Day 1- DC or bust!! We boarded the plane to DC at 11:59pm on Tuesday June 11, 2013. We took the Red Eye! Yes, we tried to sleep on the plane, but as we all know, it is not the most comfortable sleep... Rhett met a very nice woman on the plane, and pretty much talked until our layover in Charlotte, NC. She had just turn 68 the Sunday before. She used to live in Harlem, NY throughout the 70's, 80's, and 90's. She told us cool stories about the race riots, the drug epidemic, and about growing up in segregated Charlotte, NC when she was a young girl. She was very sweet, and was coming home from seeing her grand kids in Salt Lake. It was a privilege to meet this woman.
When we got to DC we took a Shuttle to our Hotel in Crystal City. We stayed at the Radisson. Our check in wasn't until 2pm so we checked our luggage, and tried to freshen up in the bathrooms. After only sleeping for like 2 hours on the plane, we were ready to see DC! We were starving so we stopped to get an egg Mcmuffin from McDonald's by the metro.
Our first stop was the U.S. History Museum. We had a couple of hours to kill before our time slot at the Holocaust Museum. In the U.S. History Museum we saw Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, the first telephone ever made, one of the Original Sun Stone's from the Nauvoo Temple, a super fancy dress from 1912, original Kermit the Frog, and so much more! Rhett and I went upstairs to see the War through the years display. It went through the wars starting at the Revolutionary war to the present. It was pretty amazing. You could spend hours just reading all the details. My Mom got to be in a presentation about the Greensboro sit in. She sat in some diner chairs, and had people come up to her and say mean things.
The Original Chairs are in the back of the lady speaking behind my mom.
My Mom sat in the blue chairs. Unfortunately Rhett and I were upstairs, so we missed
the presentation.
After about an hour and a half at the History Museum, we went to the Holocaust Museum. I remember seeing commercials for the Holocaust Museum when I was a kid. Tom Hanks was the voice for the commercial, and I remember wanting to go there someday. The museum is celebrating 20 years this year.
We didn't take any pictures of the museum, because photography wasn't allowed. It was a very sobering experience, coming off of a red eye flight with little sleep, and being hungry really amplified the experience. It really is heartbreaking what was done to these people.
The museum was very dim, and consisted of four floors with video, pictures, and artifacts from that time. At the end of the museum, it shows all of the people who helped save the Jews. It literally was like the light at the end of a dark tunnel. There was one part of the museum, that really struck me. They had a room solely dedicated to the prisoners shoes. Thousands and thousands of shoes were just in this one little room. The room smelled like old leather, and dirt. It is amazing how much more powerful something is when more than one sense is being used. I will never forget that smell, or the faces that I saw so tired and sad. The museum is beautifully done, and will forever leave an impression on my mind. We spent the majority of our day here, and even after being there for four and a half hours, we did not see it all. Amazing experience.
Starving and a little solemn we headed to the metro to grab a bite to eat, and then head to the hotel. There was a 5 guys right by the metro, so we all indulged in a hamburger with fries. After dinner feeling pretty tired, we decided to try to see The Lincoln Memorial. We got off at the Foggy Bottom metro stop, and looked down at the walk ahead, and decided to turn around and go to the hotel. We were just too tired, and our bodies needed sleep!! We get an A for effort though right? :)
We got to the hotel and realized that the pool was on our floor, so of course Rhett wanted to jump in! I am a little reluctant at first, because I HATE cold water, but he talks me into it, and it actually felt pretty nice! My Mom decided to join us, and then my Dad eventually did too!
Sorry Mom, this picture is too cute of you not to post! It is the only pic we have of the pool that night! Love you!
End of Day 1!
Day 2
Woke up early the next day to go to the Natural History Museum. We stopped by Dunkin Donuts for a quick breakfast by the metro.
Dunkin Donuts
Dad enjoying a bite to eat!
Metro!
There was much to see in the Natural History Museum! We saw the HOPE diamond, mummies, ancient Egyptian artifacts, every kind of bones you can think of, tons of different insects, the biggest whale I have ever seen, a ginormous Elephant, dinosaur bones, every kind of ocean thing I can think of, oh my goodness too many things to even mention. It was pretty awesome. We spent about two hours in this museum, because we had to get to our Capital tour!
The hope Diamond. Not a very good picture, but you get the idea.
Rhett LOVES turtles.
We thought we might as well just walk the Mall lawn to get to our tour of the Capital. We took a detour at the Welcome Center for the Smithsonian. We saw some pretty cool Civil War pictures, and learned different things about the Smithsonian. We had to walk pretty fast to get to the building we were suppose to meet in for our tour. We didn't realize how far we really had to walk!! We made it just in time with some pretty sore feet and tired legs, but we made it! We took the underground tunnels to the capital from the Rayburn House building where we took a tour with one of Jim Matheson's interns.
View from the Underground tunnels.
You can't see it very well, but the bar behind them is where we get the saying "passing the bar"
The city of DC was built from this compass. The intern said this is the center of the city. It is good luck to rub your foot on it. So many people have done this that there is a groove in the center.
Lincoln in the Capital!
Beautiful Capital Dome. The Apotheosis of Washington.
Ronald Reagan's statue has part of the Berlin wall in it.
Cheese!!
Lady Freedom. She also stands at the top of the Capital.
So after the Capital tour it started raining a little bit, so we decided to go get something to eat at Le Enfante plaza. Dad got a killer deal for pizza at 1.50 a slice, and the rest of us decided to get sandwiches. ;)
We had a little bit more time in the day, so we decided to go see Arlington Cemetery. It was very awe inspiring. To see so many soldiers give their lives for this country, words cannot express.
Changing of the Guard.
This was absolutely amazing. The dedication and discipline of these soldiers pays a great
tribute to all armed forces.
The eternal Flame.
This is where JFK and his wife Jackie are buried.
We almost didn't get to see the graves, because the Cemetery was closing. The guard was kind enough to
let us take a few pictures.
This is a memorial for all of the tank divisions since World War I.
End of Day 2!!
Day 3
Time for the MONUMENTS, but first we met this cute couple from Columbia named Elsa and Henri. They were waiting for the Trolley just like us. Neither of us had bought tickets yet so we boarded the trolley together. Elsa and Henri spoke very little English, and once they found out that Rhett spoke Spanish, they lit up! Before we got off the first stop, we could tell that they were a little nervous. We asked them to join us for the rest of the day, and they seemed very glad. Rhett was very good at translating, and we had a great time with them. They were here on vacation for their birthdays, every year they go on a trip together. Henri was so sweet with Elsa, and was constantly holding her hand, he told Rhett that he does this because he doesn't want to lose her. So sweet. <3
Henri and Elsa
The Lincoln Memorial was my favorite. Since I was a kid, I have always wanted to come here. I didn't realize how big the Monument was. Even though there were so many people around, I felt the importance of this man. I was almost brought to tears just staring at this amazing piece of architecture. I loved every minute of seeing this monument.
Now I am just going to post a bunch of picture of the Monuments that we saw.
My dad talking to a Veteran of Vietnam by the Vietnam Memorial.
Vietnam Memorial.
World War II Memorial.
My grandpa and Rhett's Grandpa Hatch fought on the Pacific side.
The War is OVER!!!
Grandpa Palfreyman was in Europe fighting.
You can't see it very well, but in the distance is the Korean War Memorial.
Elsa and Henri left us after the Lincoln Memorial and the WWII Memorial. Elsa wanted to see the Cathedral so we parted ways. Exchanged emails, and wished them well! I will miss them!
In the museum at Ford's Theatre.
The gun that assassinated Lincoln.
Ford's Theatre
The Presidential box.
These seats are where all the presidents and their wives sit.
Back on the Trolley we go!!
The Capital.
Washington Monument. Unfortunately there was scaffolding on it. They were fixing it, because
there was damage from an earthquake awhile back.
During all this sight seeing we decided to grab a subway, because we were STARVING!! The place that we went to had all non-English speaking workers so it was hard to tell them what we wanted. They kept mixing up our toppings, and they even skipped my Dad. Anyway, we paid for our food and planned to eat it on the trolley so we didn't waste time. We sat down and opened our sandwich, and much to our surprise it is TUNA!!! Not what I ordered... TUNA of all things! I started laughing hysterically, but then it quickly turned into an almost cry... ha ha I was so hungry, and now mad that they SWITCHED our sandwich!! I can't eat tuna from anywhere but my house, and it has to be from Costco Kirkland cans. Rhett ate his half, but I just could not eat it! My mom gave me half of her half, and then she ate my half of the nasty Tuna!! It was a mess...
The old Post Office.
Middle of DC.
So we did this Trolley ride throughout the city during the day where you can get off and on as you please. Well, at one stop we had to wait for like 40 minutes!! Every stop is suppose to come every 30 minutes, so you had enough time to see everything. If they don't come on time you have a 100% guarantee money back if you are not satisfied. Well, you know me... I called them up and complained, because we had been waiting in the same spot for 40 minutes wasting time on what we could be seeing!!! So the lady on the phone was very nice, and gave us tickets for the trolley tour at night to make up for the time we missed. The Trolley night tour was awesome, and probably one my favorites things we did. It was worth it that I complained. ;)
Capital just before Sunset.
Jefferson Memorial.
Martin Luther Memorial.
FDR Memorial.
Iwo Jima Memorial.
Iwo Jima at Night.
Lincoln at Night.
Korean Memorial at Night.
Lincoln.
Einstein Memorial.
We ended the night a little tired and hungry, but satisfied with all that we saw! We ended up sharing a meal at Chili's, because it was so close to our hotel and still open. Got back to the hotel, and lights out!!! We had a blast in DC! We saw as much as we could in three days, and made everyday count!
Day 4 Rhett woke up early to go get our rental car from the airport, while the rest of us slept in for a little bit longer. Such a sweet guy. We got packed and checked out of the hotel to head to Gettysburg. On our way there Dad gave us some insight on a book he had just read on Gettysburg. He told us about the men that played a big part in the battle. It was really helpful, and gave us an idea of who these men were. Rhett drove, and I navigated with our GPS. Those things are so helpful!! We had a fun ride to Gettysburg that took about two and a half hours from DC.
Gettysburg. I am probably not going to be good at naming all
the battle places. There was so much to see!
This is where General John F. Reynolds died during the battle.
They demonstrated using a canon.
We took a hike in the middle of the woods. It was absolutely beautiful. Hard to believe
something so sad happened here.
Dad is pointing to Devil's Den.
At the top of Little Round Top.
It was cool to hear Dad talk about the battle. He loved
being here.
After we saw most of the battlefields, we went to the cemetery where Lincoln gave his Gettysburg address. We walked around there for awhile. The weather was perfect, and there was not a lot of people. It was very peaceful. After that, we decided to go into town and eat. We found a cute little place called Hunt's Cafe. It was a little place with lots of memorabilia, and redneck attire. We ate outside. We all ordered battlefield fries cooked in peanut oil, Mom, Rhett, and I all ordered cheese steak sandwiches. Dad ordered a cheeseburger. For dessert we all ordered two scopes of their in house ice cream! It was a fun atmosphere, and a good place to rest our feet! After dinner we headed to Williamsburg. It is about a three hour drive from Gettysburg. We got there around 11pm that night.
End of Day 4!
Day 5 - We woke up and found a cute little ward in Williamsburg to go to church to. It was Father's day so the talks were on Fathers, and the primary children sang. We got some breakfast at IHOP, and headed to Jamestown. We visited the replica of what Jamestown would have looked like, and been like. There were people dressed up in costumes doing different things in the town. Jamestown was the first settlement under the English Crown. There are not a lot of pictures of Mom in these pictures, because she was a little embarrassed riding around in the scooter. On day two Mom had gotten some pretty bad blisters on her feet. She was a trooper throughout all the walking, but I suggested that she ride the scooter to save her feet a little. She was a little embarrassed, but I think she was grateful for it. :)
Rhett in a family Native American long house.
Doing a ceremonial dance...
Walking into Jamestown. Mom on her scooter! Love ya mom!
This is where the head honcho of the town would live.
Preacher Rhett. The people of the town were required to go to church everyday
twice a day, or they didn't eat!!
Preacher Dad!
The Susan Constant. The biggest ship ported at Jamestown. Replica.
There is mom's pink hat!!
Inside the ship.
Steering the ship. Captain Rhett!
Picture of a Gun... oh and ME!
It's a little tight!! Happy Father's Day dad!!!
Just trying to Colonize ;)
After Jamestown we decided to get SLURPIES!!!
SLURP it UP!!
We decided to go for a swim while Mom and Dad rested at our place.
Dinner with Adam and Sarah! So yummy! She makes the best homemade bread and
amazing chocolate cake!!
Finally some time to rest our feet. The NBA finals were going on so we decided to sit back and relax watching the game. After being on our feet for hours everyday it was nice to chill out!
End of Day 5!!
Day 6 Finally slept in until 10am! It felt wonderful! That morning Mom and Dad had a timeshare presentation, so Rhett and I got some breakfast and hung out till they were done. After we picked them up from their presentation, we headed to Yorktown. Yorktown was the last place for fighting during the revolutionary war. We had fun seeing the recreations, and the weather couldn't have been more perfect!
What a garden what have looked like on a farm in Yorktown.
Mom didn't like the tobacco smell very much.
Tobacco is what many farmers made most of their money on.
The encampment at Yorktown.
The fire pit where they cooked their food.
I was holding a tool for getting bullets out of soldier's legs.
Musket demonstration.
George himself.
... not sure we were willing to kiss his cheeks. ;)
After Yorktown, Dad took us out to a fun seafood restaurant called Berret's Grill. We sat outside, and enjoyed the beautiful weather. They were having happy hour for oysters so we all decided to try some... Not really my favorite, but you gotta try things at least once! We ordered fried pickles which were amazing, and probably the best I have ever tried. For the main course Mom, Dad, and I all ordered the bbq salmon. Rhett ordered their famous crab cakes. It was pretty yummy!!
After dinner we walked around Williamsburg for awhile. We stopped in this cute little shop filled with different kinds of dishes, and trinkets. Mom and I got some cute dishes. We walked around the historic town for awhile seeing the Capital building, and the second oldest school William and Mary. Adam and Sarah actually live just a couple of blocks away from town. Adam is currently going to school at William and Mary. It was very relaxing to just walk around, and take in the beauty of everything.
Hangin with Jefferson.
Jefferson.
Photo bomb! Ha ha!
Lovely time in Williamsburg <3
When we got home from Williamsburg we went swimming!! Our pool was so nice, and the weather was so great.
After swimming we enjoyed some ice cream while watching a singing competition. Perfect ending to a perfect day!
End of Day 6!
Day 7 Our plane was planned to depart at 5:15pm that night. We wanted to see Mt. Vernon, but we just didn't have enough time to see it all before the plane left so we decided to see the National Cathedral on our way to the airport. Well... time was getting away from us, and it is a two and a half hour drive back to DC. Before we left the resort we wanted to take some pictures in front of our place, and the nice pool. We couldn't get good pictures of the pool the night before. I don't think any of us wanted to leave that place. It was so nice!! Thanks Mom and Dad for getting it for us!!
We were running a little bit behind schedule, and we still needed to fill up the car with gas. We decided that it would be best to get gas a little bit down the road. Dad was very certain on finding gas for 3.20 a gallon. Long story short we drove around for awhile before we gave up, and just paid 3.35 or something... I can't even remember. Well, we went like 20 more miles, and we saw signs for 3.25/gallon. We all laughed, because we had just driven everywhere to find the 3.25 gas that we saw coming into Williamsburg. Anyway, we got stuck in traffic about an hour outside of DC. We still wanted to see the Cathedral, but our plane was leaving in two and a half hours. We were cutting it short!! We finally made it through traffic, and got to the Cathedral with an hour till our plane was suppose to leave. The funny thing was we all had to go to the bathroom, so the first thing we did was rush to the bathroom when we got inside the Cathedral. We took some pictures, saw what we could in the 10 minutes that we had, and then bolted back to the car.
Totally worth it!!
The pictures are a little blurry, because we were in such a rush!!
George Washington- Rhett's Hero.
I was a little nervous, because I was the one navigating us through DC with the GPS. I didn't want to make a wrong turn, because every second counted! We only had 45 minutes to turn our car in, check in, and get to the gate to make our flight! Well, the GPS misguided us on a turn, and we spent five precious minutes turning around to get back on the right road. After lots of turns throughout the city, we MADE our flight with minutes to spare! I don't know how we did it, but someone was looking out for us! We were on our way home!
We had such a great time, and saw so many things in the seven days that we had!! It was a trip to remember. I am so glad we got to take this trip with my parents, and to be able to do all we did was a blast! My parents were the best travel buddies, and most of all so fun. Can't wait to plan the next one!
