DC

We took BoltBus down to DC from NYC which I highly recommend for its free wi-fi & electrical outlets. Those features + several naps made the 4 hour ride go by pretty quickly. Sarah was nice enough to let us stay with her. Neither of us had ever been to DC before so we decided to join her during the monday morning rush hour metro commute so that we could get an early start. First on our list was The Holocaust Memorial Museum.

They only give out 2,000 passes for the permanent exhibit per day. We were a little overzealous and I think we ended up being one of the first 50 people in line so we got in no problem.

They don't allow pictures inside. It was probably the most moving museum I've ever been to and a must-see if you ever travel to DC.

Washington Monument



VAB shot

World War II Memorial

Nietzsche and James :)

"ohhhhh she using the tripod..."

Lincoln Memorial

View from the Lincoln.

Korean War Veterans Memorial



Vietnam Veterans Memorial



Obama's House

Puns Team Pride!

We walked EVERYWHERE and were exhausted by 4:00. At first, we tried to nap on the bench, but it was too sunny.

So we moved to the grass. We probably looked homeless, but it was a a glorious 30 minute nap.

On the way back to the Capitol, a quick bathroom break in the National Museum of Natural History turned into a speedy walk-thru. I love that a bunch of the museums in DC are free!

Hope Diamond

My birthstone!

bling bling



We finally made it back to the other end of the mall.

Met up with Jacy who had been hard at work all day!

local girls

View from the Capitol end.

Happy Hour at Union Pub with everyone.

Even though it was Adam's first day of work, he was a trooper and came out!

group shot

My tallest (and coolest) friend!



Sheri is the Patsy Mink Fellow this summer. That means she wears a green badge and is a big deal :).



The National Air & Space Museum had a few cool exhibits. If I were a 10 year old boy I think I would've LOVED this museum.



moon rocks!

The U.S. Botanic Garden was more my speed. I initially wanted to check it out because the building looked cool from the outside, but the inside was even cooler!

The jungle section

Looking back, I wish I had gone up to the other level.

Jacy setting up the VAB. She is the original VAB master.

Jacy is also the original macro master. Thanks for taking me under your wing!

These were all taken using the macro setting.

pretty

Jess said these were in the onion family.

Neil Abercrombie's office.

dork

We had to visit the U.S. Supreme Court.

the layout

main foyer

random side hallway

We also took a trip to the Senate side to see Sarah's building.

Look at how nice it is!

The Newseum (media museum). Jacy informed us that it just opened. I like the cute name, but this one costs money so we didn't go.

The room in The National Archives where the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights is housed.

They only let about 100 people in at a time.

Constitution

Bill of Rights

Declaration of Independence

Ok, now for something a little more visually stimulating...Dorothy's ruby slippers at the National Museum of American History!

Homage to Hip Hop

Apolo Ohno's speedskates...anyone who knew me in high school will crack up at this hahaha.

Jess and I successfully metro'd it back to the Capitol just in time to meet Sheri for a VIP tour.

King Kamehameha statue in the middle of it all.



We sat in the Senate Gallery for 5 minutes, but no pics were allowed.

Then we sat in the House Gallery for 5 minutes.

Approximately 30 minutes later, Jess and I were back on the BoltBus back to NY.

I don't think we could've packed any other activities into our 2ish days in DC. Thanks to everyone who hosted and/or entertained us!