Not a lot of staying in this “stay-cation”

There is nothing like out of town visitors, especially those with children, to give you a completely new perspective on your hometown. Last week was jam-packed with favorite haunts and new surprises in the DC area.

It had been way too long since my niece had visited. She and her wonderful husband brought their two boys for their first introduction to the nation’s capital.    As a dutiful great-aunt, I spent lots of time beforehand pouring over maps and articles about the latest and greatest activities for visitors to DC. Fortunately all that prep time was well spent and made the visit a lot smoother and more fun for all. While they did some exploration on their own, I was very happy to be included on most excursions.

Here’s a sampling of what we had on hand: driving maps from AAA (from the new office in Rockville), pre-purchased Smartcards for everyone and Metro system maps, a map of the DC Circulator system – including the new monuments/museums/mall route. And how did we spend the time? In addition to the local swimming pool and playground, we hit every quadrant of DC and meandered around Montgomery County.  They made it to Virginia twice, if only for a few minutes. Here are just 3 days of a week of adventures.

Sunday– After driving the GW Parkway and seeing the iconic sights from across the Potomac, we headed to The Yards Park for brunch and a chance to frolic in the wading pool next to the Anacostia River. If you haven’t been down there, you are in for a real treat! Next stop a walk to Nats Park to see the Nationals play the Dodgers with all the Star Wars craziness of the day. Our guests loved the silver baseballs adorning the parking garage and view of the center field gate. The only disappointment of the day was the final score but the boys did get to run the bases!

Monday– We carefully timed our departure so we could park inside the Grosvenor Metro garage, both to beat the heat and have a space the car could fit in. (FYI- the outdoor spaces are a full length of the eight year-old’s foot narrower than the spots inside.) Having gone over the rules and tips for riding Metro in advance, our trip downtown to Union Station was smooth and no one glared at us for blocking the escalators. We headed over to the Postal Museum, a family favorite of ours. There was lots of room to roam, many hands-on activities for people of all ages, and stamps to keep as souvenirs.  After lunch in Union Station the foursome went off on a Duck Tour while I hung out and read.

Having seen the sights of the mall briefly on the tour, we jumped on the Circulator and went to the Lincoln Memorial. The older boy is a big Martin Luther King, Jr. fan and it  had meaning to be standing where the “I Have a Dream” speech was  delivered. We climbed the steps with visitors from around the word and talked about the history Lincoln made and other firsts that happened in sight of the statue. From there a walk around the Korean War Veterans Memorial and then the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Each raised questions to answer when we returned home. A quick trip back to Union Station on the Circulator ($1 for 2 hours of hop on-hop off) and then home.

Wednesday– We followed through on the plan to have breakfast at the National Zoo, parking nearby in a garage and walking to the zoo. Early risers do get the worm, in our case a chance to see all three pandas busy and moving around in their enclosures. I’m not certain if the boys or their father was more excited. The reptile and small mammal houses were a big hit. The python obliged by shedding his skin before our eyes! For those familiar with the National Zoo, we did get a real workout going up and down the hills. We left to head downtown as the both the crowds and temperature surged. Lunch was a food truck picnic under the trees at Farragut Square. So many choices but the boys picked their standby – pizza!

Next off to see Lafayette Park and the White House. As usual, many pictures were snapped.
One more trip on the Metro to the BEACH at the National Building Museum. What a perfect way to spend a steamy afternoon!
Everyone took a break from the balls to work on some construction projects. After a quick spin to see the cowboy outside the American Art Museum and the Chinatown Friendship Arch, time for dinner with a big cousin and friend. Not wanting to cut the evening short, we wandered over to the Navy Memorial. It was a perfect spot to catch a breeze and give the boys a chance to explore before heading home.

Those of us fortunate to live in the DMV take for granted the wonderful opportunities to experience science, history and art right at our doorsteps. While I won’t be heading down to the big museums again until after most visitors head back to school, I will take advantage of the weather and long days to see the monuments and memorials. I think we all saw far more than we expected, including some of the natural beauty of our region beyond the Mall. They are welcome to come back anytime!

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