On Tuesday we went into Philadelphia! The government was still shut down (as you all know), so we saw the Liberty Bell through a window and didn’t see the inside of Independence Hall. We did see ‘The Signer’ statue, Benjamin Franklin’s grave, several other buildings and statues, and then went to the Philadelphia Mint. There are no pictures from the mint because those weren’t allowed, but it was a neat experience.
We got lunch at the Reading Terminal Market – Philly cheesesteak for Matt and I and ramen for the kids. Then we walked down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the Philadelphia Art Museum and Rocky steps. It was a beautiful walk through the city on a lovely (and hot) fall day. We rounded it out with some Boba before returning to our last night at our friends’ house.
The next morning we said good bye and hit the road towards Catharpin, VA – just west of Washington D.C. We stayed with a longtime friend of Matt’s (from CO) and her family. It was fun to meet (reacquaint ourselves with) them, and we were grateful for a place to stay to see Washington D.C.
Thursday we spent the day in Washington D.C. We walked the National Mall from east to west. We started at the Supreme Court Building. Then we went by the Capitol, but with the shutdown, the visitor center was closed, so we enjoyed the exterior.
From there we went to the:
National Museum for the American Indian – a great display of contrasting viewpoints and actual treaties,
the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum – the actual first plane the Wright Brothers flew and a neat exhibit about our need for speed,
and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – where we saw they Hope Diamond and an amazing collection of rocks, gems and minerals from all over the world – even our corner of CO!
We continued down the Mall to the Washington Monument, the WWII Memorial, the reflecting pool, the MLK Jr. Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. And yes, for those curious, there are still National Guard present along the National Mall.
I had hoped that we would be able to make it to Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, but by the time we made it to the Arlington National Cemetery rail stop (which is before the entrance to the cemetery), we didn’t have the energy or motivation to make it happen. We gratefully hopped on the train and made it back to enjoy a fabulous dinner with our ‘new’ friends.
Note: I also updated Claire and Reece’s page and will be adding some MLK Jr. quotes to the quote page soon.
Leave a Reply