Washington, DC

Jason had the opportunity to attend a conference in Washington, DC, and since I had never been, I jumped at the chance to take the kids and go with him! We left on July 6 and drove half-way, stopping for the night at the SpringHill Suites in Wheeling, WV. It was newer, clean, quiet, had a pool for the kids, and free breakfast in the morning. Perfect for us. (You can find it here.)

Day two, July 7, we left Wheeling and headed for DC. The kids were fantastic in the car both days. I packed little "busy bags" with games and activities to help keep them occupied, and they also watched a few movies in the van. We have driven east twice. Two years ago we drove to NYC (also for a conference turned family vacation) and this trip to DC. The drive between Indy and the east coast is so beautiful (no picture does it justice)!

We had rented an apartment not far from the hotel hosting Jay's conference. It looked so cute and comfortable online, and our last experience with VRBO was wonderful. When we arrived and walked in I wanted to burst into tears! After being on the road, I really just wanted a comfortable place to call "home" for the duration of our trip. It was about 104* in DC, and the apartment was probably close to 84*. Seriously. I stood in the living room sweating. Not to mention the fact that the "bed" in the bedroom was nothing more than a mattress and box springs on the floor... there was only a shower, no tub to bathe Henry, the carpet was filthy, and it was a childproofing nightmare. Not the "luxury" theme advertised in the description. Aahhh! I could not imagine spending an entire week there, so Jason called the hotel to find out if there was a room available (spending a week in one hotel room with six people was preferable to staying there). Thankfully, they had a room for us (we love you Washington Marriott Wardman Park)! We notified the owner that we wouldn't be staying. She said she would refund half of our deposit... which she never did. Thanks. (You can find the apartment here... caveat emptor.)

So... We packed all the kids back into the van and headed down the street and around the corner to the hotel. We unloaded the van, checked in, and made our way to our room. It was lovely! Even with the six of us, it wasn't claustrophobic! There wasn't the kitchen I had been planning on having at the apartment, but there was a counter-top area with a fridge and room to store the food I packed. I was starting to feel a little better at this point, like maybe we weren't at the beginning of a disastrous week after all. We had plotted out each day, trying to make the most of our time and hoping to see as much as possible. I pulled out everyone's tennis shoes (we wore flip-flops in the car), and discovered that the shoes I packed for Sophie were two sizes too small. I never thought to check the size at home. I just assumed that if they were in her shoe basket, they must still be good. Yeah, not so much. Now I was annoyed and Sophie was angry, and with these attitudes we set off for some sightseeing.

There was a metro stop at the corner right by our hotel. Awesome! We made our way below ground to attempt to navigate the metro system. After having endured the NYC subway system, the metro was a piece of cake. Not to mention there was a metro employee standing near the ticket machines, cheerful and willing to assist any clueless tourists (try to find a transit employee in NYC like that - ha). Things were looking up again!

Our destination on the first night was The National Archives. It houses The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, and The Bill of Rights. This was probably near the very tip-top of things I wanted to see. It didn't close until 7:00pm, so it seemed like a good night to fit it in. Except that they stopped letting people in the building at 6:30, and we arrived at 6:35. Priceless. Again, it's 104*, we had walked a few blocks from the nearest metro stop (one of us in flip-flops), carrying Henry because we weren't sure how the stroller would work in the metro (just so you know, it's fine to take one), and so we were kinda tired, hot, and grouchy. What a day! We paused, sat in the shade, and pulled out the iPhone to find two things: 1. a shoe store and 2. the nearest restaurant. After a trip to Payless and McD's, we were feeling a little better. We rode the metro back to the hotel, tucked everyone into bed, and decided that tomorrow would be a new (and better) day.

To be continued...