DC day by day: four

When we woke up on Sunday, day four, we  weren't sure exactly what our plans were for the day. Originally I wanted to go to Mt. Vernon and Arlington Cemetery, but the forecast was rain and snow. I know that the forecast shouldn't have held any decision making powers for us based on its past accuracy, but we didn't want to risk it. Being outside for hours in the snow and rain with two girls in strollers would be zero fun. So, we scrapped Mt. Vernon. Still on my to-do list, but we'll just have to wait for another visit. 

Either way, it started out on a classy note. I wanted to wear my boots, but they were in the car. So, I sported my skinny jeans, ankle socks and toms {with a hole in the toe, no less} all the way through the hotel. Nice. 

We did end up going to Arlington Cemetery and it was incredible. There were a lot of people there, but the overall feeling was so serene and peaceful. We walked up and down the winding hills taking in clean, crisp rows of sparkling white headstones. We visited the eternal flame at JFK's gravesite and made our way to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier {via a pitstop at the bathrooms to warm up our hands}. This was supposed to be the most reverent part of the entire cemetery, so of course it is where Kate decided to be completely fed up with being in the cold and she let everyone know. Whoops! Ryan and Leah stayed to snap some pictures while Kate and I went for a brisk walk. We marveled at the view from the hills in Virginia overlooking DC, and were able to see the very first glimpse of the cherry blossoms that were beginning to bloom. It was a highlight of our trip and there was so much we didn't even get to see because it was so cold. Again, next time. 

After Arlington, we felt like {okay, we knew} the girls had had enough. We drove up the street to see the US Marine Corp War Memorial {Iwo Jima}. But the girls and I stayed in the car {where we learned Kate is the laziest baby ever...wouldn't be bothered to hold her bottle, so we propped it for her highness} and Ryan got some pictures. He even took a selfie because he thought I'd like it. He was right.

  

We also wanted to go see the Capitol and maybe some other museums, but dashing Ryan volunteered to take the chilled girls back to the hotel for a nap while I went to the Newseum all by myself. Hello. A museum all about journalism. All by myself. Yes, please. 

And so, for the next three hours I wandered through the six stories of the Newseum just soaking it all in. As you approach the building on Pennsylvania Avenue, you are overcome with a giant tablet inscribed with first amendment. As you enter, you pass an entire wall filled with front page news from all 50 states and around the world...and they change it daily. From the Berlin Wall Gallery where I stood in front of 8 panels of the Wall and touched the actual stone and the 9/11 Memorial with a giant antenna found in the rubble and a wall of front page newspapers printed the following day to the Watergate door and the Unabomber's cabin, I felt like I was immersed in history. I saw a printing press and 500 years of printed history. A journalists memorial; a gallery of the history of internet, TV and radio; a section on comics; artifacts galore and more. The Pulitzer Prize Photographs Gallery had me in tears. And to top it off {literally}, I walked onto the terrace on the 6th floor and had a fabulous view of the Capitol, which, sadly, was the closest I got to it during this trip. I honestly could have been there for a week. But when I walked out onto the sidewalk, a handsome man in a fabulous Honda Civic honked and waved at me, so I jumped into his car and he whisked me away. 

 

We headed north to where the Holbrooks were staying and had a delicious Sunday dinner with them. It was here that miss Kate decided it was high time she learned how to climb stairs. And so, with the help of a shoe {she and Leah are eerily similar with what motivates them...}, up she went. 

We drove back to our hotel later that night and got a glimpse of the city all lit up. We went through day four at a slower pace, but it was one of my favorites. And again, we hit the pillows pretty hard to get ready for our final day before the long drive home. 

P.S. We all wore green except Ryan. Yes, he got pinched.