Washington DC – Sat 28th November
We made it! After our Sydney to New York City flight was cancelled we had three connections to make, flying Melbourne-Sydney-Los Angeles-New York-Washington DC. We left home at 3:40am on Friday Melbourne time and got to our hotel at 10 pm on Friday (Washington time). Door to door, that’s 31:21 hours of travel. This included 21:44 hours in the air. I was over it by the end. Had a bath and went to bed.
In the morning my husband had to wake me up and we went for a 6km run to the National Mall. We have watched a lot of TV over the years that featured DC so it was amazing to finally see these places in person.
On our way back to our hotel we stopped for an Aussie style breakfast at Bluestone Lane cafe. Then it was back to our hotel for showers before hitting Trader Joe’s for some breakfast supplies. There were pumpkin flavours for Fall … which we did not get.
We’d loaded a Smartrip into our Apple wallets which made catching the metro to the Capitol Building so easy. The biggest worry I had was making sure we hopped on a train going the right direction. We had a wander round the outside of the building to take some photos, then headed in.
There was no wait for security and when we went to get our tickets for the tour the lady asked if we wanted to take the earlier tour that was about to go. We did. The tour begins with a film about how the US government works which was helpful for us. Once out of the film we were divided up into tour groups and given our headsets. We visited the crypt,the rotunda and the National Statutory Hall. I thought our guide was excellent, presenting as both knowledgeable and entertaining.
After a quick look through the exhibition we found the tunnel to the Library of Congress to make our 3:30pm time slot. Tip: If you schedule the visit to these two buildings make them one after the other so you can use the tunnel and not have to go through security twice. The Jefferson Building is another majestic piece of architecture. The highlights for me were Jefforson’s library-all those old books- and the Gutenberg Bible. The domed reading room reminded me of the reading room at the Melbourne Library but on a bigger scale. As we were coming down the marble stairs a lady in front of us fell, and so we spent a bit of time trying to find an attendant while others stayed with the lady. It was not that easy to track someone down but eventually we did. We left her with the many people who were now around and left the building.
We had a bit of time to kill before our dinner which was booked for 5:30pm, so we decided to walk instead of catching the metro. That was a bit of a mistake, my feet and legs were pretty sore by the time we got there., and it was still pretty warm. We found a cafe and we had something to drink and sat to wait for the restaurant to open. I had booked dinner at a high top table in the bar at The Dabney before we left. They serve what they call a three course menu but ended up being more than that. I wish I had taken a photo of the menu so I could remember exactly what we ate. We started with a little potato “snack” (subbed in for oysters because we’re not fans). Then we had a choice out of two dishes for first and second course. At the suggestion of our waiter we chose different dishes so we could try everything. Main came with three sides, and there was also fresh bread. This was followed by two desserts and a selection of petit fours. The food features ingredients from the mid-Atlantic region and cooking over the massive wood fire place, on view from the dining area. It was all top-notch and highly recommended.
We got an UBER home and it was one of the scariest rides of my life. I was so scared he was going to hit someone or something. We vowed to always catch the metro in future.
Have you been to DC? What’s your favourite thing to do there or what would you most like to see? Tell me about your horror UBER/can rides.
12 Comments
ernie
31 hours of travel! Eek. That is a long journey. Your photos are amazing. I’ve been to DC a handful of times. We took the kids there in the spring of 2015, maybe? I think the capitol was my favorite.
My son and I were meeting up with my husband and the rest of the kids after my son was dancing in Irish dancing world championships. Long story, but our flight was from Montreal to DC and Coach and the kids were driving. We wer meeting at Arlington Cemetary. Reg was 9. We got on the wrong metro, because we didn’t know the colored lights on the side of the trains change to signal different routes during rush hour. A woman was trying to give us directions while we were exiting the ‘wrong’ train and the doors to the train closed. Reg was still on the train and I had just stepped off. The woman was on the train. The train took off with Reg in it. Terrifying. Fortunately, the woman brought him back to where I was – she’d signaled to me to stay right there. It was the longest 20 minutes of my life.
Melissa
Oh no! That is awful. What a wonderful woman though.
Elisabeth
Gorgeous pictures! I’ve never been to DC but it’s certainly an iconic place to visit and I’d love to make it there one day.
My husband travels a lot and has had some VERY sketchy Uber rides. Scary ones are few and far between but they definitely leave a lasting impression!
Melissa
Yes they do. I still remember a bad taxi ride, just me and the kids going home from Melbourne airport, although it was not as bad as this one. It may have felt worse because we were also on the opposite side of the road than what we’re used to
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I also haven’t been to DC but I hope one of those days I will. I am dreaming up a trip around eastcoast with Boston and other places. Your photos are amazing. I had no idea there was such a big library.
Melissa
We have plans to go to Boston for the marathon sometime so will get another chance to see more of the East Coast
San
How fun you got to stop over in DC!
I’ve only been once for a long weekend (for a friend’s wedding) and got to explore the Capitol Mall… but didn’t have enough time for any tours or museums. I’d love to go back. You took some amazing photos!
Melissa
DC was fantastic, we had three days but there was so much more to explore!
J
I’ve been to DC a couple of times so really enjoyed your pictures and the time you spent there. I really like the MLK monument. Just walking around DC, knowing the history, and how flawed the framers were, and yet what they did accomplish, is interesting to me.
Daria
Hi Melissa!!! Gosh, that’s scary. I am always mistrustful of taxies/uber. I prefer old fashioned subway and/or bus. Saying hello tfrom New jersey, glad you got in okay! Been to DC many time and I LOVE all the Smithsonian museums.
Diane C
Welcome to DC! I’ve lived here (well in a suburb 3 miles from DC) for almost 20 years now and I feel so lucky to be able to live here. I see the Washington Monument on the way to work and I just feel so happy that I get to see beautiful things on my commute. It’s funny, though, I frequently go to museums, but have never been to visit the Capitol Building.
Melissa
It’s so great the you have so many free museums. It makes it easier to pop in (apart from the times tickets for the busier ones)