A Three Day Weekend in Washington D.C. - Making it Count

 Two of my dear friends came to visit this past weekend.  One brought her two kids  - the youngest of which just happens to be my middle's very best friend in the whole world;)
It was a whirlwind of a trip filled with sight seeing, lots of laughs, lots of coffee, and lots of #hashtags.  It was a wonderful time and I am left sitting here, looking at photos, and thanking God for blessing our family with such wonderful people.

Here is a quick itinerary of their visit.  We tried to hit the highlights of DC but when you take into account a one year old, two seven year olds, COLD weather and Metro repairs, we didn't get to see everything on the wish list.  (oh well, they will just have to come back!)

Friday - they arrived at Dulles and took the shuttle to the Metro stop here.  It's super easy and from the metro, you could get anywhere in DC.  I recommend it if you need a quick transport for little money (it was $5.00/pp)
When they arrived we visited and decided (mainly thanks to the rain) to just stay close to home.  We took them to eat at the Famous Ted's Bulletin and then to ice skate (in the rain).  We closed the place down! The kids' energy was endless!

Ted's Bulletin Famous Homemade Poptarts - this one was Salted Caramel - YUMMY!

Saturday - after a slow morning, we hopped on the Metro and headed into DC. Due to repairs, we had to train hop, so we lost a little time, but we still had plenty of time at The Museum of American History.  It really is a gem filled with information, as well as lots of entertainment for the kids.  After a late lunch in their cafe (I recommend the BBQ - it's really good!) we headed out to see some monuments.  We of course saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the kids were able to stand where Dr. Martin Luther King stood when he delivered his famous speech - which was totally fitting considering the weekend - and we walked back by the Vietnam Wall.  By then IT WAS COLD... so we hopped on the most amazing DC Circulator and rode back to the Metro to head for home.

I Love DC - I don't love the Metro...we had to wait 20 min for a train b/c we missed a connection because they had the last two cars closed down - YIKES. We were frustrated. 

To quote my friend - the kids were "HANGRY"

Sunday we got an earlier start.  We headed straight to Arlington National Cemetery for the changing of the guard.  It still brings tears to my eyes no matter how often I visit.  Added to that, it snowed - it.was.beautiful. After Arlington we headed to Rosslyn for lunch at a new place District Taco.  It was really good and the service was excellent.  I recommend the nachos! After lunch it was time for the Museum of Natural History.  Of course the kids loved the Dinosaurs and the mammals. What's not to love about a bunch of stuffed mammals? My kids are always in awe.  Next was Georgetown! It was a quick trip through Georgetown to a little ice-cream shop called Georgetown Scoops - yummy ice-cream and excellent service! We tried to walk along the Canal but it was getting dark and cold, so we just took in a few of the locks and read a little of the history and moved on.  The final stop was the White House. After standing out there and trying to catch a peek of the president... we decided it was time to head home.

The visit was wonderful! Too short but filled with lots of memories.  I know we didn't get to show them everything that is in DC but we tried to hit the highlights.  What items would you add to this list?