DC...The Recap

Ok, so the play-by-play of our trip to DC was very worthwhile.  As I was recalling all of our touristy stops to my coworkers on Monday, I started losing my memory of where all we went and when we went there.  I'll blame that on two things -- One being the fact that we jam packed so much into the day and a half we really had to see everything, and Two being the fact that David Scott kept me up All. Night. Long on Sunday night cutting tooth #2.  Seriously, he didn't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time, which means that I didn't sleep for more than a couple hours at a time.  Talk about exhausted.  As a side note, he's been a complete angel and has even been sleeping through the night ever since.  Fingers crossed that it continues.  Anyhoo, back to my point of the fact that I'm glad I documented our trip as we were seeing everything as it will serve as a great memory for Scotty and I for years to come.  So, if you've never been to our nation's capital, I would highly suggest that you go. Whether or not you're a history buff (we surely aren't), I think you'll leave with a greater appreciation for our country, how it was formed, and the people who helped make a difference both past and present.  So here's my rundown of things to keep in mind for when we go back -- or to save you a little time when you go...in no particular order:

• Don't do the shuttle bus from the airport to your hotel.  Complete waste of time and money.  Just take a cab.
• Wear comfortable shoes that will allow you to walk miles and miles without getting a foot cramp.  Better yet, go buy a pair of those tennis shoes that tone your tush and kill two birds with one stone.
• Don't take an infant or small child the first time you go. 
• Also, I will not go back if I am nursing.  Having to run back to the hotel to pump mid-day is such a disruption only to have your supply get messed up anyway...but that's a whole other story.
• Make sure you check out your hotel beforehand.  You want to stay in an area that is easily accessible to most of the sights.  The fact that there's not a homeless shelter nearby would also be an extra star on my rating scale.
• Don't try to squeeze everything into two days.  We will definitely stay at least 3 days next time we go just to ensure that we have enough time to do/see everything on our list and not be totally-and-completely-fall-asleep-in-your-clothes exhausted.  That did not happen, but you get the point.
• We were told beforehand to buy a metrocard to ride the bus around town.  Personally, I'm glad we didn't b/c that would've been one more thing to try and fit in our schedule -- when the bus ran.  But for some people, it might be a very handy thing.  We walked EVERYWHERE and only took a cab when we were too exhausted to walk another step or when we were going from one end of the area to the other.
• Do the hop-on-hop-off double decker bus tour.  Boo and I did this when we went to NYC a few years back and it was fab.  Scotty and I didn't do it in DC, but it sure would've been nice to sit down between each stop on our agenda.
• Everything seems to be a little more expensive than things are here.  Be sure to take enough cash or risk trying to find an ATM near the hotel...which either had someone sleeping on the ground in the lobby area or has a homeless shelter nearby.  (You may think I harp on that little detail way too much.  But let me tell you, it freaked me out.)
• The service was nothing like it is in the South.  It wasn't as pleasant.  It wasn't as fast.  Overall, it just wasn't as good.  I don't know if it's b/c most of us who live here grew up in the South and have good home training, or what, but I was not at all impressed with the people in the service industry up there.
• Keep a map (and a compass!) with you at all times.  The layout of that city can make no sense at times, and the cabbies aren't guaranteed to know where you want to go.
• Fanny packs make a little more sense -- sorry for making fun of you, Mama, back in the 80's (and 90's), when we went on various vacations and you insisted on sporting the fanny pack.  An utter embarrassment at the time, I can see how it would serve a purpose.  That being said, I still will never wear one myself, I'm just saying that I understand the logic after carrying my purse with me on Friday; on Saturday, I carried only the bare necessities...in my pockets.
• Don't use the courtesy check-in outside the airport.  Complete waste of time and money as well.

And now, a few more pics:

At the Capitol Building on the "Lucky Stone."

Standing outside the Capitol.

Outside the hotel before our fantastic Friday night meal.

Scotty standing by the NJ part of the WWII Memorial -- this was for his Papaw.

Wearing our super cool 3D glasses before the IMAX movie.

Pointing to the person whom I believe I am related who bravely fought (and died) in Vietnam.