Washington D.C., April 2016

My oldest daughter had been wanting to visit the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C. since she was in the 3rd grade. I didn’t really think she would appreciate traveling, until last year. So for her surprise gift at her Quinceanera, I booked us a trip to finally go visit! My parents came along and I’m so glad Luci and I got to experience it with them.

The whole city is so filled with history and rich beauty. I never thought I would be so in love with such a city. I mean you’re literally walking around where buildings were built in the 17 & 1800’s. And they’re not just your regular modern buildings, the architecture is just impeccable and you can’t help but think “How did people from that long ago make these amazing buildings!?”

 

We visited so many places and walked miles and miles. We stayed about 7 minutes North of the Capitol. Most of the time we took an Uber to the Monuments/Museums, then walked around most of the day. Our last day we took Uber everywhere, even if the next place was only an 8 minute walk, we were so tired.

UNITED STATES CAPITOL / LIBRARY OF CONGRESS / B DC PENN QUARTER

You can take a tour at the Capitol & Library of Congress but we decided to just walk around on our own. Many people I overheard complained about the tours because people were slow, asked many questions and sometimes didn’t get through with the whole tour. If you plan on touring the Capitol, you have to book one through the Office of your Representative. Make sure you visit the Reading Room!

WASHINGTON MEMORIAL / SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM / CARMINE’S

If you’re planning on visiting the Washington Memorial you have to get tickets way in advance. Meaning sooner than the month before! If you happen not to secure tickets online before your trip, the Washington Monument Lodge (open from 8:30 am – 5 pm) gives away free tickets each morning on a first come, first served basis. I was told to get there at 6 am to guarantee tickets, but of course I woke up late and got there about 7:30 am! Surprisingly, there really was a line. There were probably 40 people in front of me, by 8:30 there were at least 100 people behind me. At the window they have a list of times that are available for the day and you’re allowed up to 6 tickets per person.

We were told that Carmine’s (Italian Food Restaurant) was a great place to have dinner, but we were very disappointed. We were told there would be a 45 minute wait time, and waited about an hour and a half. At an hour and a half we inquired on how much longer and they had deleted our name on accident. We weren’t really accommodated by the manager so I was very turned off by the time we sat down. We ordered the Penne Pasta with Bolognese Sauce and Meatballs. It’s served family style, so we only got one order of each. Unfortunately the food didn’t taste authentic and I’ve honestly had better at a small family owned Italian food place back in Southlake, Texas. Next time I’ll definitely find a smaller, more quaint restaurant.

COMMISSARY / LINCOLN MEMORIAL / THE WHITE HOUSE / ARLINGTON MEMORIAL / SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY / DISTRICT OF PI PIZZA

LINCOLN’S WAFFLE SHOP / SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY / UNION STATION / NATIONAL POSTAL MUSEUM / NATIONAL MUSEUM OF WOMEN IN THE ARTS

Cheers to Adventures Lovies!