Washington DC Adventure

My husband and I enjoyed a wonderful visit to Washington DC ... so many things to see and do.  

On the first day we visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum (no photography allowed) ... such an enlightening and moving experience ... so glad we had the opportunity to experience it.

One of our next stops was The National Museum of American History where we saw lots of fun Americana including the original Muppets.

We also braved the rain and took in the Sculpture Garden & the National Gallery of Art.  This Chuck Close painting created entirely with finger and thumb prints was one of my favorites.  

I also loved the walkway filled with moving lights that connected the two Museum buildings.

We also fell in love with an installation by Nam June Paik and then were thrilled when we continued to experience his art throughout the city, including this piece from the American Art Museum.

The next day, we bought two-day tickets for the double-decker bus and spent the morning riding inside the bus as the rain kept pouring.  As the rain slowed to a slower steady pace, we put on our rain gear, grabbed our umbrella, and headed out to see the monuments.  It actually worked out very well because the rain seemed to keep the crowds at bay.

We got to see the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial (difficult to get a picture without an umbrella in the shot).

I was really moved by the Korean War Veterans' Memorial ... particularly in the rain.

 

I also got to hang-out with Eleanor at the Roosevelt Memorial.

 

And the Lincoln Memorial was just as wonderful as you think it would be.

With quite a bit of walking, we were able to take in all of the Memorials ... what a great way to spend a day.

The next day the rain had subsided, so we hopped on top of the Double Decker bus and enjoyed a ride around the City.  It was such a great vantage point from which to see everything.

We hopped off and explored the Air & Space Museum, had lunch at the Mitsitam Cafe, and spent our afternoon exploring the Hirschorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

We stayed at the Hotel Palomar in Dupont Circle, which was a wonderful experience & great location.  The Metro Station was a short walk, and there were tons of fabulous restaurants within short walking distance, including Crepes A-Go-Go right across the street ... Nutella, Banana & Coconut ... seriously delicious.

Other restaurant highlights of the trip included Old Ebbitt Grill (Oyster Po' Boy and the best bread pudding I've ever had); Pizzeria Paradiso (so good we went twice); Dolcezza Gelato; Kramerbooks & Afterwards Cafe & Grill; Thai Chef (the New York Hand Cone - seared salmon, asparagus, spicy mayo, Tempura flake - was so good); and wonderful burgers & appetizers at Scion.  I also discovered the wonders of chocolate spread on bread at Le Pain Quotidien.  We didn't have a disappointing meal all week.

Sunday we wandered around the Golden Triangle taking in the sites and doing lots of people watching ... such a great city for that ... and I already mentioned I had success shopping.  We also discovered an upscale farmers' market whose vendors had amazing presentation skills ... I loved this rainbow of produce.

Our final full day started at The Newseum where we got to see pieces of the Berlin Wall.

 

Next, we headed to the National Archives (no photos allowed there) to see our country's founding documents.

After that, we explored the American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery (the one museum that was open later until 7pm).  I was thrilled to get to see another Chuck Close painting ... this time of President Clinton.

And I also found an Art-O-Mat.

We ranked Washington DC as one of our favorite vacation destinations so far ... so easy to get around and so much to see and do ... we would definately recommend it.

Comments

[Joan B]

wow, you saw things I didn't even know about. glad it went so well.

[Miss Iowa]

Dupont Circle?! That's where my office is! And it's a great area to stay when you're in DC. Did you buy anything from the Art-o-Mat? I've heard that the Corner House Gallery has one but I haven't been there yet.