Day 21

I was excited for the day as I would finally get to explore the nation's capital, which I had not been to since I was 3. We decided to drive into the city rather than take the train so I was hopeful to find some decent parking, which I knew would not be an easy feat! As we drove through the suburbs to get to the city, I was impressed by area as it seemed like a safe, nice place to live. The Washington Monument soon came into view as we entered D.C. We slowly drove down the streets, taking in the sites and managed to find parking very close to the Smithsonian museums! Luckily, we had lots of quarters to get us through the next couple of hours. We decided to check out the Natural History museum so we could see the dinosaurs and other animals. Strolling through the displays, it was very hard to believe these massive creatures could have roamed the same land I was standing on! The T-Rex looked particularly vicious as they had it fixed in a menacing pose. We saw the rest of the dinosaurs and then made our way to the Mammal section. It was awesome to see so many different animals from different continents all made to look so incredibly alive and vivid. I think being a taxidermist would have to be a disgusting profession but they did an awesome job with the animals! Our favorite was this strange African fox with gigantic ears! After seeing many different mammals of all shapes and sizes, we changed gears and headed upstairs to see the exhibit on gemstones, rocks, and minerals. We were amazed to see rocks that looked like they were from a different galaxy. We also saw lots of beautiful diamonds, emeralds, and other precious gems. The famous Hope Diamond was on display as well. It is the world's largest blue diamond and is well-known for its tumoltuous history.

We left the museum and headed outside immediately noticing the return of the heat and humidity, which had been noticeably absent from the last few days of our trip. We found a lunch stand in which we could enjoy some hot dogs, salads, and fries on the grass of the National Mall. We were all very impressed by the cleanliness and organization of the city. Many of the Government buildings are all congregated in one area where as the shopping areas and restaurants are in a different area which made it easy for us to find what we were looking for. After lunch, I ran back a few blocks to the car to feed the parking meter before rejoining the girls for some more sightseeing. We walked along the Mall until we made our way to the Washington Monument. It is quite impressive to see up close as it must have been quite a feat to build. I was interested in going up to the top but prior preparation would have been required as reservations were needed. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave was our next stop as we wanted to see the most famous house in America. The White House was cool to see and I had a strong urge to jump the fence and see how long it took before I was taken down, but of course I ignored that urge! I was actually surprised at the length of the lawn because I expected it to be perfectly manicured but in fact it seemed a little shaggy. After separating ourselves from the other onlookers, I begrudgingly waiting while the girls bought their postcards at a nearby souvenir stand. We slowly walked back to our car while admiring the architecture of these grand buildings which communicated the importance of this city as the capital of a world superpower.

Washington D.C has a parking ban on many of its streets from 4-6pm to create another travel lane, which meant we had to move our car as it was nearing rush hour time. We spent a long time exploring the city from our car driving by many places that I would love to have visited such as the Holocaust Museum, Air&Space Museum, Jefferson/Lincoln Monuments, and the Capitol. Again, because we were on a road trip I had to make a mental note to come back to D.C for a much longer visit! We found a parking spot near the Spy Museum so we attempted to go in but realized that $18 was a bit too much to spend at this stage in our trip. At this point, we decided to leave D.C and head back to Tim and Chum's place, which was not the smartest decision as it was the middle of rush hour. The traffic wasn't too bad actually and the drive was a lot less frustrating than a typical Boston experience. We all agreed that we loved this city and was one of the few places on our trip that we would actually consider living.

Once Tim got home from work, we decided to go out for Sushi. I enjoyed a wonderful meal of shrimp and vegetable tempura as well as miso soup and a refreshing salad. The others liked their meals as well, especially little Lucas, who adventourously enjoyed yaki soba and even tried sushi! We ended the night like the one before, gripped to the T.V watching the Olympics.