I Don’t Think The Heavy Stuff Will Come Down For Quite A While

Ever since visiting Parliament in Canada, Bode has been talking about wanting to make the laws when he grows up. None of us have been to the US capitol,  so after staying a day or two longer than we expected in Jersey we headed south.  We rolled in at dusk, with no real plan other than seeing the sights at the mall. Once again, a total lack of planning didn’t prevent us from just showing up and wandering around.

Note the beautiful weather on day 1. No jacket required.

Bode really wanted to go in the White House to see the President, and it took a while to convince him we couldn’t do it. We walked around a bit more before getting really hungry.

Ben’s Chili Bowl was recommended by two friends and it was awesome. I went back for seconds. Of all the landmarks in Washington DC, this is the only one that serves a killer chili dog.

Ben’s is one of those places that has been an institution for multiple eras and has pictures of it’s famous patrons.  There was a picture of Barack, but two of Bill Cosby.

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Tropical storm Ida showed up overnight, much to our surprise. The rain got heavier and the wind stronger all day.  Although it slowed us down a bit, we still got to see much of Washington.

The Washington Monument is the tallest, so was first on Bode’s list. The rain kept the crowds away and we went straight to the top. It’s a great way to see the area.

After George Washington was out of office, it was quickly decided that a monument was to be built in his honor. He agreed that a statue of him on his horse would be acceptable. Fifty years later, long after his death and many delays, some committee decided that it would be a giant stone monolith. At least that’s what the park ranger told us. It’s pretty cool – way more impressive in person. No mortar – just stacked stones. At the top… in the rain… it leaks.

While waiting for the elevator ride back down, some impatient woman behind us starts whining… “Did somebody push the button?! Did anyone push the button? Did they (to us) push the button?!”  It’s the Washington Monument, lady… there’s no button.

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We checked out Lincoln’s Memorial and skimmed the Smithsonian and Capitol. For this first time in my entire life, I was asked to move because I was blocking someone’s photo. There were 1000 people and I was blocking the Lincoln Memorial. It’s no wonder American tourists have such a bad rap. We’re bad tourists in our own country.

We could have spent a week here, but two days would have to suffice this time. We tested the theory that there is no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing. After all day in the cold rain though, we were soaked through to our socks. Well, Bode was pretty dry–we pushed him around in a plastic bubble stroller.

It was Veteran’s Day which added so much to my experience. I can’t believe we’ve never been here, and I can’t wait to go back (in the summer.)

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9 thoughts on “I Don’t Think The Heavy Stuff Will Come Down For Quite A While

  • November 13, 2009 at 7:24 AM
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    What about the trip to Ohio? I wanna hear about yalls night with the Barbours! I heard it was fun!

  • November 13, 2009 at 8:08 AM
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    DC is a cool place to visit – and with the right clothes you can survive and thrive in any weather. Stay dry –

  • November 13, 2009 at 1:35 PM
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    The only time that Oren and I were there was Xmas day one winter when we got stuck in DC. FREEZING. With one hat between the 2 of us. Definitely need the proper clothing. As it was xmas and the stores were closed, we had to buy badly-made fake FBI hats and gloves from the non-american people selling them from kiosks all around the White House.

    BTW, I see that you have a Maclaren Stroller…there was a recall…

    http://forums.parenting.com/blogs/node/4181?cid=enew111009

  • November 13, 2009 at 6:12 PM
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    Were there beans in the chili dogs?

  • November 13, 2009 at 11:56 PM
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    east bay ray says- howdy. looks like fun. Save me some chilli eh!

  • November 15, 2009 at 12:10 PM
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    Hi! Love your website! We heard about you thru Jeff and Teri B. in Virginia. We’re near Raleigh, NC, and if you need anything if you’re in this area, please let us know!

  • November 17, 2009 at 9:15 PM
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    Liz-

    we’ve decided to take our chances 😉

  • November 17, 2009 at 9:16 PM
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    Alisha-
    thanks for the offer, but we’ve cruised right through!

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