Last month, my daughter and I went to Washington DC to visit some schools.  We had a wonderful time.  Here you get my random thoughts of DC and the schools we saw, and just thoughts in general.

  1. DC is a great city.
  2. Our biggest problem with DC was the transit system.  I know- we know how to commute in NYC.  We figured out how to commute in France.  But DC?  Nope.  Different stations cost different amounts of money.  Two people can’t share one fair card.  The whole city is not accessible my subway.  I’m sure if we lived there we would figure it out.  But we found it frustrating.
  3. The museums are spectacular.  And free.
  4. The art museums were quieter than the other museums.  This was odd to us, because we’re used to lone lines and big crowds at the NYC art museums.  I’m guessing it’s because of the amount of tourists with young children.  Why see paintings when you can see planes.
  5. We never figured out how to get to the Jefferson Memorial.  We saw it.  Just couldn’t get there.
  6. Kennedy Center.  To be able to house a few different theaters in one location, with its perfect location on the water.  Wonderful.  And they have free music in the lobby at 6pm.
  7. Georgetown.  My kid loved this school.  Great pre-law.  The funny moment was when we got to the gates of the school.  We got out of our Uberpool, and the first thing she said was “This might be too rural for me.”  Georgetown.  In DC.  Where you can see the Washington Monument.  Too rural.  I just looked at her and she could see the WTF in my eyes.
  8. American.  She really liked this school.  Phenomenal pre-law school.  Gorgeous campus.
  9. George Washington- Foggy Bottom campus.  My kid did not think she would like this school because she was looking to top out at 10,000 undergrads and GW is larger, but she was pleasantly surprised.  Also great pre-law.
  10. When we visit museums on vacation, we do what we refer to as the highlights tour,  Before we get to a museum, we research which works we want to see.  We find it impossible to look at an entire museum, so we pick our faves and concentrate on 10-15 works.  This worked really well with the exception of National Portrait Gallery.  My daughter thinks Alice Paul is wonderful and she read that NPG had a portrait of her.  Alas, it was not on display when we got there.
  11. Dorothy’s ruby slippers were also not on display.  A little bummed, but life goes on.
  12. Disappointed in the spy museum- thought the NYC one was better.  But, as this is a really popular place, if you choose to visit, buy tickets in advance.  You’ll thank me later.
  13. DC is an awesome food city.  We did not have a bad meal.  Founding Farmers for breakfast and Ted’s Bulletin were our faves though.
  14. If you go to DC, wear good shoes.  We walked about 20 miles a day.  When we got to the hotel my whole leg area was crushed.
  15. Cherry Blossoms.  One of my bucket list items was to see the cherry blossoms over the tidal basin in DC.  A highlight of my life.  It was wonderful.

That is the brief summary of our trip.  I’m going to regale you with pictures tomorrow, assuming my internet isn’t playing the games that it’s been playing for two days.

64 thoughts on “Me and Daughter go to Washington”

    1. Hopefully tomorrow. I’ve been experiencing some internet issues. I did about a dozen reboots today, and yesterday was pretty ugly internet wise as well. I think my router is on the way out

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. Washington is a pretty area. Spectrum handles some internet things well as they come out and replace the problem. That is funny that your daughter felt like it was the country…to some a foreign country!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I know!! I just lo kid at her and said if the middle of dc is too rural I don’t know what will work!! But after we toured campus it was pretty much love. Right now it’s her second choice

      Like

      Reply

  4. Oh we love DC! We stayed at The Melrose on Pennsylvania Avenue and walked EVERYWHERE because it was so close to everything. I’m surprised I didn’t wear out the soles of my runners and lose about 10lbs. By the second last day I convinced hubby we needed to get one of the tourist bus hopper passes so we could see more and give my feet a break. I can’t wait to go back one day. The Museums were amazing. Now I want to go back… LOL

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. We stayed between Georgetown and American so we were a little bit out of the way, but once we got downtown we walked everywhere. Great city for walking. I’m sort of hoping she goes to school there so I get t9 visit more. Awesome city!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. I’m envious that she may go to school there! I actually joked in my last post that I think I must have lived there in a past life or am living there in an alternate universe! LOL

        Liked by 1 person

  6. Love to hear your thoughts on DC! Born and raised here and love most things about it. The Metro SUCKS! There’s now two ways about that. Georgetown campus has a different feel than GW, so your daughter’s comment makes sense to me. AU is lovely, as is that part of town.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  7. I rarely make it in to DC even though I’m only 30 minutes out. I need to get to the art museums again. Everyone always wants to go to the Air and Space. I was interested in your daughter’s take on the local colleges. My daughter did not like Georgetown or GW(to much city) but liked American. She was accepted there, but chose to go to University of Maryland.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. We used to live in the DC area. I loved everything that was so readily available, including transportation.
    The cost of living is high, but then again, it’s getting to be that way everywhere!
    We really enjoyed the Newseum, the different Smithsonian Galleries and the free zoo! We always took time to tour Union Station and try out new foods, too.
    It sounds like you had an exciting time, with more to come.
    Good luck, choosing a college is a sometimes daunting but thrilling experience!
    Blessings~

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      3. Oh, I remember that, and the exhibit of the pieces of the World Trade Center. Both brought tears to my eyes, for very, very different reasons.
        It is awe inspiring.
        Blessings~

        Liked by 1 person

  9. It is funny how impressions are so different between people at the same place and time. We took my son to a beautiful campus in Newport Rhode Island, right on the ocean. Thought he would love it and all he had to say was “I don’t want to go to school with Harry Potter”.
    I have seen the Cherry Blossoms in full bloom and it is beyond description. It sure is a city for walking.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  10. I love visiting D.C. It has a vibe that fascinates me. All that history and museums and monuments. I’m happy that your daughter is considering going to university there. Even if it seems too rural for her, it really isn’t. 🙃

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  12. When your law loving daughter faces Senate conformation for her SCOTUS appointment, remind her that what’s rural is relative. “But of course Senator, that barn dance in Bismarck glows just as bright as an opening night on the Great White Way.”

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. I could see thinking Georgetown was more “rural” than say George Washington University, which is right there in the city. It’s a bit frustrating that the metro does not go to Georgetown … I read that when they were building the metro the wealthy Georgetown residents wanted no part of the “rif raf” being able to easily enter their area, so they petitioned for no metro stop. Not sure if that is true or not, but there is the Circulator and other buses. I’ve never been to NY (gasp!) so I have no idea how the metro (or whatever you call it) works there, but in DC you can buy a one day pass and then go anywhere without having to add money to your Smart Card each time you travel somewhere. I visit relatives there often enough there now that I just added money to a metro card online, as I hated stopping at those machines all the time…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. Well, try to incorporate some fun. Your Washington trip sounded great. And remember that getting into college is just the first step. I just spent 2 hours cleaning out my son’s room and hauling it all home. Am ready for a nap.

        Liked by 1 person

  19. I haven’t lived in DC for almost 16 years, but in my heart it’s still where nearly all good things happened to me. I moved there from MI right after college to attend grad school (AU and U-Md) and then decided to stay for the next 20 years! All of the things you mention are true: incredible restaurants, museums you sometimes have all to yourself, the Metro system doesn’t go everywhere, and you stay in shape from walking because the Metro doesn’t go everywhere! I could never move back there b/c it’s just too damn expensive, but I sure recommend it to any young person. I hope your daughter goes there. – Marty

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s