Washington D.C. – Day 1

Well today is actually our second day in Washington D.C. but our first day was the trip from New York to D.C.   We didn’t do much other than drive into the city, check into the hotel, and do some laundry at a nearby laundry mat.   Our choice was to pack for 10 days of travel or 5 days of travel with a wash day so we chose the wash day.

Actually, we spent our “first” day with the kids at the pool followed by dinner at the hotel restaurant and a nice bottle of Tierra Secreta Malbec from Argentina!

Our “second” first day was spent traveling to the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum to check out the planes.   Bart chose to fly the 360 degree flight simulator while I got on board the more subtle F-18 simulator with no 360 spinning!   Meanwhile the girls checked out the museum…

We also opted to see an IMAX show called Hubble 3D and the show was pretty spectacular!

After the Smithsonian, we headed down to Capital Hill to check out the Senate in action.   Unfortunately, all we really got to see from the Senate gallery was Senator Dick Durbin sing praises about Leon Panetta about becoming the next Secretary of Defense.  Seriously, Durbin was slobering all over Panetta, these guys need to get a room…

Unfortunately, no photography, note taking or anything else is pretty much allowed in the Senate gallery so I have no photos other than the video that will eventually show up on CSPAN at some point for this day.   Nevertheless, we were able to take photos outside the building!

While inside the capital building we were required to watch a video about the legislative process while informative a bit oppressive.    The last time I visited Capital Hill in the 90’s I was allowed to roam freely by just walking in and out but now there are at least three security check points and going anywhere is a hassle….so much for open government!

The capital hill dome (above).  The capital hill figure “Freedom” pictured below.  This guy sits on top of the dome too!

After Capital Hill, we did a quick look at the Supreme Court and opted not to go inside and deal with the security hassle!

Tomorrow, we’ll head over to the Washington Monument,  Lincoln Memorial, and White House and perhaps the Jefferson Memorial if time allows!