"We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses."
-Abraham Lincoln
The kids have been begging to travel somewhere for months. As Ashlyn said, “I just want to get on a plane, I don’t care where it goes.” With school being out and vaccinations being available across the country, we caved in and looked for available flights. As it turns out, there were seats open on flights to and from our nations capital. Bags were packed, arrangements were made for Sadie, and off we went to the airport.
When we arrived the kids got to experience their first subway experience. We got passes, gave one to each kid, and showed them how to use it to get in and out of the subway stations. They thought it was a fun throughout the weekend.
It’s good we didn’t have to pay for flights, the weather was rainy all weekend and it was impossible to get into any of the museums due to Covid restrictions (the Smithsonian was only allowing a limited number of people in and they were booked solid for the next month). That didn’t stop us from heading out with our umbrellas to see some sights. The first stop was the White House, which the kids thought was pretty neat but not as great as what we saw after.
There were two highlights of the trip for the kids. The first was a squirrel we saw while walking the National Mall after visiting the White House. It was the friendliest squirrel they had ever seen. It came up real close for food, and followed us for awhile as we walked.
After the squirrel left we decided to check out the Washington monument. On the way the kids decided to roll down a large hill for some reason. When we got to the moment, the kids took off across the field so fast that James lost his shoe. He didn’t stop running though.
The next day we next made our way to the Lincoln memorial where the kids became engrossed in learning the rich history of our 16th President. Just kidding, they wanted to find more squirrels. Before we left, we made them smile and take pictures in front of the monument and on the steps where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I have a dream” speech.
The second highlight of the trip, falling a close second to the squirrel, was going to an escape room. We needed something to do indoors because of the rain and it seemed like a good option. The kids had a blast and was worth jogging in the rain for a bit.
Hopefully we can return to Washington DC at some point after all the museums have open up. There is a lot still to see and do.