Friday night our old roomie Mark moved out. Mal and I anticipated the arrival of Katie on Saturday, so we immediately got to work cleaning out the room after Mark left. We knew time was limited before the guys came. We finished most of the cleaning, put up some curtains to close off the closet (we don't have doors on our closets), and just tidied up the place. We began hanging up some art in my room just as Dave arrived at the front door. His arrival signaled the "weekend of fun" truly was here!
After catching up for a few minutes, we put him to work. Aren't we such great hostesses? He helped us hang the pictures in my room before we all began attacking Katie's room again. We moved in there where Dave assembled her chair and light, while Mal and I worked on fitting the AC unit into the window. Just as Mal and I were our sweatiest and Dave finished his tasks, Mike called. He was down the road about a mile and needed some directional assistance. After talking to him a few minutes and realizing that I had no idea where he was (big surprise, I know), I gave the phone to Mal and she talked him in.
When Mike arrived, we stopped working (we actually finished as he arrived) and all just hung out. Mike and I had our White House tour scheduled for 8:30 on Saturday. So, after eating a late dinner, the two of us turned in around 12 as Mal and Dave settled in to watch a movie.
Saturday morning arrived super early. Did I even sleep? Although our appointment was for 8:30, people are required to be there early (20-30 minutes) before their tour time. This meant leaving the house by 7:15, which we did with no problems. After catching the metro (it was Mike's first metro ride!), we were at the White House shortly after eight. There was hardly anyone in line. We approached the guard to get our guidebooks and proceed inside.
She stopped us and told us the "rules" before we proceeded. We were okay to go through except for one minor detail. We each had our camera. Cameras were a no-go.
"You have three options," the guard said, after looking at our cameras. "One, you can take your cameras back to your car." Okay, no, we rode the metro. "Two, you can turn around and take them back to your hotel." Hmm, the apartment is a 15 minute metro ride and ten minute walk away. No to number two. "Or three, you can go in one at a time while the other stands outside and holds the cameras." Well, that's not any better and defeats the purpose of us coming together to the White House.
She could tell from our expressions that none of her options thrilled us. The guard added, "You can take your tour at anytime up until 12:30." Feeling relieved and less pressure to "go right now", we came up with a fourth option. I called Mal and woke her up. Once she made it out of her groggy state, she agreed (thankfully) to meet us, with the car, at the metro closest to our apartment. Mike and I took some pictures in front of the White House and made our way back to the metro. When we stepped out of the metro center closest to home, Mal was waiting in the car.
(This picture was snapped before we took our cameras to Mal. The WH is behind us.)
She offered to shuttle us back to the White House, to which we quickly agreed. What took us twenty minutes to walk and ride the train back, took about five in the car. Surprisingly, there was no traffic. We got out of the car, leaving cameras and phones inside (we couldn't remember if phones were allowed in the WH), and agreed to meet back up for the Capitol Tour that Mal offered to take all four of us on. We had over two hours before we had to meet Mal and Dave.
Before we went on our tour, we stepped inside the WH Visitor Center and educated ourselves on what to expect. The WH tour itself is self-guided, so unless you know anything about it, it could make for a less interesting tour. We strolled in there for over an hour before going to the WH.
By the second time around, the line was much longer. I guess not too many people want to get up on Saturday morning before eight unless they have to. Either that, or there were a bunch of people like us who didn't know the "rules" before hand. Regardless, we had no problems getting in the second time. The White House was very grand. We were able to view about ten rooms, including the dining hall and several entertaining rooms (Red, Blue, and green Rooms), and go down a hall adjacent to a beautiful garden. Out front, we viewed the bald spot on the lawn where the tree fell earlier in the week because of all the rain. The guard standing nearby told us his story of being on duty as it fell right near him. Ooooh, ahhh.
We left the WH and made our way to the Capitol where Mal agreed to lead Dave, Mike, and me on a staff led tour. She handed us our special "staff" stickers and we proceeded into the building. She was a great "tour guide" and I learned a lot about the building. Most impressionable was "The Freeze" artwork that wrapped around the inside of the Capitol's Dome. It was beautiful and painted to appear three dimensional from where we stood below. Amazing.
(The Capitol Building)
(A view of The Mall, seen standing on the Capitol steps. The building to the left of the Monument (yeah, it's super small in the distance) is the Lincoln Memorial where I sat and watched the fourth's fireworks with Steve.)
(Mallory telling the guys about the Capitol's Dome)
("What a great shot, Mike," was said after two shots Dave took without capturing the $1500.00 chandelier behind us. Yeah, I didn't leave any zeroes out. Because of his (lack of) picture taking ability, Dave was often passed over (and the camera handed to Mike) when a picture was needed. This is in the Capitol. Nicknamed the "North Carolina" room.)
(Mike and me on the Capitol steps.)
(The guys and me before Mal's tour)
(Mal's turn!)
After our tour, we metro'ed it to Chinatown. We ate at Chopsticks. While the food was good, Mal and I were scarred after visiting their restroom and seeing some other slightly unpleasant sights throughout the restaurant. Don't think we'll go back, but it did fill us up and gave us some laughs.
(As seen through the lens of Mike's camera. I love the line of kids crossing the street. Perfect shot of Chinatown's gate.)
After Chinatown, we made our way to Union Station where we signed up for a DC Ducks Tour (check out the website!). While waiting for our Duck departure, we shopped around in Union Station. There is a vast array of stores and the guys were patient as Mal and I browsed through several of them.
Our Duck Tour departed at 5:00 and was the best tour I've been on in DC (well, besides the fabulous one Mal gave us earlier in the day!). The tour is given aboard an old, restored WW II vehicle that is part SUV and part boat. It easily converts from land to water and vice versa without doing anything (ie. attaching anything extra or taking anything off) to the vehicle. It was a really informative 90 minute tour that was also very entertaining.
(Mal and Dave quacking it up with their DUCK "quackers" that were given to each of us.)
(Dave and me quacking. Don't you love the hair?)
(A couple Quackheads)
(Standing outside the DUCK mobile)
After our tour, we grabbed our dinner at Ben and Jerry's (yes, we had ice cream for dinner). Mal and Dave went to rent some movies and chill at the apartment while Mike and I opted to catch some of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival before they closed up shop for the evening. It was fun wandering around on The Mall and listening to the different music. There were many tents set up for mechandise sales, but most of them were closed. The only tents still open were food vendors and those that covered the musicians. After about two hours, when everyone was leaving, Mike and I walked the approximate two miles back to the apartment. It was a nice evening and a pleasant walk.
(Shadows walking home. That's the Capitol lit ahead of us. I love DC at night. The company wasn't bad either...)
When we got back, we joined Dave and Mal and watched Airplane (a movie that the guys referenced and quoted earlier in the day). Mallory and I attempted to watch all of Crash with them too, but we crashed ourselves before the end. The guys were troopers and finished it. Our Saturday came to a close on Sunday's wee morning hour of about two.
1 comment:
jdWhat a busy weekend you all had! Doubt if I could have done so many things in one day. Just wanted to say Airplane is my favorite funny movie of all time! Anxious to see pictures - hope you all are in them. You are more fun to look at rather than scenery. jd
Post a Comment