A Day In Washington DC

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Em & I recently spent a day in Washington D.C.. We were staying up in the Baltimore area and decided to make the drive into Washington DC to explore, have lunch and visit the zoo.

Little did I realize that traffic would be HORRIFIC between Baltimore and DC, both ways. ayi yi yi. It was pretty close to a 2+ hour drive to go 45 miles. Yeah, that was both ways. I’ve heard that it’s pretty typical, but this small town girl was miserable in the traffic.

We didn’t really have any specific plans for the day so we just set out to explore.  Our first discovery was the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden on the National Mall at 7th Street and Constitution Avenue NW.

The sculpture garden includes 17 arts of work. This one was our absolute favorite.

The garden is open during the summer and there is also a cafe available with outdoor seating which has to be some of the nicest in the city.

After exploring the park we waited in line at the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights. The wait wasn’t too very long, about 30 minutes, to get into the rotunda to see the documents. Of course, there is no photography allowed, but there is something to be said for viewing the signed documents that founded our country. If you are ever in Washington DC I really recommend making a stop at the National Archives.

Looking towards the U.S. Capitol from the National Archives building.

After wandering around the Sculpture Garden and visiting the National Archives it was time for lunch at Rasika, whose Chef was just named “Chef of the Year” by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.

After enjoying our delicious lunch we walked over to the Museum of Modern Art to check out The Art of Video Games.

The Art of Video Games exhibit was so much fun. It brought back some great memories.

YES! You could play Pac-Man on a giant screen…it was awesome!

AND Super Mario

There was also this antique on display. Are you old enough to remember playing this gaming system?

We browsed through a few more exhibits at the museum before heading over to the National Zoo.

We took the subway out to the National Zoo which is a great way to get around the city.

I love these lion statues at the entrance to the zoo.

Just a little tip when visiting the zoo. The zoo is built on a hill. When you enter the zoo you walk downhill…..way downhill, which is great when you first arrive at the park. It’s just an easy stroll downhill looking at the wildlife, but walking back up the hill is exhausting especially after walking around Washington DC for a few hours.

Em thought this was the coolest thing at the zoo–lol

Of course, animal wise, watching the gorillas was our favorite thing to do.

After spending a couple hours at the zoo we carried our aching feet and bodies up hill and out of the zoo and back to the subway. A quick ride back to the city and we were in our car and on our way back to Baltimore.

It was a great way to spend a day and I’m so glad that we were able to visit Washington DC again. I’m not sure that I ever need to go back. The traffic is enough to keep me hidden in the mid-west for years to come, unless I have someone chauffeuring me around 😉 However, it’s a great city with fab festivals, museums, and food and if you’ve never been it is worth the trip just make sure you build extra travel time into your itinerary.

Safe Travels!