Moments after landing, we see 3 black helicopters in silhouette against the White House. Joe said "Mom--look at that--the President always arrives with 3 helicopters so they won't know which one he is in" ---so yes, I saw Obama upon arriving and then grabbed something to eat.
Joe took us directly to this wonderfully quirky bistro, Tabaq, where reservations were thoughtfully made in advance (by Joe) for our table on the the top floor (the room with the "view") Christin joined us after a marathon day of the House vote on the budget and we all enjoyed the drinks and food. At 11:00 p.m. sharp, the tables are whisked away and the party started! It was a fun atmosphere and we left before there was any possibility that I could start dancing :D
Tabaq
Emily had encouraged us to "Hotwire" a 4 star DC hotel and we were so lucky to blindly select this wonderful place. I just loved this funky place though I couldn't put my finger on the vibe (the ad said 1930's moderne--really? I would say Tanzanian spa) Hands down the best bed I have ever slept on.
Hotel Palomar
Saturday was filled with the Newseum (which blew us all away)--after seeing the Sports Illustrated photo exhibit and 2 full floors of exhibits, we took a break for Ben's Chili Bowl (yes it is legendary and so fun) and came directly back to finish what we could at the Newseum. It is a colorful, inspiring and thoughtful museum, edited by the news experience and highlighting the role that news professions have played in making and chronicling history. There was a 4d movie (the 4th dimension --I felt rats on my ankles?) and a special Katrina exhibit. The attached photo was from that exhibit. I was disturbed and tearful enough in the Pulitzer photo room (think of it--they are usually graphic) that I decided Holocaust was not on the agenda for Sunday!
Newseum
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| Viewing Deck-Newseum |
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| Glass elevator-Newsuem |
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| Joe's Gar |
Sunday we went directly to the Natural History Museum and the Botanical Garden (suggested by Tancy). We loved them both. ( a sneak peak at spring). We also spent an hour at the Smithsonian in the French/British wing and walked through the Sculpture Garden on our way to the car!
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| Emily-the ultimate history timeline |
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| We checked for hitchhikers before exiting the exhibit |
Botanical Gardens
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| Capitol in the background |
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| Do you think she is ready to leave the flowers? |
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| white caps on the reflecting pool |
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| Sculpture Garden |
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| Red Horse |
Sunday night we ate at Annie's (delightful) and on to the Kennedy Center event in honor of Martin Luther King "Living the Dream...Singing the Dream" --It was amazing!! Thank you all, kids--and listen below to one song! There were two full choirs that combined styles for this MLK Award Ceremony Event.
Choir
Clap Praise -you tube
Sunday we toured NOAA and then on to Great Falls, VA for hiking on "Billy Goat A" along the Potomac! Although I had worries about the difficulty level of Billy Goat A due to a very dramatic warning sign, Joe assured us we could handle it---and that the warning was for people in wheelchairs. That was definitely true and we loved it. To my deep regret, I did take a tumble when I tripped on trail "Billy Goat B" (the easy one!) and now know the meaning of "face-planted". I have a scraped up face, a wounded knee, and battered ego--but Joe and Kevin are both glad no one needed to be carried out.
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| Joe & Christin |
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| The Potomac with granite outcroppings |
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| Billy Goat B--no problems! |
On to Ray's Hell Burger (unbelievably good!) and the end of our weekend--what a lot of fun and now we have seen where Joe lives, works, eats and was able to meet friends and roommates--invaluable times!
Gear up for round two Joe, Emily arrives today!
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