Washington D.C.
A Spontaneous Decision
We were planning to visit Washington DC in the spring. Our plans changed when the election did not go as ew had hoped. One evening in December, we made the decision that if we want to see Washington Dc, we should probably go before the new administraion took over on January 20. Knowing it would be cold, we still figured it would be more enjoyable before the next president was in office, so we quickly planned a trip for after the first of the year.
Friday ~ January 3, 2025
We stated the day with a trip to Tatte Bakery. We were familiar with Tatte from our trip to Boston. We were not disappointed and had a nice breakfast v=before starting to explore DC. After the bakery stop we headed toward the capitol building with a slight detour by Union Station. The station is pretty incredible building with lots of little shops.
When we arrived at the Capitol Grounds we got our first glimpse of the extra security and limitations we would be experiencing on this trip. The area surrounding the capitol was being isolated with temporary fencing/barriers in preparation for Jan 6 and inauguration. In addition services for Jimmy Carter would be taking place during our visit.
As we were walking around the area we saw a big motorcade pull into the capitol. We learned it was Kamala Harris arriving to swear in the newly elected senators. The House was also swearing in representatives and electing the Speaker of the House.
We went into the Capitol Building Visitor Center and got a feel for what to expect on our upcoming tour (which we had to reschedule because of the Lie in Wait for Jimmy Carter that was taking place n the rotunda. While in the Capitol area we visited the US Botanical Garden. The gardens are mostly inside with the “Trains” garden and seasonal gardens outside.
Walking towards the Mall we walked by the Ulysses S Grant memorial before heading to the National Gallery of Art buildings to explore the exhibits. We finished the day walking through the Sculpture Garden,( although it was technically closed) next to the art gallery.
Heading back to the Airbnb, we stopped by Tatte for some takeout for dinner.
The weather was low 40s with rain at times. 21,035 Steps ~ 9.5 Miles
Saturday ~ January 4
Today we started out with a visit to Tate Bakery again before proceeding to the white House. When we arrived at the White House, we once again found barriers being put in place. We were not able to get anywhere near the White House and could only view it from The Ellipse which was not awesome.
We headed to. the National Museum of African American of History and Culture and explored the exhibits there. From there we headed to Dupont Circle just to see what it was all about. Really not a lot there to experience so we got an Uber and headed to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park. Were were happy fo find several exhibits there were indoor and were able to get out of the cold. There was a light show that started at 5:00 that we also took in. After the zoo we took an Uber back to Tatte for another takeout dinner.
The weather today was cold and windy, mid to upper 20s. 24,345 steps – 10.9 miles.
Sunday ~ January 5
We had breakfast in the condo today with a takeout from Tatte. After breakfast we headed to Ford’s Theater where we had arranged a tour. the your included the museum, the theater and the Peterson House where Lincoln was taken after he was shot. I was an interesting stop before we headed to the Washington Monument.
From the monument we proceeded toward the Lincoln Memorial, walking through the WWI Memorial, WWII Memorial, Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, and Korean Veterans Memorial. These memorials really made us aware of how sad and devastating wars are. So many lives lost senselessly…
The Lincoln Memorial is very impressive with great views across the reflecting pool to the Washington Monument.
We finished the day with a visit to Arlington Cemetery then taking an Uber back to the Airbnb.
The weather today was upper 20s and lower 30s with wind at times. 19,276 steps – 8.6 miles
Monday ~ January 6
SNOW
We woke up to six inches of snow today, which was forecast. What we didn’t know was that the city closes down when it snows – including the Smithsonians. Knowing snow was coming, we figured we would spend the day touring museums. Bad Decision!
After breakfast in the condo, we headed out to explore. With nothing open, we walked to the waterfront and explored the boardwalk. From there we walked back to the mall going by the Smithsonian Castle.
Today was the confirmation of the election, the day of the insurrection in 2020. When we walked by the capitol building on the way back to the Airbnb, we saw a bunch of Trumper weirdos making a scene and requiring police action. Another reminder of what is coming.
We ordered pizza delivery back at the room.
Weather today – 6″ snow. Upper 20s to lower 30s. 15,641 steps – 6.8 miles
Tuesday ~ January 7
Once again, everything was closed due to “inclement weather.” After checking for all the closures we learned that The International Spy Museum was open. That one is not federally operated like all the Smithsonians are.
Heading to the Spy Museum, we once again ran into barriers and blocked streets as the funeral procession for Jimmy Carter was taking place later in the day. We have learned that while NW Washington DC is very walkable, you have to be flexible when navigating to a given destination, at least in January on following an election.We expected issues closer to inauguration, but we did not expect it to be an issue this early in the month.
The Spy Museum was OK but not exactly a ‘must-do’. While there were some interesting things, if all fell a bit Ripleyish.
After the Spy Museum we took an Uber to Georgetown. Georgetown has a really nice feel to it, really quaint and historic. Our first stop there was Georgetown Cupcakes as recommended by our Uber driver. We explored the streets and waterfront of Georgetown before getting some Italian takeout and taking an Uber back to the condo. The restaurant had photos of the Bidens and the Obamas visiting there.
The weather was upper 20s to lower 30s and bright and sunny. The wind had died down and it was quite pleasant. 17,240 steps – 7.5 miles
Wednesday ~ January 8
We were not able to get into the White House this trip, but we discovered The People’s House, an alternative way to learn about the White House, complete with a re-creation of the Oval Office.
Afterwards we headed to the Holocaust Museum. We spent the remainder of the day there before walking back and picking up takeout at Tatte again on our way to the Airbnb.
Weather was low to uper 20s, sunny AM, cloudy PM. 13,977 steps – 6.2 miles
Thursday ~ January 9
Today was a one stop day at The National Museum of Natural History. This museum is pretty amazing and a person could spend multiple days exploring all the exhibits. There was a butterfly exhibit going on that we really enjoyed.
We ate at Le Pain on the way back to the Airbnb. Great food.
Weather in the 20s, 12,022 steps, 5.4 miles
Friday ~ January 10
We started the day walking back to Le Pain for breakfast. then heading to the Museum of American History
This was a disappointment for me as this was one of myfavorite museums whem I visited 40-some years ago. The museum at that time was very open and easy to navigate. It is now very compartmentalized and a lot of electronic, noisy displays.
After a rather short visit at the American History museum, we visited the Renwick Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. The National Portrait Gallery was an amazing building and we enjou=yed seeing the Presidnts portraits, with the exception on one…
Weather ranged from 21 – 31 degrees, mostly cloudy with some sun breaks. No wind to speak of. 17,754 steps – 7.7 miles
Saturday ~ January 11
We had a Capitol Building tour scheduled for later inthe morning, so we got tickets to see the Library of Congress. That is likely the most beautiful building in DC. We were quite awestruck with the detail and design.
After the library we did theCapitol Building tour which was interesting but very crowded.
We had some time, so we went to the Air and Space Museum. This was anther great disappointment as half the museum was closed for renovation.
After a quick visit there we went to the Hirshhorn Museum. The exhibitions were all about street art and was very interesting.
Weather upper 20s – lower 30s, moderate wind, mostly cloudy. 17,036 steps – 7.6 miles
Sunday ~ January 12
On our final day we headed to the National Art Gallery early to line up before opening. The museum was having an exhibition of Impressionists that was closing later in the month. The line to get into that gallery was 2 hours long when we were at the museum earlier.
After seeing the exhibit we made our way back to the Airbnb to pack up.
Weather was 25-35 degrees, sunny and warm, no wind. 7,927 steps – 3.4 miles
Conclusion
This was clearly a different kind of trip for us. It was pretty interesting to see everything, however there were some frustraing times. The weather, the closures for snow, and the constant moving of barriers made it challenging to navigate the city and our itinerary. We had to adjust our schedule constantly to work around the obstacles.
I was amazed at how different this city is form what I saw in the early eighties. The security is quite intimidating with Capitol Police, Secret Service, FBI all actively patrolling and dressed like sway while carrying assault rifles. It all became pretty clear what a post insurrection DC is.
The fact that preparations were being made for inauguration also put a damper on the feel, knowing who was going to be occupying the White House.
We were very glad that we made this trip pre-inauguration. it was interesting and we are glad we did it, however, we do not feel a need to revisit.