Rolling out of NYC to head to Washington DC and I now know why everyone in these cities wants to hurt each other! We had two days of sunshine and then the rain started when it was time to pack up the car so this happened:
I also didn't realize that when you are in these states and have the "avoid tolls" feature set, it adds HOURS to your trip. So, once I realized and changed it, I just paid a small fortune to still painfully travel b/w New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia...I think, and not in that order with some we may have hit a couple of times.
You know what we DID do a second time for sure though? That same Delaware Welcome Center...it's still just as nice and I noticed that vending machine for Lotto Tickets. It's like the gift that keeps on giving. Fingers crossed that we are unknowingly millionaires already! (Seriously, 20 mins after typing this I was scrolling through my phone and see this...a BR winner, I can't even handle it. Maybe we should have just stayed home. haha Better luck next time.) https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_d2db15b2-9900-11e9-92d1-dbe35149efbc.html?utm_content=buffer6db44&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebookbatonrouge&utm_campaign=buffer
Knowing our only full day in DC would be spent at the National Mall full of museum time, we cruised in straight from our travel day to see the USMC War Memorial and said some thank yous to all of our family members that served while learning about the Iwo Jima statue and it's significance.
I don't remember these audios on my last visit so it was neat to experience it with the Human Bear.
We learned that this was gift from the Netherlands for the aid provided during WWII.
Showing our respects to those that gave their lives for our country.
After a change in plans, thank goodness for Dana introducing us to a friend to stay with for the one night before our next SUPER SPECIAL surprise road trip cameo appearance. We definitely rolled up to someone's home we had never met before and got in her home before she even returned from work. We really are some lucky Bears surrounded by excellent people willing to take us in at the last minute.
After that drive through traffic and rain and then HOT monument walks, I lost the will to be a decent mom and gave in to a Kids Cuizine from the grocery store...that is not real food. The Human Bear loved it!
Who could our amazingly awesome cameo be? Drumroll please...UNCLE DUCKY! Jake (my brother for those of you that don't know and is referred to as Uncle Ducky) would be in town for our second night in DC.
The way the Decoteaus function: My parents fly from Louisiana to Cali to babysit Dax (Jake and Mary's son), Ella and I drive from Yonkers to DC, Uncle Ducky flies from Cali to DC just to have dinner and spend a few hours together. It was ALL worth it! We got to park our car and check our bags at Ducky's fancy hotel while we went out to hit up the National Mall and pass the time until his plane would land.
I was slightly afraid for the Human Bear to experience this as it is NOT a La Quinta, Comfort Inn or Days Inn. Who am I kidding, it was me that we should be concerned about, I never want to leave this life of luxury!
Walking to the metro and LOOK at the traffic: it's not even a peak time! The Human Bear can't handle it but most likely it's because of my colorful vocabulary in the car while trying to drive through it. Thank goodness I got some training from Dana on how to drive like you're setting the world on fire.
The Human Bear's first metro card! We were (and by we, I mean I) not good at the metro. I see how it is an easy and amazing public transportation system but when you don't know all of the stop names, it is easy to get on going the wrong way. We had MANY, MANY metro rides just to "see" some things:) At one point we literally went down to the metro at L'Enfant Plaza, took the metro the wrong direction all the way to the Pentagon (while giggling), returned to the L'Enfant Plaza and couldn't find the line we needed so we walked back to the hotel. That was all an attempt to get to a closer stop and it really just added an hour of circling.
Normally my pride would probably keep this story to myself but the Human Bear kept announcing loudly, "THIS IS WHERE WE JUST CAME FROM, WHY ARE WE GOING BACK UP...SEE THAT'S THE MAN THAT WAS TALKING TO US ON THE WAY DOWN!"
Here we go DC:
The Human Bear secured multiple votes while walking around DC. She now knows she has 28 years until she can run for president but people were asking her name first and last to remember it and swearing they would vote for her...she believes this is happening. Get ready world. We managed to miss the White House completely. In an attempt to see it, the street was shut down because of the President traveling out of the country and combine that with our circling navigational skills...we just couldn't see it all. We may have been in the White House for all I know at some point.
We were able to get timed tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was an amazing museum and really beautifully put together. I didn't realize it was 7 floors with three of them being underground. Like all of the Smithsonian Museums we will def need to return to DC for a week and just try to tackle a museum each day. There was NO way to even walk to all of them in the short time we had much less take in the greatness each one has to offer.
She really wanted to want to learn how to do step but the instructions weren't going fast enough. haha Gotta love that Bear!
One floor was set up with interactive sections for kids. We were enjoying dancing and the music and when this song came on while we were in another section, the Human Bear yelled, "I know this one!" and took off to start joining in, thank you to such a great school for their exposure because I have heard her place this on on Alexa before.
Langston Hughes is one of my favorite poets because I spent time learning about him when I taught middle schoolers. It can't even be captured because the poems and quotes took up whole walls. It really was breathtaking. You can see a portion here of how big the title was and then the poem underneath taking up a massive wall. (I, Too by Langston Hughes)
While walking out of the AA museum, I thought I recognized someone but it seemed too odd so I kept walking. I then heard a, "Lindsey!" and bumped in to someone we know from Baton Rouge. haha I love knowing you're just in the right place at the right time in the universe.
And on to the next! In typical me fashion, I had to find a high school friend that lives in DC so we could sneak in lunch with someone fun! Thank you again Trina for meeting up with us for lunch:) She just scooted down on her lunch break on a week she's in between moving houses, so it meant a lot that you spent your time with us.
We only got through the first level of this museum as the Human Bear schooled me on mammals and more!
The Human Bear and Darwin just doing their thing.
You can't plan to hang out with Uncle Ducky and not see The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum! The Human Bear says she knows she wants to do something having to do with space when she grows up but she's just not sure what yet.
This was the final tough one to do as we were hitting crunch time to get back to the hotel and checked in...we missed cool simulators and too many different floors to count!
After seeing the lovely sights from the metro on accident and then walking for a long time it was so nice to get to the AC and checked in to this fancy spot! The Wharf
Yeah! I always smile that big when I get to see my bro unexpectedly. This was the best surprise and it all worked out so smoothly (for us, pretty sure my parents were in an airport for multiple days...sorry Mom and Dad)
The Human Bear had the layout down and started giving a tour!
This really was a pretty spot and the pier was a fantastic relaxing spot! The hotel provided free bikes for cruising around as well.
It's time to Uber to some good old friends house for dinner!
Jake's college roommate from Tulane, Mike, who is like family at this point, is still in DC and he and his lovely wife Sarah had us over and cooked for us!
Thank heavens for people that love to chat with the Human Bear. Everyone needs a break and I was so grateful for adult conversation with Sarah while The Human Bear chatted with the fellas.
We may have stayed WAY too late for what is a usual time out for the Human Bear but we only had one evening to hang with Uncle Ducky, so I heard them whispering in the car about running to the swings on the pier...it was after 10 PM at this point and if you know me, this is HUGE that I didn't fight it. (I may have paid for it later)
There were so many couples out here trying to have a romantic evening and then these two showed up. I'm fairly certain Ducky ruined his jeans and has to have a sore tailbone.
and then a swing became available...
None of these things hurt...until it was bedtime! Then it all came crashing down. I still wouldn't trade the time for the world because those two were giggling and having the best time.
The Human Bear was too tired to changed out of her PJs for the entirety of the next day. So she just sipped her smoothie and looked out over her fun memories from the previous night.
Too tired to change into real clothes, but not too tired for this...
or this!
Oh, hey y'all, I'm still here on this adventure too! I want to come back to this spot with Jason in cooler weather. We are seriously missing that man at this point in the trip.
We wished we could have enjoyed a little bit more time in DC but it's time to get on out of there. Thank goodness, when leaving we found an actual Virginia welcome center. We thought we had missed our shot but this one was full of great signs. My birth state coming through with good signage.
Still rocking those PJs for the day, don't judge me, I'm also too tired to care if you do. Next stop, a motel with a washer and dryer! We will be back in action again soon. Happy summer to all that we are missing at this point. Sending you all LOVE!
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