We Might Not Be Back: June 2016

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Philadelphia Was Neither Sunny Nor Hot As Hell

I agonized over how to fit in as many cities as possible on this tour of the northeast. Philadelphia made the cut, but we were there for less than 24 hours. My dream was to walk through the city singing songs from the musical 1776, but the weather didn’t quite cooperate. Getting from DC to Philly was our first leg on Amtrak. If I could never get on a plane again and only take trains I’d do it in a heartbeat. Trains are FAR less hassle. They have more room. Sadly trains out of and into Cincinnati are ridiculously inconvenient.
After a quick two hours on Amtrak we hopped on a Philadelphia commuter train into the city. We then walked with our excessive amount of luggage to the wrong location because I trusted my smart phone instead of looking at my paperwork for the hotel address. We were dressed for the 80 degree weather we’d had in DC. Philadelphia was cold and windy. Right as we made it to our hotel with our 10 bags and two kids it started to pour and trees were losing branches. We were too early to check in, but the Alexander Inn graciously stored our bags and let us play cards in the lobby until the rain died down enough to go explore.
We headed straight to the Betsy Ross House because Gabby had been dying to see it after reading a book about Betsy. Gabby essentially provided us with a guided tour. We spent way too long talking to the Betsy Ross reenactor. I think she confused the girls because she was young Betsy and so when they asked questions about Betsy’s later life she acted like she didn’t know what would happen in the “future.”
Right next door to the Betsy Ross house was the Philadelphia Mint. They have free self guided tours and also provided shelter from the weather, so we walked through and learned all about making money. The girls may yet be numismatists.
It was finally warming up a little when we went to the NPS visitor center to get badges. There was thankfully no line at the Liberty Bell so we were able to get in and out quickly. We looked at Independence Hall from across the street because we would’ve had to get into Philly earlier in the morning to get tickets for a tour.
Finally it was check in time so we could dig jackets out of our luggage before heading off for Philly Cheesesteaks and ice cream. We then had to be up at 4:30 am to walk once again with all of our luggage to the train. This time we had an Amtrak to catch at 6:45am. The next leg from Philly to Boston was 6 hours and then we had a 4 hours drive in a rental car to get to our rental in Maine.

So much roomier and no extra baggage fees!!! We LOVE Amtrak!

Young Betsy Ross taught us how to cut a 5 point star by folding paper and making one cut.

Listening to the stories of George Washington's slaves. Very interesting given the history we'd just been told at Arlington House.

The Liberty Bell


Philly Cheese Steak!!! YUM!!!!

Awesome mosaics all over on South St. Wish we'd have had time to check out the Magic Gardens.

Old school train station in Philly. They even have the board that flips all the letters to update arrivals.

More comfortable train travel! Headed to Boston.

Next time maybe we'll get here early enough for tickets.

Soft serve is the BEST!!!!!!

Our Nation’s Capital: Where Our Family Spent a Lot of Time Being Tired and Hangry

Two week vacations are really a necessity for us, because it takes a good three days to get used to being around each other 24/7 and adapt to sleep deprivation and only eating about two meals a day. Sadly the bulk of our time in DC was that adjustment period. I was really winning some parenting gold stars when I briefly considered leaving my youngest child to fend for herself outside Trader Joe’s, which we left with no food. Both girls ate beef jerky, oranges, and half a banana for dinner. Some day they can revisit all these things in therapy. That incident was one of the highlights of our 12 year anniversary, which was a day that proved we are going to stick it out come hell or high water or my crazy vacations.
Enough about family discord though. There were many bright spots and lots to see. We stayed right near the zoo in an airbnb and relied on public transportation to get us back and forth. DC is awesome because there are soooo many free things to do. Sadly despite our best efforts we couldn’t fit them all into this trip.
Our first day we’d traveled from Washington, PA to DC with a small stop on the C&O National Heritage Trail. Upon arrival we hauled our kids down to the Metro station and headed for the National Mall. We got info on how to see the Washington Monument, which would involve and early wake up call. We got to experience the Reason Rally in front of the Lincoln Memorial, which included a Wu-Tang Clan concert. We were also able to see the Vietnam Wall. Having not eaten since hotel breakfast we sought out Subway as an act of desperation. From there we made a failed attempt to see the White House. The area was being cleared for reasons unknown. At that point it was time to throw in the towel for the day!!!!
The next day we dragged our already tired selves out of bed to wait in line for over an hour to get free tickets to get up into the Washington Monument. It was definitely worth it. The views are incredible. Hearing about people being in the monument during an earthquake was a little terrifying. After that we powered through the American History and Natural History Smithsonians. Had it not been for meeting up with an awesome high school friend we’d probably not have made it. Our kids fell asleep during lunch at PotBelly and we had to admit defeat, although not before the unfortunate attempt to grocery shop on a weekend in DC. Major fail!
The next two days we had started to adjust and also started to recognize the signs of tired and hungry a little better. We spent almost an entire day at Arlington National Cemetery, which included a stop to earn a Junior Ranger badge at the Arlington House. The ranger led tour there was a little disappointing. It was a good reminder that we were in the south. It is interesting to hear how people talk about slavery and the war. On our way out we stopped at the Women’s Memorial in Arlington. I wish we’d gone there first. The art work and films were incredibly moving and I’d have liked to read more.
The last day we visited Jefferson, FDR and MLK memorials. We also ran into an Ohio politician. Here’s hoping NYC exposes us to more exciting celebrities. We ended at the WWII memorial where the girls got their ranger badges. This time we actually took a break for lunch at lunch time, and went to the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl. The girls were really excited that the president had eaten at the table right near where we sat. We tried to head back down to the Air and Space Museum, but should’ve cut our losses and gone home. Thankfully we had a relaxing dinner at a friends house that night to end our DC stay.