Mrs. Bremer Goes to Washington

Day 12

2009-06-27T17:55:00.000-07:00

We got an earlier start and just about opened Williamsburg today. We did quite a bit of wandering. We took a tour called "In Their Own Words" giving a perspective of the lives of blacks before and during the Revolutionary War. The docent told us about the various laws regarding the status of blacks and how they were changed over time to become MORE restrictive for people of color. She told us the story about several slaves and free blacks who lived in Williamsburg and what we know of their lives from records of the time. At the end, we debated what we would have done, had we been slaves, when the War broke out. The British promised freedom the Patriots promised nothing. It was interesting to see what people used as rationale to join either side. I chose to side with the Loyalists. Even if I didn't believe them, they did offer freedom- and the Patriots made it clear- once a slave, almost always a slave. And, statistically, Britain should have won the war- that whole David and Goliath thing. Of course, history would have proven me wrong, but really, what would I have had to loose.

We did a little window shopping and then wandered to the blacksmith, shoemaker, the courthouse, the Capitol and the market square. The Red Coats are still in Williamsburg. I found out they do this only twice a year, so we are lucky we just happened to be here to see it. They practiced drilling, fired cannons and muskets. It was loud... and cool. Except it literally scared the poop out of the horses. Eeewwww.

We went on a walking tour this evening. Our group went to 3 places in town and at each one, a character told us a ghost story. They were presented as fiction about real people- it was an entertaining evening. Last night's historical reenactment was better- but this made for a fun night.

Tomorrow is our last day as we travel all of Monday. I am looking forward to seeing my family and getting BIG HUGS!!!

Oh- apparently, my Mom has a "sparkling aura" according to the shuttle bus driver. That ride was interesting!

Day 11

2009-06-27T04:29:00.000-07:00

We left DC for Williamsburg, Virginia. We rented a car for the rest of our trip. We had a beautiful drive that lasted about 3 hours through some absolutely gorgeous forested areas. It was so beautiful from the comfort of an air conditioned car!!! When we arrived, I thought I could actually feel the wet air going into my lungs. We might even have thunderstorms tonight. Wow.

We're staying in one of the hotels owned by the Colonial Williamsburg organization. It is basic, but the wifi is soooo much better than our last hotel and the hotel seems to be in better shape. We also got a HUGE discount on passes to the historical area. We spent about 7 hours there today and hardly saw a portion of what is there. We walked to the area from the visitor's center and came across a settlement that is in process of being built, They have built a smokehouse, tobacco building, cook house, slave quarters, vegetable gardens (master and slave) and corn and tobacco fields. The are in the process of building the family's home. The docents were in costume and character and told us so much. One woman Brigitte has been working here for 30 years and she herself came from mixed ethnicity and one of her grandmothers was a slave. She told us some stories of segregation that she faced growing up in the South. Getting a firsthand account really makes the horror of that history come to life.

When we got to town, we first toured the Governor's Palace. It was the residence of both royal and elected governors- including Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson! It was opulent and I was so taken by the decor- which included MANY swords and firearms- the walls were literally covered with them.

We then went to the main part of town to see about some food. Apparently, the British took over the town earlier today, so we saw them making camp for the night. We were told the password to say if any of them confronted us so we would not be arrested. All the costumed docents are so cool and in character- it is fun to be a part of this. Anyway, we wanted to eat at tavern- but we had to wait a while until they opened at 5:00. So, we checked out the magazine- which is where the colonists stored arms and ammunition. The docent explained about the different guns and other things like bayonets and why they should be dull, not sharp- it has to do with ripping flesh- you really don't want the details. But it was cool.
We went to Josiah Chowning's Tavern for dinner. The atmosphere and service was period and the food was good. They even had period entertainment. Musicians wanderer through the rooms playing period music, even on a "Hurley Gurley" (sp?) and a magician did some tricks. It was great.

We bought tickets for evening presentations for each of the 3 nights we will be here. Tonight we saw a presentation called "Cry Witch". It was held in the Capitol Courtroom and was based on actual documentation of a witch trial held there against Grace Sherwood in 1706. The acting was superb, the atmosphere awesome and it was so interesting I didn't want it to end. I am so impressed by the quality of everything I have seen here. I just hope we get to see everything else in the next 2 days- there is soooo much to see.

Day 10

2009-06-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

We went to Mount Vernon today. This was definitely one of the highlights. The estate is owned and maintained by the Ladies of Mount Vernon Association- not the government, but it was up to Smithsonian standards. The house was gorgeous and as we went into each room a docent gave us the run-down about what this room was and how the Washingtons use it. They really told the stories. I love how Washington and friends planned the Battle of Yorktown in the big dining room. He died of a throat infection 2 years after leaving office and we saw where he died. We also saw the Key to the Bastille that Lafayette gave to Washington as a token of liberty- history nerd cool! No pictures are allowed in the house, so look online of you want to take a peek inside.

The grounds are meticulously kept. We took the trek and saw all the out buildings. The stables do smell like horses- I knew Robin would want to know that. :) We saw the tomb for George and Martha. The flower gardens are inspiring- they made me want to go home and do a little playing in the dirt myself. I am sure the kids are keeping up with the weeds while I am here- right guys? Then, mom's stomach growled so loud that I could hear it, so we took lunch at the Mount Vernon Inn. It is on the historical site registry and the food was yummy and fairly well priced for a tourist trap.

The Education Center is one of the best I have ever seen. The exhibits were interesting, clear and really told the story of the man. They recently finished a major project where they used science to extract a "real life" model of what Washington looked like. These models were used throughout the building. And if I do say-he was pretty cute- in spite of the teeth- which were on display- ewww. They had many little theatres where you go in sit down and watch a short film. All the films were made by the History Chanel and were excellent- more of the narrative rather than documentary. They had several hands on exhibits then a museum portion where no pics were allowed, but there were an abundance of artifacts.

We are packing up tonight and moving on to Williamsburg tomorrow. I will miss the city and look forward to coming back with my family...in the spring...when it is not so stinkin hot!!

Day 9

2009-06-24T18:29:00.000-07:00

We loved Georgetown so much we decided to go back today. We took the metro and even a bus to get to the C&O Canal. It is a working canal and the National Parks Service conducts a couple of tours daily. We got tickets and went and had coffee for a while and soaked up the Georgetown vibe. Then we went on a fabulous canal tour- complete with mules- Robin- you would have loved them, they were soooo sweet. They explained the significance of the canal and it's competition with the railroad. Even though we were on the tour with 2 groups of preschoolers, it was fun, They asked the cutest questions like what the mules ate for lunch and if they liked french fries. Totally sweet.

Our other plan for the day was to tour the Supreme Court, but I messed up and we took the wrong metro train. So, by the time I got us all straightened out, we missed the tour by like 10 minutes. So, we browsed around on our own. We were able to look into the court chamber, but could not go in. It was cool to be where so many important decisions have been made- especially the Brown case. They had busts of many chief justices and a great portrait of Thurgood Marshall- he looked so much like the grandpa everyone wishes they had- but underneath that exterior was one of the greatest legal minds of our time. Wow!

We went back to Old Town Alexandria and did some shopping and dining. I am loving the crab cakes here. We browsed a gallery/shop that I absolutely loved. It gave me an idea for a painting. Maybe I will have to "get my artist on" this summer.

We have an early morning tomorrow, so I hope to get to sleep a little early. I brought a couple of great books with me and I tend to ignore sleep when I am into a good plot.

Daniel and Robin, I hope you are having a great time and actually get a chance to read this between your social whirlwind. I love you little monkeys.

Day 8

2009-06-23T18:28:00.000-07:00

We got a bit of a late start today. Mom did laundry while I caught up on this blog. It was pretty sweaty today, although the locals seem to think it is mild- I hope we don't experience "really hot" while we're here! Note to self: when you arrange a trip with Robin and Daniel, plan for spring break- much better weather.

We had arranged a tour for both the Library of Congress and the Bureau of Engraving and Printing through Senator Boxer. The Library of Congress is absolutely, hands-down the most beautiful building I have ever been in. The tour was fabulous as the guide explained all the significance of the paintings, mosaics and sculpture we were gawking at. And the ceilings- I don't think I will ever walk into a building and ignore the ceiling after all the gorgeous ceilings we have seen on this trip. I especially enjoyed perusing Jefferson's own book collection which is the cornerstone of the library. It had me think of Daniel and Robin when I read the quote from Jefferson "I can not live without books." I even filmed the collection so they can get a good dose of book envy. But, I shouldn't here too much complaining from you guys as I heard the "Amazon fairy" came yesterday. Enjoy some new summer reading, you two. :)

We then hightailed it across town to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. No photos or film was allowed on the tour, so sorry, you just have to go yourself. It is a known fact that this is one of the most popular tours in DC and will call tickets go fast. So, I was surprised that we were in a group of only 8 people- I guess if you prearrange with a senator, you get the VIP treatment- cool beans. The tour guide was knowledgeable and the printers even gave us a wave or two as we went through.

Old Town Alexandria was next on our list. We walked from the Metro station downtown and perused the cute little shop windows. We had dinner at the Austin Grill which is known for great salsa and margaritas. We had a second story window table overlooking the intersection and tourists. It was a nice evening- even though we were sitting next to some kids that really made me appreciate Robin and Daniel.

We met a middle school from Escondido in the elevator in the hotel- luckily they are not on our floor. I already warned them not to hog the wifi.
I am including a tape of the intro to the Library of Congress that y'all might like to see.

PS- Mom sents a "Hi" to Alexis.

Days 6 & 7

2009-06-23T06:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry I missed a day and a half- the wifi in the hotel was out. Apparently, they had a flood in the phone room- no phones at all- really great.

Sunday was the perfect day for being outside climbing steps. So, we did the monument thing. We walked the Mall and saw the Lincoln, WWII, Vietnam, Korea, Vietnam Women's, Jefferson and Washington Monuments/Memorials. I still can't get over how huge they all are. I think my favorite was the Korea. It had a wall similar to the Vietnam, but instead of names, it has pictures of servicemen etched into it. They seemed to change depending on how the light hit the wall. Opposite that, there were bronze statues of soldiers. While we were there, a group of soldiers from Korea placed a wreath at the site.

We also got some tickets for a "hop-on/hop-off" bus tour so we can see other areas of the city. It is pretty cool- they narrate everywhere, so we learned even more than if we had just walked on our own- even though we have already walked the whole dang city. I am going to need such a pedicure when we get back.

Robin- I even saw horse-mounted police officers. I took a picture just for you.

Monday we went to the White House Visitor's Center. We tried to get a White House tour though both of our senators in January, but no luck. This was probably the biggest disappointment. Next time I will try even earlier to get an appointment. Oh- well. We did walk around the area and saw the "front" along with the Christmas tree- which mom loved- of course. there were some protesters from Sri Lanka in the back along Lafayette Square. That was interesting.

Yesterday was Mom's birthday, so I took her to lunch at the Willard Hotel which is not only famous and so chi-chi, but it was where Dr. King wrote his "I Have a Dream" speech. And... they have awesome crab/salmon cakes.

We met the "Water Guy". This guy sells cold drinks from a cooler to all the tour buses that stop at the Willard- which is all of them. He also plies to sweaty pedestrians. He said he had been doing this for 36 years- and he was a crack-up. A real personality. We have found the locals to be so friendly and full of life. We are loving it here.

We took a bus tour through Georgetown- which is beautiful. They told us Georgetown University is the most expensive in the nation- Daniel and Robin- get a scholarship or don't hold your breath. :)

We then went on a waking tour called "Secrets of the National Mall". We have really liked these walking tours through a company called Washington Walks. They are fun, entertaining and informative. Did you know when the Washington Monument first opened in the 1880s, women were not allowed to use the elevator inside because it would frighten them- they would walk up the stairs, though. Yea...right...in corsets. While we were on the tour, everyone's phone started going off. There was a horrible accident on the Metro. So far, the death count is at 7. This is the worst accident since the Metro opened more than 40 years ago. Obviously, we were not on that train, and will still ride the Metro because it is still statistically safer than the 91 freeway.

I'll post again tonight- if the wifi is still working.

Day 5

2009-06-20T17:47:00.000-07:00

So, after yesterday, we decided we needed a more leisurely pace. We had scheduled to go to the Holocaust Museum, but decided to skip it this time. Since we have the Museum of Tolerance in LA, we thought we can go there another time. We slept in a little then had a nice Starbucks. It rained a ton this morning, but stopped about 11:00 and got HOT- I mean HOT and STEAMY!

Apparently the blue line is being worked on this weekend and there was a section where we had to switch to the Yellow line in order to get into the city. The announcer was sooo funny. She said in quite an authoritative voice, "OK, now listen up!" And let me tell you, her tone made us not only listen up, but sit up straight and say "Yes, Madame".

We went to the Natural History Museum first. We only spent about 2 hours there, but we saw the Hope Diamond- which was awesome! We went through the anthro section and I especially liked the mummies- even the cats. We went into the butterfly house which was crazy with the beautiful winged buggers. One landed on my arm and stayed there for 10 minutes. Little kids thought this was cool, so I crouched down to little kid level and let them see up close. One said I must be sweet if the butterfly liked me so much- awwwww.

Next, we walked to Ford's Theater. The whole way up the street, we hear the coolest jazz saxophone music. There was a street musician on the corner near Ford's theatre. We stopped and talked to him a bit. He gave me a message to Daniel- "Practice, Dude, practice."

After melting in line for about 20 minutes, we saw the best presentation about Lincoln's assassination. The ranger was either a great teacher or an actor. I videoed it and will use it in class next year. This guy was such a great storyteller- sething I aspire to. He really made the event come to life. Then we went across the street to the Petersen House where Lincoln died. We saw the room and the bed. It was short, but significant.

Now we had a little extra time on our hands, so we had a drink at the Hard Rock Cafe. I had never been to one, so this was cool. And I do mean cool because happily, they had their air conditioning on full blast. It is sooooo sweaty here.

We decided then to take an adventure walk and see what we could find. We saw St. Patrick's Church, browsed in some souvenir shops, and saw the Treasury Building. It had a statue of Albert Gallatin, which surprised me. I thought for sure Alexander Hamilton would be there since he was the first Secretary of the Treasury. I bet Jefferson had something to do with that! Interesting rivalry. :) We found ourselves in the back of the White House again, so we hung out in Lafayette Square watching the crazies and tourists. That was about it for our feet today, so we grabbed some dinner and came back to our home base. Unfortunately, someone (I bet an 8th grader) puled one of the fire alarms, so we had to listen to that for a while. I'm thinking Karen might be right about not having a class trip. You are a wise woman, Karen! Just another reason why I listen to you. :)

Day 4

2009-06-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

OMG I am so tired. We had ANOTHER huge day. It was typical DC summer- hot and humid.

We started our day at the National Archives. The line took about an hour which seemed pretty reasonable. We were not allowed to take flash pics and the lighting was so dim, I only took flip video- so you guys can see that stuff in the video montage I am planning for my last post. The Rotunda had the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence, US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The thing I especially liked was a working copy of the Declaration with notes in the margins and cross outs. That was awesome! Outside the Rotunda were several areas with display, but the Public Vault area was very interactive. There was too much to even scratch the surface in the few hours we allotted. They had documents, audio clips and film footage from many significant events. A person could spend several days and still not see everything.

Next, we went to lunch at a Mexican Restaurant on 7th and D street called Cocina Mexicana. It is an award winning restaurent and we were jonesing for some salsa, baby! It was awesome- but different from CA Mexican food- almost a Cuban influence- which makes sense.

The National Portrait Gallery was next. We took a tour and I really enjoyed listening to an expert describe some of the aspects of the collection's most prized pictures. Their newest acquisition was the Obama Hope painting everyone has seen. Also, we visited the Lansdowne portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart. I have used the Smithsonian's online activity for this portrait in class and it was so unbelievable to stand right in front of this famous work. They had 2 other unfinished works by Stuart of George and Martha and I thought it was cool to see those in their unfinshed state. Among my other favorites were portraits of Marian Anderson, JFK, John Brown with the "crazy eyes" and a bust of Margaret Sanger. I especially like how some of the Presidents chose portray themselves and which artists they chose any why. The contrast between JKF n Nixon is pretty extreme.

Next, we got back on the Metro and went to Arlington Cemetery. We took the standard tour which includes the Kennedy site and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We saw the changing of the guards. We did not stay too long as we were tired and had no one to look for. The expanse of headstones is sobering.

This is the first night we have been back to the hotel before 11:00. We are going to do some laundry and maybe get to sleep before 1am.

Day 3

2009-06-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Today was a shorter day- we only ran for about 11 hours. It was hot and rainy.

We finished at the American History Museum today- although I don't think I will ever really be finished with it. We saw so many wonderful treasures. We saw Kermit, Oscar the Grouch (my favorite), the Ruby Slippers, and Archie's chair. We also saw Washington's uniform and swords, John Brown's rifle, Sherman's hat and a cannon from Lafayette. We also saw pieces of the Berlin Wall. Huey 91, pieces from one of the 9-11 planes, Collin Powell's fatigues, C3PO and the John Bull locomotive. Can you even believe that???!!! We skipped out on the hands-on science centers as the were very small-kid focused and not exactly of interest to us.

We grabbed some dinner then went to hang out around Lafayette Park to wait for a tour we had scheduled. To our surprise, they had an outdoor concert with Cuban music and dancers. It was so fun. They hold these concerts every Thursday evening and even gave us a free CD with music from all their performers. It was cool.

We took a 2 hour walking tour of the "Haunted DC". We figured it looked hokey, but fun. It was actually pretty awesome. The leader is an actress and really could tell a story. Much was based on history and included details about Stephen Decatur, the navy leader, and Tecumseh the Shawnee chief. Of course there were also the requisite Lincoln and JFK stories. We walked all around near the White House and saw some gorgeous buildings like the House itself, the Executive Office Building, Blair House and the Octagon House. The stories were engaging, if a little corny. We really enjoyed the evening. We met a girl on our group who is a DC resident. She said she was talking the tour with her friends because she just turned 30 and decided to celebrate by trying 30 new things within about a month of her birthday. She had never taken a walking tour of her home city, so this was her night. We thought this was a cool idea.

I have been having trouble with the wifi here at the hotel. I now know the problem- middle schoolers!!! I spoke to the tech service and the kids staying here spend all night hogging the bandwidth. Happily, the tech was sympathetic and saw that they were illegally downloading and so he blocked them. HeeHeeHee. I feel like the mean, old lady- but I think I can live with that. They should be asleep at midnight anyway.

Tomorrow is another full day- what a shock.

Day 2

2009-06-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

So today it was cold and rainy- go figure. I am glad I brought a light jacket.

Today was Day 1 in the American History Smithsonian. OH. MY. G. I can't even believe all I saw and I didn't even get through half if it.

We started in the Star Spangle Banner exhibit. It lives up to the hype. The flag is so much bigger in person. They had an interactive portion which is just like what they have on the website which I have used in class. But it was awesome. I especially liked the video at the end showing pictures of how the flag has been used to represent different aspects of our citizenry. No pictures were allowed, so check out the website if you want to see it.

Next we went through the "Communities in a Changing Nation" exhibit which tells the stories about the lives of workers/mill owners, slaves and Jewish immigrants. It was interesting, but hard to get around because it was pretty crowded.

The "Within These Walls" room was so cool. It traced the history of the occupants of a house from colonial times through WWII. I loved seeing everything from the way the home was built to learning about the lives of the people who ranged from Patriots to abolitionists to a laundress. See this link for their online version.

The Scurlock Gallery will eventually be part of the African American History Museum, but right now it is a room on the second floor. I especially like the pictures from Howard University and of course Madame C.J. Walker- love her.

We had lunch in the basement and the food was pretty decent if overpriced. Much better than at the Capitol. We got a little turned around when we were trying to find it and we met a very flirtatious security guard. What is it with Southern men?- they seem to just ooze the charm. Don't worry Ron, I am looking forward to coming home to you. But, speaking of hotties- we saw the statue of George Washington that was unveiled in the 1830s. He is wearing a toga and is built like a Greek god. I am sure humble Washington would have hated it, but it is a nice piece of eye candy.

We stood in line for the First Ladies exhibit and it was so worth the wait. Not only do they have dresses from many first ladies, but significant artifacts from their time in the White House. I saw dresses from Jackie Kennedy, Martha Washington, Mary Todd Lincoln and Laura Bush among others. The weirdest thing was a silver tea set with chicken feet that belonged to Mary Todd Lincoln- I knew she was a bit off.

The Abraham Lincoln room was nothing short of spectacular. His top hat, face molds, clothes, campaign paraphernalia, the ink set he used to write the Emancipation Proclamation and the flag that was on his funeral train car were all part of this room. I cannot even begin to express how significant it was to being the same room with these artifacts.

The American Presidency exhibit was probably my favorite. I saw everything including Lewis' compass, Clinton's sax, FDR's microphone from his fireside chats, Nixon's pried open file cabinet and an original Teddy Bear. Holy COW. I think I must have freaked people out because I kept saying to my mom- "Oh my god- check this out. I can't believe this is really..." I was in history teacher heaven. By the 5:00, my brain was full. We are going back for at least one more full day so we can see everything else.

After a quick dinner, we went on a Monuments at Night Tour. It was mediocre at best and we went along with WAY too many other tour buses, but we got a general overview of the parts of the city we have yet to explore. We saw the Lincoln, Iwo Jima, Korea War and FDR memorials. We were shocked at just how big they all are. I have seen pictures and fim, but in person, they are gigantic. We will be going back to these another day because we only had a few minutes at each stop so could not get a good look at any of these.

We have been having a great time,but, I swear, if one more 8th grader steps on my foot or stands in front of me when I am trying to read a placard, I am going to hurt somebody. Ok, maybe I'll just use my teacher voice or my mother glare.

It is almost 1am and I am about to drop. I'll write again tomorrow. Daniel and Robin, I hope you had fun at the beach today- love you little monsters.

Day 1

2009-06-16T18:46:00.000-07:00

So, that's what humidity feels like. It was a balmy- I don't even know what, but it was drippy. Quite a change from So Cal. But, we often had wonderful breezes that kept things tolerable. And, we found many shady places to stop, cool off and soak up the city vibe. We had a great day.

We started off with a tour of the Capitol Building. We prearranged this through Senator Feinstein's office and I was glad we did when I saw the other line. We took the Metro from our hotel in Alexandria to the Capitol and found it clean, on time, safe and pleasant. We hopped on and off the Metro all day and I think we have a feel for it now. I purchased week long short trip passes, so we can go just about anywhere with the prepaid card. It was well worth the planning as the cards are sooo easy to use.

We easily found the Capitol- I mean how could we miss the huge DOME??!!! what shocked me was how close everything is. The Capitol is right across the street from the Library of Congress and the Supreme Court. When they say "walking distance" they really mean it here.

The new visitor's gallery is amazing. I loved the Emancipation Hall with great statues and beautiful architecture. The tour was not so great. I couldn't hear the guide and they rushed us in and out so fast that I couldn't see everything I wanted. I did seperate myself from the group to see the statue of the suffragists- I could not miss that one. But, the exhibition enter was cool. I liked the interactive computers (of course) and even got to see documents signed by notables like Abraham Lincoln. I enjoyed the DC layout models that changed with the times showing how the city itself had changed.

We also met the coolest old man at the Emancipation Hall. He came up to us with his cane and started telling us jokes. He was sooo hilarious. He kept up his stand-up routine for about 5 minutes. It was so random and so cool. We are meeting some of the most unique people on this trip. We are making a point to strike up conversations with anyone we meet. It is so fun to see where they came from and what their "story" is. Mom even talks to people in elevators. I think she scared a lobbyist today.

We had lunch in the Capitol Visitor's Center- I do not recommend it. Too expensive and yucky. We met a cool employee who recommends the restaurant at the Dirksen Building- we will take his advice tomorrow.

After the Capitol, we went to the Dirksen building and visited Senator Feinsein's office. Lots and lots of suits- great gift shop.

Next we walked all the way around the Capitol Building and saw where President Obama, among others, was sworn in. Wow- it really takes your breath away. Next came the Garfield, Grant and Peace Monuments. Everywhere you turn there is something to see.

We continued along to Union Station Plaza and spent some time cooling off by a fountain, We met two very interesting young men there. One wanted a picture of us holding a sign he made that said "I miss you" in Korean so he could send it to his girlfriend- or at least that is what he says it said. He was hilarious and we posed with his sign.

We kept on until we came to Union Station and checked out all the shops and restaurants then took the Metro to the Smithsonian. We went inside the Castle and watched the orientation film starring Ben Stiller- who I think is crack-up. Then we went to the Air and Space Museum. I will be honest, I did this for Ron as this is not as interesting to me. But, Mom took a pic of me in front of his favorite DC3 and I know he will be happy. Ron actually texted me saying "We are at the beach neeney neeney." SO I texted back, "Oh ya- I am in front of the Apollo Moon Lander, so neeney neeney." His response was "You suck." I had to laugh.

After a casual dinner at Union Station, Mom and I hauled our tired buns back to Alexandria. We spent 13 1/2 hours on our feet today. Tomorrow, there will be less walking, but I am sure just as much excitement.

We're here!!!!

2009-06-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

Well, it was a long day of travel. We left the OC at 11:30 on a totally packed plane to Houston. We got to stretch our legs for about 30 minutes then finished our leg to DC. Happily, there was an extra seat between Mom and me so we got to spead out a little. I watched movies on my ipod- totally cool new toy, by the way- thanks, Bob.

We took a taxi to our hotel in Alexandria and struck up quite a conversation with our cab driver who is from Somalia. We know all about his family now and how great America is- all from a 20 minute cab ride!

When we got off the elevator on our floor, we were met by quite a surprise. There is a middle school here on a field trip...and they are on our floor. They were having a pizza party in the hall. I thought I was getting away from middle schoolers. But, they were courteous and even offered us pizza and a card game. I told them to keep it down or I'll have to "get my teacher on". But I did it with a smile on my face. I'm sure it will be great.

We have a 5:45 wake up call scheduled, so this will be a short chapter.

I miss you, Robin, Daniel and Ron. And to Isabella- there was a whole lotta turbulence- you would have loved it.

Trip #2!!!

2009-05-05T16:45:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone who knows me knows that I never do something half way. If 1 DC trip is good- 2 must be better!
I saw an opportunity a couple of months ago to go to the C-SPAN Summer Educator's Conference.
It is in DC.
It is paid for by C-SPAN.
I applied.
I was chosen.
I am going.
Again.
WOOHOO!
I will attend a couple of days of training how to use their technology applications in the classroom then I will take a couple extra days to see anything I missed in June- including breakfast with Senator Feinstein. Don't worry- I will blog on this trip too.

Seeking Recommendations

2009-04-06T11:21:00.001-07:00

Dr. Pahl from CSUF said I can't go to DC without visiting Kramer's bookstore & afterwords. http://www.kramers.com/ It looks funky- I will not miss! If you have a MUST SEE, please let me know and I will try to fit it into the itinerary!

Feeling it.

2009-03-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

I am going to Washington DC for the very first time!! I am going for 2 weeks right after school lets out. I am not bringing the kids because I am going to go at a US History teacher's pace and would probably bore them to death! I plan to take them when they are a little older to see the more kid friendly sites. Since Ron has to do kid duty and no one wants me to go alone, my mom is going with me. It is her first trip there too. We travel well together and respect each other's space, so things should be good. Plus- she's cool!

So- I am in the planning and reservation stage right now. I got a great deal on plane tickets and have booked a hotel in Williamsburg for our last 3 nights. We will probably stay in a hotel in Alexandria since it is cheaper and a short trip to DC on the metro. We will not be using a car at all during our trip- just public transportation. Everyone I talk to and everything I read says it is nuts to drive in DC. So I will heed their advice. Plus, its very green

My plan is to blog everyday and talk about what I saw and learned, people I met and interesting experiences I had. I will also upload my photos for the day. Please feel free to comment. This will help me keep in touch with y'all. Keep in mind my kids will also be reading this.

Just the thought of this trip makes me feel all patriotic inside!