Washington D.C.

Dad was in town for a few weeks, so we headed up to Washington D.C. for a few days! This was another nice "metro" trip in the sense we weren't hiking or scrambling between waypoints...

One of the things that surprised me about D.C. is the fact that there really isn't a lot of retail or cafés around downtown D.C. Fortunately, there are plenty of sights and museums both in and around D.C.!

The Smithsonian was one of the first stops - this is a great experience and I could spend another day there again. Most of the museums are just down the road from the Capitol, so they are very accessible if you are in that area. My favourite museum was the National Art Gallery. I really appreciated the layout, but also the variey of works and exhibits - at the time, there was an exhibit on Dantés Inferno.

The Sculpture Garden also is a fun walk, plenty of interesting exhibits just nearby to the National Art Gallery.

We headed to a slightly rainy Nationals v. Cubs MLB game, but I had the chance to meet a new friend! Not sure if I should be too attached to Fredbird (St. Louis Cardinals)...

Aside from the museums and sport, there is plenty of US history to learn about between D.C. and Arlington, VA.

After a day of walking, we covered the White House, National Monument, and the Lincoln Memorial. I was pretty excited to capture a nice shot of the National Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.

We also spent some time walking around Arlington National Cemetery, and combined with the war memorials along the way, is a solemn reminder of the cost of war.

I would recommend taking the metro over to Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria! Above is a photo of a nice sunny bookstore in Georgetown. Both cities have plenty of local charm, with high-quality shopping and dining dispersed through each city. They are very walkable!