With the end of the 2014 approaching Sarah and I had been pondering what to do with the time-off I had scheduled around my twenty-sixth birthday. We thought about Honolulu because of how much fun we had on our honeymoon in Hawaii the year before and also discussed some sort of multi-state road-trip through the southeastern states given how many of our family members and friends live in that region. Fortunately though the decision was practically made for us when one of Sarah’s close high school friends advised that her family would be relocating away from the Washington D.C. area in early 2015 due to her husband’s military orders. They had previously extended us an open invitation to stay with them if we ever wanted to go to D.C. and if we were ever going to take them up on that offer then this would be our last opportunity. While planning events and buying tickets for the trip Sarah casually mentioned that New York City was only a quick train ride away if we wanted to include that in our east coast adventure so naturally I found a way to work it in perfectly. After a few days of researching, planning, and booking we were all set for a nine day journey through two of the biggest travel destinations in the world!
12/10/2014 – Day One
We had waited until the last minute to pack our bags and our plane was to depart San Antonio International Airport at 7:25am so naturally we decided to get up at 3:00am in order to scramble around, packing and prepping for our trip. We did eventually got our stuff together and arrived at the airport with about an hour or so to spare. The flight to Dulles International Airport was uneventful and in my haste to gather all my things I had forgotten my sunglasses so our east facing window shade had to remain closed the entire trip in order to prevent me from going blind during the morning sun. We arrived at Dulles around 11:30am and Sarah’s friend was already waiting to pick us up. During the planning of our trip I had noted that the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum Udvar Hazy Center was located practically on the airport so we decided to check it out before heading to the house that we would be calling home for a few days. The Udvar Hazy Center was one of the things on the trip that I was most excited for and it ended up being my favorite of all the various museums that we visited in D.C. The museum is technically a large aircraft hangar that’s size is only eclipsed by the awe that the things inside of it inspire. Amongst the hundreds of incredible displays inside there is a Concorde, a Space Shuttle, and my all-time aviation favorite, an SR-71 Blackbird! For the first time in my life I got to see a real life version of the plane I used to dream about when I was a just a boy. It was everything I thought it would be and more. Surrounding these highlights were planes, helicopters, and all sorts of other flying contraptions. Everything had a story and every story was worth reading but our time was limited so we hit the highlights of each area and moved on. One of my personal favorites was a small plane called the “Swift” built by a company named Globe Aircraft out of Fort Worth, Texas. It was beautiful to look at with a simple yet elegant design that stood out among the rest. I could even see myself at the controls of one someday if I ever took up flying later in life. After we’d seen most of everything there was to see we grabbed a bite to eat at the McDonald’s inside of the museum and headed out before the notorious D.C. traffic got too bad.
The house we stayed at was located on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling (JBAB) just south of D.C. proper and directly across from Reagan International. JBAB was a bit on the smaller side of all the military installations that I had been on previously but was apparently home to many important figures and task forces so security was tight. Getting on base was pretty painless and soon enough we were home. After unpacking our things and getting the grand tour of the house we headed to a small food court at the commissary for a quick dinner before getting to bed for the night.
12/11/2014 – Day Two
We awoke with the Sun and slowly got ready for the day. While we were still tired from the long day before we were excited for our first day of actually exploring D.C. Originally we had planned to use the metro most of the time but our hosts were absolutely amazing, not only putting us up in their house rent free for the whole trip but giving us access to their second car whenever we needed it. This turned out to be extremely helpful in getting us to where we wanted to go and allowing us to do what we wanted on our own schedule. We left the house after a late breakfast and headed to the national mall. For our first day in D.C. we planned to see all of the monuments along the mall as well as one of the museums if we had some extra time. Parking was a bit of a hassle but after a few laps we finally found a spot near the Federal Reserve building and headed to the Lincoln Memorial located on the far west end of the mall. On our way we went through the Vietnam Memorial and spent some time there. Seeing the thousands of names etched into the wall is very moving and truly helps bring into focus the scale of loss that we experienced during that conflict. Our next monument to see was the Lincoln Memorial and it was definitely much bigger than I had anticipated. While we are able get a sense of things by seeing them in photos or movies, the Lincoln Memorial is definitely one of those things that is truly much more grandiose in person. Everything from the massive pillars to the actual statue of Lincoln himself dwarf all those who enter. We took a few moments to get some pictures but we forced to begin moving along a bit faster than we had wanted because the nice weather that been forecasted was beginning to turn a bit nasty. After Lincoln we made our way to the Korean War Memorial which equally as somber as the Vietnam Memorial. I really liked the design and felt that it was done quite well. Unfortunately small snowflakes began to fall so we hurriedly began to make our way to the Washington Monument. By the time we actually arrived the wind was howling and snow was blowing in sideways. I tried to take a few pictures but quickly gave up and decided it was time to get back to our car. On our way we did get to swing by our last memorial of the day, the World War Two Memorial, but unfortunately did not get to explore it as thoroughly as we would have liked. Once we arrived back at the car we pondered our next step for a bit before electing to go to the National Museum of American History. While driving to the museum we got to see the White House from the street and considering the weather outside in addition to the hordes of people surrounding it I was content with not needing to get any closer. Our second search for parking of the day was much more successful as we stumbled across a wide open spot directly in front of the museum that we were trying to get to. Inside we made a beeline to the dining area where we filled up on overpriced food and drinks. The exhibits in this museum were a bit hit or miss for me. While in one instance you would come across a display of the most imaginative things ever invented, other times you find yourself looking at an assortment of old clothes. Whether or not you will like this place really depends on the things that interest you. Eventually we had seen everything that there was to see so we headed out. With a little bit of time left in the day we decided to go to the Smithsonian Castle and see what it was all about. While it’s more of an information center than a museum, I found it to be the most ornate and architecturally beautiful buildings on the mall. The gardens that surrounded it were equally stunning and I was able to get some great photos of everything. After exploring what little there was to see inside we quickly got back to our car and made our way home before the traffic got too thick. Our hosts prepared a lovely meal for us and we stayed up a bit later than anticipated talking and laughing into the night.
12/12/2014 – Day Three
We awoke much like the day before, still tired but excited for what lay ahead of us. Sarah’s friend and her son would be coming along with us this time and we were planning to hit up both the main Air & Space Museum as well as the Museum of Natural History. We decided to go to the Air & Space Museum first and much like the annex by Dulles that we had already visited, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There are so many cool exhibits and things to see that you could spend days in there and still not see it all. The interactive exhibits made the museum more fun and I found it very special to be in the presence of the original Wright Flyer. While we were exploring the museum I also caught sight of a giant poster suspended from the ceiling advertising a special viewing of the new movie Interstellar at the IMAX located inside the museum. I had not seen the movie yet and took a mental note, hoping to find a way to work it into our trip later on in the week. After a few hours of exploring the Air & Space Museum, hunger began to set in and we all headed back to the car to eat the lunch we had prepared earlier that morning. It was just as enjoyable as lunch the day before had been except this time it was about a quarter of the cost. Once we were done eating we walked over to the Museum of Natural History and began to make our way through. I quickly found that like the Museum of American History, I did not really enjoy much that it had to offer. While it was definitely full of interesting information, I felt like I was walking through a zoo full of taxidermy and plastic models. The only thing that I can quickly recall being excited about was finally getting to see the legendary Hope Diamond in person. We were a bit rushed towards the end of our tour of the museum as our parking meter was about to expire. I took that as an opportunity to get out of there and quickly headed back to the car. We reconvened at the museum entrance a few moments later and were back at home within the hour. Our hosts had been invited by some relatives who lived in Baltimore to go see an ice sculpture exhibit later that evening and were gracious enough to invite us along as well. The display was being put on by the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center which was only a few miles south of us in Maryland. The drive was brief but finding our way through the Gaylord turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. I’ve seen some large hotels in my life but nothing has yet to compare to how big the Gaylord was. After walking for what seemed like a mile we finally found the entrance to the exhibit. As we waited in line we were treated to a grand tree lighting ceremony as the Gaylord National proudly illuminated a massive Christmas tree suspended from the ceiling. After the lighting ceremony we came up to a counter where the resort was handing out large blue parkas to those going into the ice exhibit. At first I was a bit wary that I would really need one given that I was wearing one of my more insulated Arc’teryx jackets but once we got inside I was very glad that I opted to go ahead and get the parka anyway. The exhibit was built in a large outdoor tent and the temperature was kept in the low teens. I later learned that the resort puts on this show every year and that the theme changes annually. This year everything was sculpted into scenes from the classic animated film, Frosty the Snowman. The sculptures were very well done and having seen the movie many times throughout my life I was able to follow along with the story as we made our way through. One part of the exhibit in particular was a really cool ice slide that anyone could go up and slide down on. It had four lanes and about fifteen feet of elevation with a staircase on either side. The kids went down a few times and I went down once though I did not anticipate how fast I would start going and nearly flew off into the crowds. I decided not to tempt fate a second time and was content with my first go around. Since they didn’t get to visit much during the ice show, our hosts and their family decided to go to a nearby McDonalds for dinner to spend a bit more time together. Eventually we made our way home and put in for the night.
12/13/2014 – Day Four
We had to get up extra early this morning because of a special activity that came up during a discussion with our hosts upon our arrival. We had mentioned wanting to go see the Arlington Memorial Cemetery at some point during our trip and our hosts had advised us that they planned to participate in the annual wreath laying ceremony where members of the military and their families volunteer to places wreaths on all the tombstones in the cemetery. The place was understandably crowded as thousands of people gathered to participate and pay tribute to all the fallen soldiers buried there. By the time each of us had only placed about six wreaths it was beginning to get fairly difficult to find a plot that had not already been taken care of. After we finished helping with the wreaths we headed towards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. On our way we stopped at the famous grave of Audie Murphy, the most decorated soldier in American History. His stone had so many awards listed on it that nearly all of them had to be abbreviated in some form or fashion. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was very crowded given how many people had come out to help for the day. We didn’t have time to stay for the changing of the guard but I did get an opportunity to really stop for a moment and appreciate where I was and what it represented. Our next stop of the day was Costco and we got to enjoy some delicious Costco pizza for lunch. Our hosts had to stock up on groceries and household things so we shopped for bit before checking out and heading home. With no plans until later that night we finally had a moment to breath and took the opportunity to get a much needed nap for a few hours. We slept great and everyone seemed refreshed when we all started moving again. Up next on our agenda was a Washington Capitals hockey game! While planning our trip I had checked all the various events scheduled on Ticketmaster and noticed that the Washington Capitals would be playing a home game while we were there. Having never been to an NHL game before and with no prior team affiliation I decided on the spot that I was now a Washington Capitals fan and we were going to that game! Knowing that parking was going to be an issue we decided to take the metro from Anacostia to the game at the Verizon Center. We left a little later than we had wanted to and arrived at the station just as the train arrived. Having never been on a metro or subway system before I was unsure if this was even the right train and hesitated as Sarah jumped on board. The doors closed before I could get on behind her and I was stuck in Anacostia for fifteen minutes waiting for the next train. We finally reunited outside the station below the Verizon Center and made our way inside. We were a little late to the game but only by a few minutes. The Capitals put on a great show, shooting out to an early lead and holding on to it throughout most of the game. In the third period, the opponents (Tampa Bay Lightning) made a dramatic comeback to draw the game even before the Caps scored two late goals to seal the deal. It was a dramatic victory and included a rare hat trick by the Capitals Center Nicklas Backstrom. We tossed around the idea of going out to celebrate such a perfect evening but ultimately settled on dinner and a movie at home before getting to bed. It was the much more relaxing choice and equally as fun.
12/14/2014 – Day Five
Our hosts had previously invited us to go with them to church so we got up early in order to join them at one in Alexandria called DC Metro Church. It was a pleasant experience and afterwards we stopped at Dunkin Donuts for a delicious breakfast treat. Once we got back to the house, Sarah and I discussed what we wanted to do that day and decided that we could work an early showing of Interstellar into our plans. Our first destination was the National Archives and on our way we drove by the Supreme Court, the House of Representatives, and the Capital Building. Once we found parking we walked over to the archives, almost turning away because the massive front doors were locked before learning the the entrance is actually hidden off to the side of the building. One of the few things that I was absolutely determined to see was the Declaration of Independence and during the course of our trip, many National Treasure jokes were exchanged. Inside they were very strict on photography and no one was allowed to take any photos. There were some very cool documents on display including the Magna Carta but most of the exhibits were highly uninteresting. The main rotunda where the Declaration is kept was very dim and the cases featured small green lights around the frames to better illuminate the documents inside. Most of the writing was very faded from years of exposure and the documents were largely illegible but it was still very exciting to be able to see them in person. The next place we went to was the National Gallery of Art. We didn’t get to spend as much time there as Sarah would have liked to but we did see a few really nice pieces on display. Unfortunately our movie was coming up fast so we were only able to wander around for forty-five minutes or so. About fifteen minutes before our movie showing we made our way to the Air & Space Museum and got in line. The IMAX at the Air & Space Museum is definitely one of the larger ones I’ve ever been inside of and seeing Interstellar at that museum in particular was a really unique experience that I feel few will ever get to enjoy. Just knowing that so much of the history and the science behind it was all housed under the same roof as the theater we were in and only a short walk away was very really surreal. The experience was definitely a surprise highlight of the trip that I won’t soon forget. After our movie let out we headed back to the house where we joined up with our hosts and went out to dinner. As a thank you for having us, Sarah and I took them to an Italian restaurant in Alexandria named Bertucci’s. It was delicious and of course I had their pizza. All of our meals also came with a free hot chocolate which was the cherry on top of an already perfect night. We watched another movie together later that night before getting some rest for our last full day in D.C.
12/15/2014 – Day Six
Zoo & Bangkok 54
12/16/2014 – Day Seven
Amtrak – NYC Day 1
12/17/2014 – Day Eight
NYC Day 2 – Amtrak
12/18/2014 – Day Nine
Fly Home