Washington D.C.: The Middle

Our 2nd day was amazing. It started with us taking a segway tour. If you have never ridden on a segway then it might seem intimidating. I was certainly nervous about doing it. But the guide was very helpful and made sure the group as a whole was ready to ride around the city safely. It was about a 3 hour tour. We made several stops and got to really see the whole city. The guide said if we were to take the same tour, on foot, it would take us about 8 hours without stopping. We stopped at the Lincoln memorial, Vietnam memorial, Koren memorial, White House, the Capitol) Some of the facts that we picked up along the way were that at the Navy memorial (where the Navy band plays) that once a year Navy sailors bring water from all the waters they occupy and sail in and dump it into the water foundation. Also that the Lincoln memorial that Lincoln's hands are in sign language of an "A" and "L". A funny fact is of Ulysses S. Grant's memorial is that he commissioned his own memorial and he wanted to make sure that the horse he was on had its "rear" facing the Capitol because he hated Congress so much at the time. I learned so much on that one tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable in all things DC. After our tour we went into Chinatown and ate at "Matchbox". They had really good pizza and what I call a mozzarella sandwich. Very good. We then took a well deserved break for the afternoon and then went out to a nice restaurant called "Fogo de Chao". It's a place that if you don't like meat, that you probably wouldn't enjoy. I am not a vegetarian but I am not a great meat eater either. So it was OK. They had a really good salad bar though. After dinner we just walked the streets for a bit. Looking at the different buildings and just talking. It was nice.

On day three we had another full day lined up. We went to the National Museum of American History. I would say the highlight of this stop was seeing the actual flag that inspired the nation's anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". No one is allowed to take pictures of it, but it was amazing to just look at. So awesome to get to view that great piece of American history. After visiting there we took the LONG walk across The Mall to the Capitol building. Where we got to take a guided tour. That was amazing as well. To look around and stand in spots that you know our forefathers had once stood in, was.. well just wonderful. The Rotunda was breathtaking. It was an unforgettable experience for sure. I highly recommend anyone to get tickets for the tour. Well worth the $1.00 we each paid to take it. Also, I might add here, we didn't get to go into the Washington Monument because we didn't realize tickets were so hard to come back. So, if you plan to go at some point go ahead and get tickets online. I believe they are like $1.50 online. Free if you get there early in the morning first. So after the Capitol we went to the "National Museum of Natural History". We spent well over 3 hours in here. We saw an IMAX movie (roughly 40 minutes, although Kent nor I was very impressed) and just explored the 3 floors. A lot to see there for sure. Animals of all kinds, space stuff, different ages stuff, etc. We saw Abraham Lincoln's top hat, the Hope Diamond, money throughout the nation's history, the First Ladies' dresses, etc. A lot to see. After the museum we were exhausted. So we headed back to the hotel to freshen up and get some dinner. We ate at "Meiwah" which is a Chinese restaurant. It was probably the best Chinese I have ever eaten. Really good. In fact, after writing that and thinking about it I have a huge craving for more sweet and sour chicken. With our stomachs full we headed back to the room to rest and get a good night's sleep.