We started our last day at the Museum of Crime and Punishment. Like the Spy Museum, this appealed to everyone in our little group. There was a lot to read, cool films, and lots on display.
We briefly visited the Holocaust Museum. We didn’t have enough time to go through the main exhibit, but were able to see Daniel’s Story and Nazi Propaganda. I had mixed feelings about taking my eight year old here, but it was a good experience overall.
Our flight was supposed to leave at 7pm, connect in Atlanta, and arrive in Des Moines at 11pm. Due to thunderstorms in Atlanta, we made it as far as Minneapolis and will head home tomorrow. Since the delay is due to weather, the airlines don’t provide hotel or meals so we’re on our own tonight. Another reason for travel insurance.
Our tour of the Pentagon today was basically a tour of a mall and suburban office complex. We covered about 1.5 miles in a little less than an hour with lots of info and little time to look at anything. But there wasn’t really much to look at – lots of hallways and doors, as well as Starbucks, Godiva, and a DOT driver’s license station. The one place where we paused briefly was the Memorial to those killed during the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001.
On our way back to the city we stopped at Arlington Cemetary. We didn’t have a lot of time, so we took the Tourmobile Hop-on, hop-off bus. It gave us plenty of time to see the graves of JFK, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the Changing of the Guard at the tomb. We didn’t stop to see Lee’s mansion, but you could. I would have liked to wander a little more, but we saw the main sites.
Our tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing was really lame. It lasted about half an hour and we didn’t see much.
Arlington Cemetary Amphitheater
Arlington Cemetary
Arlington Cemetary Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
We slept in this morning and started our day with lunch at the Library of Congress. We stopped at the Young Reader’s Room, which would be a great break on a hot day. The main Reading Room is gorgeous and worth a look.
We took the tunnel from the Library of Congresss to the Capitol Visitor’s Center for a private tour of the Capitol with Senator Harkin’s aide. It was nice to bypass the lines and actually be able to hear what the guide was saying. I highly recommend contacting your Congressman for a tour as opposed to a group tour. We listened to the Senate debate the Greece economic bailout for a while and the President of Mexico walked past us.
We spent the rest of our day at the Air and Space Museum, which was open until 7pm tonight. It was fairly quiet and we had a lot of exhibits to ourselves. The museum was fun, the exhibits were easy to follow, and the displays covered everything from the Wright Brothers to the Space Shuttle.
United States Capitol
Hall of Statues at the US Capitol
US Capitol
- Dome of US Capitol
Air and Space Museum
After our day in Gettysburg yesterday and our trip to Ford’s Theater today, I feel like an expert on the Civil War and Abe Lincoln.
We started our morning at Ford’s Theater where Lincoln was shot. The musuem in the basement has been remodeled since I was last in DC and had some great exhibits. The park ranger who gave the presentation in the theater was horrible! We ate a great breakfast at a hole in wall restaurant across the street.
After Ford’s Theater, we went around the block to the International Spy Museum. It was a ton of fun! There were interactive displays, old spy gear, a small theater, and lots to read. My little boy really liked the air ducts you could crawl through and spy on people below. You might also include a trip to Chinatown when you’re in the area – it’s fairly close.
Since the National Archives was just down the street, we made a brief stop to see the Consitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. I was amazed how faint the writing is and wonder how long we’ll be able to read it.
Tonight we went to a fun show at the Kennedy Center – Shear Madness. It’s a murder mystery where the audience gets to help solve the mystery. It’s a fun show with timely jokes in a great venue. The theater is fairly small and we were in the front row. It was a really fun, intimate experience. I wish we’d had more time to explore the building.
The theater box President Lincoln was sitting in when shot
When I asked my little boy what he wanted to do in Washington DC, he said he wanted to visit a Civil War Battlefield. There are quite a few within driving distance including Manassas and Antietam, but the most popular is probably Gettysburg. Gettysburg is about 75 miles north of DC. I was really glad I brought the GPS – our route took us through Virginia, DC, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
I had no idea what to expect, since we don’t really have a lot of Civil War history in Iowa. I was surprised at the number of monuments, statues, and preserved sites. There was a beautiful new visitor’s center and theater. We purchased an audio tour with a CD and guide book. You put the CD in your car and take off on a designated driving route. The CD itself was over 2 hours long, plus time to stop for pictures. We spent about 4 hours in the park.
On the way back to the airport, we stopped at the Iwo Jima Memorial. It was stunning at night.
Gettysburg battlefield
Gettysburg battlefield
Iwo Jima Memorial
Major battlefield in Gettysburg
Gettysburg Monument
We started our day bright and early with a tour of the White House. Tickets are hard to come by – you have to request them from your Congressman six months in advance. After we submitted our social security numbers and a blood sample, we finally got our confirmation two weeks before we left. It was a lot smaller than I imagined. I always see the entry and State Dining Room on CNN and they look a lot bigger.
Our next stop was the Museum of Natural History. It was crazy busy with school groups. We focused on Dinosaurs, Gems and Minerals including the Hope Diamond, and Insects.
We could have spent more time at the Museum of American History. It was fun to see Kermit the Frog, the Wizard of Oz’s ruby red slippers, and C3PO. I really liked the First Ladies inaugural dresses and jewelry. We spent the most time on the third floor in the Americans at War exhibit. My son really liked the uniforms, weapons, and propaganda from every war we’ve been involved.
Museum of Natural History
Hey Dumb Dumb...
I let our eight year old son choose our family vacation this year. Since our trip last year included the Disney Cruise and Univeral Studios Orlando, I figured he’d choose another cruise or theme park. However, I wasn’t really surprised when he said he wanted to go to Washington DC. He loves the Civil War, taking pictures, and weapons of World War II, so I designed a trip based on his interests as well as things my husband and I would like, too.
We started our trip today with a bicycle tour of the major monuments. I considered walking the monuments, but decided against it since the distance from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is 2 miles. I knew my little boy would want to take lots of pictures, so I also decided against taking an organized bus tour with timed stops. We finally decided to rent bicycles and were able to cover a lot of ground in 4 hours. It was a great day – overcast with highs in the 70s. There were lots of vendors on the mall selling drinks, hot dogs, and ice cream. Our stops included:
- Washington Monument
- World War II Memorial
- Lincoln Memorial
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial
- Korean War Memorial
- FDR Memorial
- Jefferson Memorial
- Tidal Basin
There are kids EVERYWHERE. They are obnoxious, loud, and travel in packs. I remember visiting DC twice in high school with large groups of kids. Please tell me I wasn’t like that?!
Honest Abe
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Washington Monument from the Tidal Basin
FDR Memorial on Tidal Basin
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 Posted in Random
It seems my clients are divided into separate camps when it comes to trip insurance. They either ask me about it before I even mention it, they consider it carefully, or decline firmly when I offer. However, I want clients to realize that they’ve made an investment and it should be protected.
I have to admit, at first glance travel insurance can seem unnecessary or expensive. Many of my clients will say they don’t care if they break their leg – they’re going to lay on the beach with their cast and drink Dos Equis.
I’ll give you three real world examples of the benefits of travel insurance:
- A family of four recently booked a four day cruise totaling just over $3000. Unfortunately, the young father developed heart problems requiring surgery and the trip had to be canceled. Because children are covered for free under their parent’s plan, my clients were able to protect their trip for $58 and received a full refund. If they had not purchased travel protection, they would have lost over $2250 due to stiff cancellation penalties.
- A group of women recently booked a five day girlfriend’s getaway to Vegas for $339 per person. Each of these clients has small children at home. A travel insurance plan of $21 per person allows them to cancel, change, or interrupt their trip if one of their children become sick or injured.
- I arranged a Caribbean cruise for a honeymoon couple totaling $3600. They purchased trip insurance for $100 because the bride’s grandmother was not well and she was concerned she may have to cancel the trip at the last minute. Grandma was fine and the cruise went off as planned. However, their return flight connected in Minneapolis, which was in the midst of a huge thunderstorm. Their flight from Minneapolis to Des Moines was canceled and the airline refused to provide any compensation because the flight cancellation was due to an act of God. Because my clients had purchased travel insurance, they were reimbursed for their hotel, food, and cab ride in Minneapolis that evening.
You have invested a significant amount of money, time, and effort in planning your vacation. As you can see, travel insurance is not outrageously expensive, nor is it just for older travelers.
- Kangaroo steak is really good.
- Australians are extremely friendly and they really like Americans.
- Why is Coke so much? A 16 ounce bottle is $3.50.
- Everyone cusses a lot. I’ve heard grandmas and little kids cuss since we got off the plane.
- Mullets are alive and well in Australia.
- Why do fruits and vegetables cost so much? Grapes are $10.50/kilogram!
- Gas is incredibly expensive – it was over $100 to fill up our little campervan.
- New Zealanders really like our re-runs – My Wife and Kids, Friends, Malcolm in the Middle
- Air New Zealand is fabulous! The safety video features naked flight attendants with body paint. It was the only safety info I’ve paid attention to in several years.
The rain followed us to Sydney, so we saw most of the sights in the rain. I was excited to see the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. We had some good food, took in some fun museums (the Maritime Museum and Powerhouse Museum), and hung out at Dymocks Bookstore while it poured outside. We took the ferry to Manly and watched the surfers ride in the rain.
Sydney Harbour Bridge (see the people at the top?!)
Sydney Opera House
Luna Park - an amusement park across the harbor from the Opera House
Lighthouse in Sydney Harbour
