |
 |
Woohoo!
Now to make the trek back to the Metro Station. |
 |
Exhausted and hungry. We stopped for a quick snack and to rest of feet
before getting on the Metro to head back to the hotel. |
After a long hot shower, some HGTV (sometimes we miss cable), and a nice cold gatorade, we were ready for a night on the town. We decided to stay in Arlington, partly because we wanted to enjoy the local fare, and partly because we were already paying for our car to be parked and didn't want to pay again to park it somewhere else. So out we went in search of the best local pizza place in Downtown Arlington.
 |
Aaron's excited to be eating pizza.
The man does love pizza. |
 |
| Pepperoni, mushroom, and green peppers pizza. |
 |
Virginia Ham, pineapple, and onions.
And yes, Aaron did eat some, but only after he picked off the onions.
|
We ended the evening at a local Gelato and coffee shop. We enjoyed live music and a quaint atmosphere before walking home under the street lights.
 |
| Oreo Biscotti Gelato |
The rest of the evening was spend relaxing and enjoying some more HGTV. Those renovation shows are so fun to watch. Sunday morning we slept in, ate some leftover granola bars, packed our bags, and leisurely made our way home. Our first stop was a Starbucks for some coffee and then CRACKER BARREL.
 |
| I'm noticing a theme here. |
Our trip to Washington D.C. was an excellent trip, filled with tons of quality time together. We are looking forward to our next trip to D.C., especially now that we know exactly what we want to see. Until next time...
