We headed out to the rather busy expo and picked up the bibs, then headed to the big expo filled with jackets, running gear, etc. Dennis's dad bought a disposable water-proof track-suit there, as the weather was unpredictable. Hurricane Sandy was bearing down on the region.
After the expo, we took the Metro to see the White House. We stopped for lunch first, and found a great little buffet place near the White House.
The park near the White House was beautiful, and we walked up to the fence to look at the grounds. I'll have to figure out how to get tickets for a tour next time, as the kids were a little disappointed that we couldn't go inside the White House!
I snapped a few pictures of the boys by the street sign near the White House. The area is really pretty in the fall.
We walked down the street to find the visitor's center, which turned out to be closed for renovation. We walked to the temporary visitor's center and bought each boy a key chain (their preferred souvenier). As we were walking, we noticed a heavy police presence and the fact that all of the statues in the area were closed off. A helicopter started circling the area and I pointed it out to the boys. A nearby police officer said, "the President is going by in a few moments, if you hurry." We ran down the street just as the motorcade went by. It was really neat to see all the black cars and SUV's rushing down the road!
We walked down to the Mall/Smithsonians next. We had a brief stop at the Museum of American History for their bathroom facilities, then continued on to the Museum of Natural History. Nolan was completely wiped out, so Grandpa and Grandpa L. sat out with him while Dennis and I took him through the dinosaur exhibits and gem exhibits.
The Natural History Museum is really cool.
Ammonite fossil. Reminds me of a cochlea.
Matt in front of a triceratops fossil.
Giant elephant statue.
Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Matt next to some ancient sea creatures.
The dinosaur fossils were really cool.
The Hope diamond.
Very interesting crystals.
Matt appears upside down in this crystal ball.
This stone had aquamarine embedded in it.
Naturally florescent rocks.
Rocky pillars.
A huge magnetic rock - with paper clips for exploration.
Matt in front of a 3-D molecular structure
We finished touring the Natural History Museum and headed back to our hotel. We met Dennis's aunt and uncle for dinner in Old Town Alexandria. We ate at the Fish Market, and had a really great meal. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and hit the sack - we were excited to see the Air and Space Museum the next day!
2 comments:
I go too long without checking this side of your life ;D LOVE all the photos and enjoying your trip vicariously. The boys will have great memories!
Julie
It was a fun trip - this year has been "trip heavy," with vacations to Myrtle Beach, California, and Washington, D.C. I do tend to separate out Nolan's medical shenanigans from our "main" life - there is certainly more to our days than the hearing loss/medical issues!
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