Washington D.C. day one . . .

We spent our first day in Washington primarily in the car. First we drove out to Mount Vernon. The lines were incredibly long, it was pretty chilly and the admission fees were pretty hefty so we looked around and checked out the shops. The area was gorgeous and the trip down the George Washington Parkway as beautiful. We also got to experience the city from across the river. There were all kinds of boats and skulls on the river. I really enjoyed my first look at downtown and the monuments in the distance. Here the kids stand near a large bust of Washington at Mount Vernon.

Then we decided to head toward Arlington and see Arlington National Cemetery. I was concerned that the kids would be too loud and rambunctious after being in the car for so long, but they did really well. I was struck by the pure awe I felt at the number of grave stones. It is absolutely beautiful and yet sorrowful at the same time. We walked up the hill to Kennedy's grave and looked out over the cemetery and they city across the river. After a few reminders that this was a place to honor the soldiers that died keeping our country safe and free, the kids did a nice job of being silent and respectful as the sign says. Here are a few more images from the cemetery . . .






From the cemetery we went back to our hotel and checked in. After a brief rest we were ready for dinner and decided to head toward Baltimore. After eating, I convinced Robert to head into the city and find Charm City Cakes, the home bakery of Ace of Cakes on the FOOD Network. While driving around the city looking for the bakery, we ran into this cute little coffee shop called "Peace and a Cup of Joe". Of course we had to stop and take a picture of their sign.




In the true tradition of adventure, we drove around looking for the street the bakery was on without asking for directions. Truthfully I thought maybe we'd get laughed at for asking where we could find Charm City Cakes. We found it pretty easily since Robert has a fabulous sense of direction. While driving around I fell in love with row houses. I would LOVE to own one of these buildings and I am certain I would paint it a crazy color. . . As you can see we did find Charm City Cakes, but no sitings of Mary Alice or Chef Duff!


We had a great day and the best thing was, the kids slept great!