Sunday, March 02, 2008

Washington

At 9:00 p.m. on Thursday night as I typed that last entry, Meg and I decided we should go to Washington D.C. first thing the next morning, because we like to live on the edge, and we like to drag our toddlers along with us. We spent a little time on the Internet, deciding what we should do and figuring out how to use the train system (which, by the way, might be the most confusing process EVER. The MARC train is also called the commuter rail, then there is the light rail, Amtrak, the subway, or the Metro...I really don't think they could make it much more confusing.)

Early Friday morning, we loaded the girls in the car and drove down to the airport to catch a commuter train into D.C.'s Union Station. As we waited for the train to arrive, we smashed ourselves in a corner, trying to dodge the All Business Commuters Who Only Wear Black and Do Not Smile, all the while stuffing Nilla wafers in the girls' mouths to try to keep them from shrieking too much and grabbing more candy from the snack vendor. We ignored the scowls we got from the rows of people all tapping away on their laptops and looking Very Important and Very Busy and Very Annoyed.

From Union Station, we switched to the Metro (WHY? Can't we just call it the SUBWAY?) red line, and then to the Metro orange or blue line--all the while toting two kids, a stroller, two backpacks, four coats, 8 gloves and more snack food than should be humanly possible to consume in one day up and down elevators, escalators and walking what seemed like miles through various stations.

We spent a few hours in the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, where Becca fell down a short flight of stairs and my camera fell off the shelf onto the tiled bathroom floor (only the lens filter broke, THANK GOD). We saw the dinosaurs, the mammals, the butterfly exhibit and the gems and minerals. Watching Taylor take everything in was really the best part. She was so excited and was really looking at the exhibits. Becca was busy eating all the snacks and falling down stairs. We had lunch in the museum and then headed outside to walk around a few of the monuments. I had never seen the World War 2 Memorial before. It was really touching.
The White House is behind Taylor's elbow. She had just learned about presidents at her preschool for President's Day, so seeing these places really got her excited.
Becca, on the other hand, was not too excited.

After about 2 miles of walking, with Taylor ON Meg's shoulders, we asked where the nearest Metro station was. "Nine blocks that way," we were told. Meg said, "We're getting a cab." Ahhhhhh....that was a relief. It just dropped us off at Union Station and we caught a train back. Though, I really wish someone could explain how it is illegal for children not to be in carseats in their own private vehicles, but in a cab they can just run around in the backseat? Really?

I don't think I have had to entertain Becca for more than 2 seconds this entire week. I wanted to adopt Taylor and just keep her here all the time as a permanent unpaid entertainer for my kid! Her mom wouldn't leave her, though. Maybe because she is so cute!
Yesterday we didn't leave the house, or our pajamas! Meg made us yummy fish tacos. Then, unfortunately they had to go home this morning while Becca and I cried into our morning juice, wishing we could get on that plane back to Austin with them. But, we didn't because John was supposed to come home this afternoon. Not ten minutes after Becca and I got home, he called and said his trip got extended until late tomorrow night. I WISH I had just gotten on that plane to Austin. We are REALLY in withdrawal mode now. I guess we'll just go take a nap. Well, first I'm going to eat a giant plate of cheese grits.

15 comments:

molly said...

What fun! And WOW, does Taylor look like Meg. I mean, WOW.

Anonymous said...

What a great trip - the photos of the girls are terrific. Now you know one of the many reasons I love Jenna so much!

Hook 'Em!

justme said...

impressive !!! sorry for the withdrawal !!

Angie said...

I'm laughing that you report how your camera fared from its fall, but not Becca.

Sounds like a fun trip! I wonder how long it will be before our girls enjoy museums and such. So far, Ashlyn really likes zoos. Castles are pretty cool, too, though.

Katie said...

OOps!!! I guess I should clarify that Becca was fine...just a little red spot on her cheek! :)

Kayris said...

Sounds like fun! I haven't been to DC in ages because I always get lost. You'd think after a lifetime of living in MD, I'd have figured it out by now. Baltimore is much easier to navigate!

Lysandra said...

Never had fish tacos or cheese grits...get back to me on the whole coming to Austin thing....

Joel and Angela said...

Man, that tired me out reading it. How did YOU make it that long?
That Taylor is a beautiful girl! Love her long hair!

Andrea and Ben said...

MMM, cheese grits.
The photos are great as usualy. I haven't ever been out to DC. It is definitely on my list of places to visit.

Unknown said...

I sometimes wonder if it's harder on the kids to travel or us. Or equally challenging. We're always dragging our kids somewhere. The train system is easy here to figure out. Though, we haven't been to Lisbon to catch another train somewhere. I can't figure out the system. Matt's my map guy.

We did get a GPS for driving around Europe. It saved our marriage.

The Quinn Report said...

Cheese grits????? I've never had such a thing. Is it something as simple as just grits with cheese on top, a snack in a bag type-of-thing, or your own special recipe?

It doesn't sound very appealing, but I'll take your word for it! Is this a prego craving, or all the time type of craving?

Anonymous said...

Grits,yum!! I miss the south.I miss waffle house. I never had much of a hard time on the Metro.but that was 1985-86

april said...

you are so brave! i thought id be a cool mom and let lauren bring her baby and baby stroller to the mall like a big girl... big mistake. i was in tears by the time i got her back out of the mall. why dont they have an emergency tram that can drive you the 3 miles back to your car if your child starts acting up? does becca pitch fits? is this behavior a result of that initial period when i didnt know i was pregnant or is god punishing me for the premarital sex?

Jen said...

I can't believe you guys did all that, YOU in your first trimester! You must have been exhausted! Makes for a great story, though. =)

Anonymous said...

Just an FYI: Coming from Baltimore to DC, you might try driving a little farther to the Greenbelt station of the Metro (lots of parking there) and then you don't have to switch between different kinds of trains. The green line can take you to the L'Enfant Plaza stop then switch to the orange line to get to the main sights. Also, there is a bus at BMI that will take you directly to the Greenbelt station, too. (Cheaper and less confusing than the MARC)