On the Road Again

So, just last week, I returned from a pilgrimage back to the land of my birth... Washington DC. I hadn't really been there for 20 years or so, so I really didn't remember much of it. Well, after WALKING about 5 miles each day for five days, I know my way around pretty darned well and all of me, especially my footies, remember it! :)

My mother and I accompanied my aunt who was going for a business trip. We went to sight see. We flew in on Thursday, Sept 27th. Got there about 5:30 p.m. at which point we took my first taxi ride (yes, in my entire life - what can I say, I've been sheltered). We got to the hotel, dumped our stuff and then went out for dinner.

Friday, while my aunt was in her meetings, mom and I hoofed it over to the White House, where we actually saw the President's motorcade! No, I didn't get a picture. My camera, which I love, can be a pain - it has to focus, and then you take the pic, so I had my finger poised on the button while the motorcycle cops go by, and just about the time I figure it's only a bunch of motorcycle cops, and lift my finger off the button, two limos go by, and by the time I get my finger back on the button, it's just Secret Service vehicle one after another. So quite some excitement on my first day.

We trotted over and took pics in front of the White House, then down to the Washington Monument - we took the elevator up to the top, and it's an impressive view, but seriously, someone needs to get up there and clean those windows! My pics turned out very nice, though, despite the gook on the windows! Then we wandered over to the war memorials... WWII, Korea, Vietnam... had a hot dog at the Lincoln Memorial. Now, I realize that in about two paragraphs it doesn't look like we did that much, but our dogs were barkin', and we had walked about six hours, so we taxied it back to the hotel and rested before dinner.

Saturday, again Aunt Chris was in meetings in the AM, so mom and I wandered over to the vistors center... which is really just a big souvenir shop... don't get me wrong, I love souvenir shops, and we shopped. :) Then we roamed the streets, past the FBI building... my mother used to work for the FBI, but not in that building, I think they built it after we moved to Indiana, so we took pics of it, and other places down to Pennsylvania Avenue... where we discovered the whole street was blocked off for some marathon being run that day. So I was able to stand in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue and take pics of the Capital! Cool!

So then we trot back up to the Spy Museum. That was fun. Not enough James Bond, though. Then we had lunch at the Spy Museum cafe... I had a Langley Dog (chili, cheese, and onions) and mom had a Eastern Block Dog (with saurkraut). Then after the spy gift shop, we found our way over to the Ford Theater where Lincoln was shot. Wouldn't you know it, it was closed for renovations! But we got a pic outside and that's what counts, right! :) Then we slowly made our way to the National Mall where the First Lady was sponsoring some type of book fair. She was long gone by the time we arrived, but we did get to see Ken Burns giving a talk... about his WWII program, I suppose.. I couldn't hear him, and I couldn't stand around ... I was in the sun, and I burn like hot dogs on a grill!

Ok, so that gets us to the end of Saturday. I'll end here, and try to finish my travelogue tomorrow. So tune in tomorrow, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!