15 Random Lessons Learned on our DC trip

 Pete was invited to D.C. for a few days to do some Fulbright reviewing work, and since the boys are learning about American history this year, we jumped at the chance to tag along on the trip! The girls stayed back with Nonna and Poppa and Strider stayed with the Rentsches, so we were a light family of four on this little adventure.

Even though it was just a quick little trip -- less than 2 full days -- we made the most of it and learned a LOT. The boys and I visited, in order, the National Cathedral, the White House, the Washington Monument, the War World II Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capitol, the Air and Space Museum, the Jefferson Memorial, the FDR Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and the National Archives.  (Pete joined us for the last several places after his meetings were done.)

Here are 15 random things I learned on this trip:

1. The Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the Constitution were all written on much larger pieces of paper/parchment than I expected.  It was like they wrote on poster board!

2. The Vietnam War Memorial was actually designed by a college student -- who received a B- on the project for her class.  But the thought she put into it and the reasoning behind certain things are pretty impressive.

3. Martin Luther King Jr. was very wise and said many thought-provoking and profound things.

4. The Capitol rotunda/dome is so tall that the Statue of Liberty (without the base) could stand inside it.

5. When one of the boys tried to relay the above fact to Pete later, he called the statue, "Mother Liberty or whatever it's called."  It sounds like our next trip needs to be to NYC.

6. Taking tours is the way to go.  We learned so much from our tour guides -- both of which were free.  DC By Foot was a great company (you can pay at the end whatever you think it was worth).

7. A lot of the buildings and monuments were only partially done for awhile, or had big errors in them at some point.  Government  .

8. The White House is only white because after it was burned down by the British the tan sandstone walls showed so much burn marks that they decided to just paint it white.

9. An amazing place to eat right on the national mall is in the Department of Agriculture building!  Their employee cafeteria is open to the public and serves fantastic, healthy, fresh food!  And the prices are incredibly low!  This was a HUGE find.

10. Potbelly restaurants are also awesome (but not to be found on the national mall).

11. When traveling with 3 people it's cheaper to Metro.  When traveling with 4 it's cheaper to Uber.  (We did plenty of both)

12. Even in a city as exciting as Washington D.C., the kids are still going to think the escalators are the most fun attraction.

13. Since this was a work trip, Pete was able to take Wingate's car.  It turns out that kids in the back seat of a normal car sound much closer and louder than they do in a minivan.

14. Kids who have recently discovered their ability to rap will try to practice that incessantly.

15. Based on the above 2 items, it is important to bring ibuprofen on a trip, as both adults will need it.

We were very thankful for this opportunity -- for a hotel right near the White House and for perfect weather!