One year after having been in D.C. alone, I went back with my parents. We took a night tour of the monuments in D.C.
At the White House
D.C. at Night
Lincoln Memorial at Night
U.S. Capitol Outside and Inside
Arlington National Cemetery
Kennedy Gravesites
Changing of The Guard
Mount Vernon Home and Tomb
I went by myself to the Washington National Zoo.
At the Zoo
At the White House
D.C. at Night
Lincoln Memorial at Night
U.S. Capitol Outside and Inside
Arlington National Cemetery
Kennedy Gravesites
Changing of The Guard
Mount Vernon Home and Tomb
I went by myself to the Washington National Zoo.
At the Zoo
Air and Space Museum
Wright Flyer
Charles Lindburgh's Spirit of St. Louis
Apollo 11
Plane flown by Amelia Ehrhardt
Lunar Lander
The Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum
Looking to Cemetery Ridge where Pickett's Charge happened. I walked across this field with my dad.
Eternal Light Peace Memorial by Oak Ridge
Me at Lee's Headquarters in Gettysburg
20th Maine Monument on Little Round Top
Looking from Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge
Virginia & Robert E. Lee Monument at Seminary Ridge
Looking from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Ridge
Me at Cemetery Ridge
Confederate Reenactors
Union Reenactors
Union Camp
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Monument that marks where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address
Lincoln Statue at Gettysburg National Cemetery
Evening Program given by a Park Ranger on the Battlefield.
Wright Flyer
Charles Lindburgh's Spirit of St. Louis
Apollo 11
Plane flown by Amelia Ehrhardt
Lunar Lander
The Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
East Cemetery Hill
East Cemetery Hill
Looking to Cemetery Ridge where Pickett's Charge happened. I walked across this field with my dad.
Eternal Light Peace Memorial by Oak Ridge
Me at Lee's Headquarters in Gettysburg
20th Maine Monument on Little Round Top
Looking from Little Round Top to Cemetery Ridge
Virginia & Robert E. Lee Monument at Seminary Ridge
Looking from Seminary Ridge to Cemetery Ridge
Me at Cemetery Ridge
Confederate Reenactors
Union Reenactors
Union Camp
Gettysburg National Cemetery
Monument that marks where Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address
Lincoln Statue at Gettysburg National Cemetery
Evening Program given by a Park Ranger on the Battlefield.
July 2 We had stayed at the airport Hilton the night before and got up at 4:15 to get our six a.m. filght to Baltimore. We left the hotel at five and I bought some yogurt at the airport for breakfast. We flew to Chicago and had a two hour layover there. I ate at McDonald's at the airport. We then flew from Chicago to Baltimore, Maryland. From Baltimore we got an express bus to the D.C. Subway System. It was raining quite hard so my dad said he wanted to take a taxi from the Greenbelt subway station to our hotel in D.C. on 9th and F Street. We got to our hotel at about 4 p.m. Dad and I went to get two umbrellas. I had one with me, but my parents did not. From there we took the subway out to the Arlington Cemetery. When we got there, we found out that the tour buses that take you around the Cemetery were closed already, so we walked to the Kennedy grave sites. It was raining during this time. My mom was pretty tired, so we left the cemetery and took the Subway to Union Station where we got off. I wanted to go to a German Restaurant there close by. We took a taxi to the restaurant. It turned out that it was only three blocks away and I had mixed up the address, but the cab driver called information and got the right address. We liked the restaurant and even had dessert. We then walked back to Union Station and took the subway back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 3 We got up and went to a cafe across the street from our hotel. I had a blueberry muffin and some milk. Then we took the subway to about four blocks from the White House. We walked to the south side of the White House and took some pictures outside of the fence. Because of security, there are no tours of the White House now. We then walked back to the Subway and went up to Union Station. From there we took a taxi to the Dirksen Senate Offices. It actually was only a few blocks, but we were running late. We got to Senator Bennett's office five minutes before our tour of the Capitol left. At the Capitol we saw the Rotunda, the old House Chamber, and the Old Supreme Court chamber. We then walked to La 'Enfant Plaza and took the Subway back to our hotel. We had lunchat Subway down the block from our hotel, checked out of the hotel, and took the Subway to Reagan National Airport. We picked up a rental car there and then drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It took us about two hours to get there, because there was a lot of traffic.
When we got to Gettysburg, we stopped at our hotel and then went to the Battlefield Visitor's Center. The rangers give lectures at certain points on the field on a daily basis, so I wanted to look at these schedules. We also went into the Cemetery and walked around. We saw where Lincoln gave The Gettysburg Address. We then drove back into town and stopped at the Gettysburg Hotel. They were having a "Civil War Antique Show" in the hotel so dad and I went to look. the thing I remember the most was a broadside advertising a reward for the capture of Booth for killing Lincoln. It was $95,000. It was really something to see.
After the show, we went to a place called The Dobbin House for dinner. It was a tavern style place from the 19th century. I had Crab Cakes. The food was very good. Dad wanted to eat there the next night too, so he made reservations before we left. We then went back and dropped mom off. I wanted to go to the evening lecture on the battlefield at Pitzer Woods, so dad went with me. They have an ampitheater there. A ranger talked about Robert E. Lee's life. I really enjoyed it. After the lecture we drove back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 4 We got up at around 6:30 a.m., had breakfast and then went to the Battlefield Visitor's Center to get a personal tour guide to go with us in our car. We got to the visitor's center at about 7:45. Our tour guide's name was James Connery Jr. He was a CPA from New England. He came there on weekends to be a tour guide. What a great job! I want to do that! He really knew his stuff. He drove us around all three days of th battle site. It was incredible. I learned so much from him. After the tour was done at about 10:30, we went to a bookshop that was close to the battlefield. There were reenactors there. We went in the bookshop and I got some postcards. We watched the reenactors as they introduced themselves. There were men dressed up as Lee, Trimble, Armistead, Booth, Kemper, Hooker, Grant, Lincoln and Meade. It was fun to see.
I wanted to go to the lecture on Little Round Top at 11:30 a.m. so we left the bookstore and went back to the battlefield and over to Little Round Top. Mom stayed in the car while dad and I went to listen to the ranger. There were probably one hundred people there ready to listen to the ranger. He told us all about Sickles and the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and finally Devil's Den. He then finished talking about the confederate attempt to take Little Round Top. We finished at the spot where the 20th Maine fought. It was incredible.
After the lecture we went to eat lunch. After lunch, we went to look in a few antique stores. I spotted a Civil War Belt Buckle from Gettysburg in one shop. I would end up buying it on Saturday. After the Antique shops, we drove East about 15 miles to a Christmas store. Dad had seen an advertisment for the store and thought mom might like it. She did. She bought a bunch of ornaments. They were shipped home. We then went back to Gettysburg and had dinner at the Dobbin House again. I had Shrimp with crab on it. After dinner we went back to the battlefield for the evening presentation at Pitzer Woods. There was a presentation on Civil War Music. A ranger introduced the songs and then another guy sang the songs. after the presentation, we went back to the hotel and went to bed. I must say that this one one of the best fourth of July's that I have ever had. It was incredible to be on the battlefield where everything happened.
July 5 We got up and had breakfast at the hotel. We then went to the battlefield. We wanted to see the reenactors on the battlefield. Our first stop was Pitzer Woods. The Stonewall Brigade was there showing how their lines moved. They also showed how skirmish lines worked. I loved it. We then went to the center of the Union Line at Cemetery Ridge. A Pennsylvania Regiment was there. They fired artillery and also showed agian how infantry lines moved and fired their muskets. It was great. While we were there I asked one of the reenactors there if we were allowed to walk across the Confederate High Water Mark field. we could, so we went back to the Virginia Memorial and Dad and I walked across the field. It was incredible to walk where Pickett's Charge happened. We walked to the center of the union line and back. Mom stayed in the car. We then ate at a restaurant by our hotel for lunch. Mom went back to the hotel to do laundry and take a nap while dad and I went to Lee's Headquarters in Gettysburg. While I was there I bought some framed bullets fromt the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Actually my dad bought them for me. We then drove back to the first day battle area. I took a picture where General Reynolds was killed and also of the Peace Memorial. We then went back into town where I bought my Union Belt Buckle. After this we went back to the hotel and got mom. We drove about ten miles to a place called Boyd's Bear Country. They have all kinds of teddy bears there. There was an encampment behind the barn, so I went and looked there while my parents went in. When they were done, we drove back to Gettysburg and ate at a pizza place. Across from the pizza place was a Lutheran Church. They were giving a music program that night in the church so we went in. It was very nice. They sang Civil War songs, read accounts of how the church was used as a hospital during and after the battle, and also read poetry about the battle. We all enjoyed it. When we were done, we went for some ice-cream and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 6 We got up and had breakfast at the hotel. We then drove back to Washington D.C. to Reagan National Airport. We dropped the car off and then took the metro to our hotel. We checked in. It turned out they gave us a corner room at the Marriot so that was really nice because it was very large.
After checking in, we took the Metro out to Huntington Road. It turned out we missed the bus by about 10 minutes, so we took a taxi out to Mount Vernon. We stopped to eat first before doing anything. After lunch we walked to the pier and took a "Potomac River Cruise." The ride lasted about 40 minutes. They took us out past Mount Vernon up the river to Fort Washington and back. Mom needed to rest so dad and I walked over to the sixteen sided barn and saw that. Mom had caught the "commuter bus" and it actually stopped at the barn, so we got on too. It took us up to the Mansion where we waited in line for about thirty to forty minutes and then went through the Mansion. After the mansion mom was worn out by the heat so we left and caught the bus back to the Metro. We went back into D.C. and ate at Subway for dinner. It was about 7 p.m. when we were done eating. Mom wanted to rest for the rest of the evening at the hotel. Dad and I took the Metro to the Smithsonian Stop and walked from the Washington Monument to the Vietnam Memorial and back. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 7 Monday we got up and went to the cafe across the street for breakfast. We then took the Metro to the Air and Space Museum. Right away we got in a tour. The guide showed us the 3 different Wright Planes in the museum and some of the other historic planes in the museum. It was different from the last time I was at the museum. The guide showed and talked to us about the things that I hadn't heard last time. Mom wanted to eat something so we went int the eatery at the museum. After she finished her salad, we went to the Museum of American History. There we saw the flag from the War of 1812 that inspired Key to write the National Anthem. They also had an exhibit on West Point that I really enjoyed. We saw the hat that Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater, and the drum played at his funeral. We also saw Wasington's tent from Valley Forge and a gunboat used during the Revolutionary War. We then went to have lunch in the Museum. I must say that I do like the eatery at this museum better than at the Air and Space Museum.
I wanted to see the Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum, so we left the Museum of American History. As were were walking to the Natural History Museum it started to rain. Dad decided to stop under a tree so he wouldn't get wet anymore. Mom and I said we'd come back for him. We went into the museum, and saw the diamond. I must say that it was smaller than I thought it would be, but it was spectacular. When we left the exhibit, we noticed dad was waiting for us in the main entrance area of the museum. He had gotten very wet, because there was a downpour outside. We waited for the rain to stop and then went back to the hotel.
We had scheduled to take a "Washington By Night" tour the night before. They would pick us up at the hotel. They turned out being 45 minutes late, but we did make it. They took us first to the White House. Since we had seen it already, dad and I went to a street vendor and got Hot Dogs for dinner. We then went back to the bus. The driver then took us to the Jefferson Memorial. We all got out. Mom and I climbed the steps and looked inside. It was really nice in there at night. From there the driver too us to the FDR Memorial. We got out and walked around. I really enjoyed that. Next, he drove us to the Lincoln Memorial. Mom and I climbed the steps to the inside of the memorial and took a few pictures. On the way back to the bus we walked through the Korean War Memorial. The last stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial. The bus driver then dropped everyone off at their hotels. We got to the hotel at about 12 a.m. and went to bed. I must say that I did enjoy the tour.
July 18 I got up at 6 a.m. and took the Metro to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to get tickets for the tour there. The ticket office didn't open until 8 a.m., but I remembered how slow the line had been the year before. I was actually the first one in line and waited for about 1 1/2 hours. I got tickets for 2 p.m., and then went back to the hotel.
We ate at the usual cafe across the street for breakfast. We then took the Metro out to the Arlington Cemetery. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and went through the Robert E. Lee House. We also saw the Challenger Memorial. Arlington really is a great place to visit. Mom was tired so we took her back to the hotel. Dad and I then went back to the Museum of American History and had lunch in the Eatery there. Then we walked over to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for our tour. We saw how money is printed and made. In one room below us there was $500,000,000 in printed uncut bills. It was really something to see. Dad and I both needed a rest so we went back to the hotel and sat in the hot tub for a while. We left the hotel and went to find a restaurant at about 6 p.m. We went back to Union Station via Metro and walked the blocks where the German restaurant was. Dad spotted a restaurant called Two Quail that he thought looked good. We all loved the food there. It was excellent, including the Pecan Pie. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 9 First, I took dad to the National Archives. He wanted to do some genealogy. Mom and I ate at the Cafe across the street from the hotel and then walked to the Ford's Theater. It was closed for renovation. I wanted to go to the zoo and see the Pandas. Mom wanted to come, but I didn't think she'd be able to handle the walking there. She decided to go to the Spy Museum across the street from our hotel. I took the Metro to the zoo. The stop was about 5 blocks from the zoo and also a gradual incline. I was glad mom decided to go to the museum instead. I went through the zoo and saw the pandas and other animals too. It was getting very hot, and I hadn't put sundown on, so I went back to the hotel and got there about 12 p.m. We rested a little and then took the Metro and bus to BWI airport. We ended up waiting on the tarmac for two hours because thre was a storm west of us. We made our connection in Dallas by about five minutes and got home around 11:30 p.m.
Note:
I must say that this was a very fun trip. I enjoyed Gettysburg the most. Since I've been home a few weeks, I realized that Gettysburg is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm now hoping to see all the major Civil War sites in Virginia too. By far that was the best 4th of July I've had that I can remember. The battlefield in Gettysburg is a very special place and should be seen by all Americans.
July 3 We got up and went to a cafe across the street from our hotel. I had a blueberry muffin and some milk. Then we took the subway to about four blocks from the White House. We walked to the south side of the White House and took some pictures outside of the fence. Because of security, there are no tours of the White House now. We then walked back to the Subway and went up to Union Station. From there we took a taxi to the Dirksen Senate Offices. It actually was only a few blocks, but we were running late. We got to Senator Bennett's office five minutes before our tour of the Capitol left. At the Capitol we saw the Rotunda, the old House Chamber, and the Old Supreme Court chamber. We then walked to La 'Enfant Plaza and took the Subway back to our hotel. We had lunchat Subway down the block from our hotel, checked out of the hotel, and took the Subway to Reagan National Airport. We picked up a rental car there and then drove to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It took us about two hours to get there, because there was a lot of traffic.
When we got to Gettysburg, we stopped at our hotel and then went to the Battlefield Visitor's Center. The rangers give lectures at certain points on the field on a daily basis, so I wanted to look at these schedules. We also went into the Cemetery and walked around. We saw where Lincoln gave The Gettysburg Address. We then drove back into town and stopped at the Gettysburg Hotel. They were having a "Civil War Antique Show" in the hotel so dad and I went to look. the thing I remember the most was a broadside advertising a reward for the capture of Booth for killing Lincoln. It was $95,000. It was really something to see.
After the show, we went to a place called The Dobbin House for dinner. It was a tavern style place from the 19th century. I had Crab Cakes. The food was very good. Dad wanted to eat there the next night too, so he made reservations before we left. We then went back and dropped mom off. I wanted to go to the evening lecture on the battlefield at Pitzer Woods, so dad went with me. They have an ampitheater there. A ranger talked about Robert E. Lee's life. I really enjoyed it. After the lecture we drove back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 4 We got up at around 6:30 a.m., had breakfast and then went to the Battlefield Visitor's Center to get a personal tour guide to go with us in our car. We got to the visitor's center at about 7:45. Our tour guide's name was James Connery Jr. He was a CPA from New England. He came there on weekends to be a tour guide. What a great job! I want to do that! He really knew his stuff. He drove us around all three days of th battle site. It was incredible. I learned so much from him. After the tour was done at about 10:30, we went to a bookshop that was close to the battlefield. There were reenactors there. We went in the bookshop and I got some postcards. We watched the reenactors as they introduced themselves. There were men dressed up as Lee, Trimble, Armistead, Booth, Kemper, Hooker, Grant, Lincoln and Meade. It was fun to see.
I wanted to go to the lecture on Little Round Top at 11:30 a.m. so we left the bookstore and went back to the battlefield and over to Little Round Top. Mom stayed in the car while dad and I went to listen to the ranger. There were probably one hundred people there ready to listen to the ranger. He told us all about Sickles and the Wheatfield, the Peach Orchard, and finally Devil's Den. He then finished talking about the confederate attempt to take Little Round Top. We finished at the spot where the 20th Maine fought. It was incredible.
After the lecture we went to eat lunch. After lunch, we went to look in a few antique stores. I spotted a Civil War Belt Buckle from Gettysburg in one shop. I would end up buying it on Saturday. After the Antique shops, we drove East about 15 miles to a Christmas store. Dad had seen an advertisment for the store and thought mom might like it. She did. She bought a bunch of ornaments. They were shipped home. We then went back to Gettysburg and had dinner at the Dobbin House again. I had Shrimp with crab on it. After dinner we went back to the battlefield for the evening presentation at Pitzer Woods. There was a presentation on Civil War Music. A ranger introduced the songs and then another guy sang the songs. after the presentation, we went back to the hotel and went to bed. I must say that this one one of the best fourth of July's that I have ever had. It was incredible to be on the battlefield where everything happened.
July 5 We got up and had breakfast at the hotel. We then went to the battlefield. We wanted to see the reenactors on the battlefield. Our first stop was Pitzer Woods. The Stonewall Brigade was there showing how their lines moved. They also showed how skirmish lines worked. I loved it. We then went to the center of the Union Line at Cemetery Ridge. A Pennsylvania Regiment was there. They fired artillery and also showed agian how infantry lines moved and fired their muskets. It was great. While we were there I asked one of the reenactors there if we were allowed to walk across the Confederate High Water Mark field. we could, so we went back to the Virginia Memorial and Dad and I walked across the field. It was incredible to walk where Pickett's Charge happened. We walked to the center of the union line and back. Mom stayed in the car. We then ate at a restaurant by our hotel for lunch. Mom went back to the hotel to do laundry and take a nap while dad and I went to Lee's Headquarters in Gettysburg. While I was there I bought some framed bullets fromt the battle of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Actually my dad bought them for me. We then drove back to the first day battle area. I took a picture where General Reynolds was killed and also of the Peace Memorial. We then went back into town where I bought my Union Belt Buckle. After this we went back to the hotel and got mom. We drove about ten miles to a place called Boyd's Bear Country. They have all kinds of teddy bears there. There was an encampment behind the barn, so I went and looked there while my parents went in. When they were done, we drove back to Gettysburg and ate at a pizza place. Across from the pizza place was a Lutheran Church. They were giving a music program that night in the church so we went in. It was very nice. They sang Civil War songs, read accounts of how the church was used as a hospital during and after the battle, and also read poetry about the battle. We all enjoyed it. When we were done, we went for some ice-cream and then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 6 We got up and had breakfast at the hotel. We then drove back to Washington D.C. to Reagan National Airport. We dropped the car off and then took the metro to our hotel. We checked in. It turned out they gave us a corner room at the Marriot so that was really nice because it was very large.
After checking in, we took the Metro out to Huntington Road. It turned out we missed the bus by about 10 minutes, so we took a taxi out to Mount Vernon. We stopped to eat first before doing anything. After lunch we walked to the pier and took a "Potomac River Cruise." The ride lasted about 40 minutes. They took us out past Mount Vernon up the river to Fort Washington and back. Mom needed to rest so dad and I walked over to the sixteen sided barn and saw that. Mom had caught the "commuter bus" and it actually stopped at the barn, so we got on too. It took us up to the Mansion where we waited in line for about thirty to forty minutes and then went through the Mansion. After the mansion mom was worn out by the heat so we left and caught the bus back to the Metro. We went back into D.C. and ate at Subway for dinner. It was about 7 p.m. when we were done eating. Mom wanted to rest for the rest of the evening at the hotel. Dad and I took the Metro to the Smithsonian Stop and walked from the Washington Monument to the Vietnam Memorial and back. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 7 Monday we got up and went to the cafe across the street for breakfast. We then took the Metro to the Air and Space Museum. Right away we got in a tour. The guide showed us the 3 different Wright Planes in the museum and some of the other historic planes in the museum. It was different from the last time I was at the museum. The guide showed and talked to us about the things that I hadn't heard last time. Mom wanted to eat something so we went int the eatery at the museum. After she finished her salad, we went to the Museum of American History. There we saw the flag from the War of 1812 that inspired Key to write the National Anthem. They also had an exhibit on West Point that I really enjoyed. We saw the hat that Lincoln wore to Ford's Theater, and the drum played at his funeral. We also saw Wasington's tent from Valley Forge and a gunboat used during the Revolutionary War. We then went to have lunch in the Museum. I must say that I do like the eatery at this museum better than at the Air and Space Museum.
I wanted to see the Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum, so we left the Museum of American History. As were were walking to the Natural History Museum it started to rain. Dad decided to stop under a tree so he wouldn't get wet anymore. Mom and I said we'd come back for him. We went into the museum, and saw the diamond. I must say that it was smaller than I thought it would be, but it was spectacular. When we left the exhibit, we noticed dad was waiting for us in the main entrance area of the museum. He had gotten very wet, because there was a downpour outside. We waited for the rain to stop and then went back to the hotel.
We had scheduled to take a "Washington By Night" tour the night before. They would pick us up at the hotel. They turned out being 45 minutes late, but we did make it. They took us first to the White House. Since we had seen it already, dad and I went to a street vendor and got Hot Dogs for dinner. We then went back to the bus. The driver then took us to the Jefferson Memorial. We all got out. Mom and I climbed the steps and looked inside. It was really nice in there at night. From there the driver too us to the FDR Memorial. We got out and walked around. I really enjoyed that. Next, he drove us to the Lincoln Memorial. Mom and I climbed the steps to the inside of the memorial and took a few pictures. On the way back to the bus we walked through the Korean War Memorial. The last stop was the Iwo Jima Memorial. The bus driver then dropped everyone off at their hotels. We got to the hotel at about 12 a.m. and went to bed. I must say that I did enjoy the tour.
July 18 I got up at 6 a.m. and took the Metro to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to get tickets for the tour there. The ticket office didn't open until 8 a.m., but I remembered how slow the line had been the year before. I was actually the first one in line and waited for about 1 1/2 hours. I got tickets for 2 p.m., and then went back to the hotel.
We ate at the usual cafe across the street for breakfast. We then took the Metro out to the Arlington Cemetery. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns and went through the Robert E. Lee House. We also saw the Challenger Memorial. Arlington really is a great place to visit. Mom was tired so we took her back to the hotel. Dad and I then went back to the Museum of American History and had lunch in the Eatery there. Then we walked over to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing for our tour. We saw how money is printed and made. In one room below us there was $500,000,000 in printed uncut bills. It was really something to see. Dad and I both needed a rest so we went back to the hotel and sat in the hot tub for a while. We left the hotel and went to find a restaurant at about 6 p.m. We went back to Union Station via Metro and walked the blocks where the German restaurant was. Dad spotted a restaurant called Two Quail that he thought looked good. We all loved the food there. It was excellent, including the Pecan Pie. We then went back to the hotel and went to bed.
July 9 First, I took dad to the National Archives. He wanted to do some genealogy. Mom and I ate at the Cafe across the street from the hotel and then walked to the Ford's Theater. It was closed for renovation. I wanted to go to the zoo and see the Pandas. Mom wanted to come, but I didn't think she'd be able to handle the walking there. She decided to go to the Spy Museum across the street from our hotel. I took the Metro to the zoo. The stop was about 5 blocks from the zoo and also a gradual incline. I was glad mom decided to go to the museum instead. I went through the zoo and saw the pandas and other animals too. It was getting very hot, and I hadn't put sundown on, so I went back to the hotel and got there about 12 p.m. We rested a little and then took the Metro and bus to BWI airport. We ended up waiting on the tarmac for two hours because thre was a storm west of us. We made our connection in Dallas by about five minutes and got home around 11:30 p.m.
Note:
I must say that this was a very fun trip. I enjoyed Gettysburg the most. Since I've been home a few weeks, I realized that Gettysburg is just the tip of the iceberg. I'm now hoping to see all the major Civil War sites in Virginia too. By far that was the best 4th of July I've had that I can remember. The battlefield in Gettysburg is a very special place and should be seen by all Americans.
