Washington DC

Today is another day of record heat in DC, so I'm all about supporting my employer as much as possible today.  We Ubered from the house to the Air & Space Museum.  I came through this museum on my own in 2000, and it was just as good as I remembered it - now I get to see it as well through the eyes of the boys.  

We started off in the Planetarium where we watched a movie about space and communication.  The size of the screen was overwhelming for me - I felt like I was getting vertigo at some points, and probably missed most of the movie with my eyes closed.  I feel like the boys suffered the same, though they weren't able to verbalize what they felt, both ended up in A's and my laps.  The museum has such a great, interactive variety of aircraft, from a replica of the Wright brothers' first plane all the way through to NASA replicas.  The boy's attention span didn't allow us to look through the whole museum, but I'm so glad I came back to this one.

B&L, Air & Space Museum, DC

After a McDonalds/pizza lunch inside the Air & Space Museum we caught an Uber to the Lincoln Memorial.  Not sure why I didn't get to this last time, but this place is incredible.  While there are a tonne of people around, it is a very reflective atmosphere.  The boys have a basic knowledge of President Lincoln so it was definitely good for them to experience this.  We also took in a rest on the stairs of the memorial.  In the shade looking down the Reflective Pool, Washington Monument, all the way to the Capitol, was a nice mid-afternoon people watch to break up the day.

L&B, DC

Lincoln Memorial, DC

We opted to walk on the south side of the mall back towards the Washington Monument (forgoing the Vietnam War Memorial) and headed towards the Korean War Memorial.  This is a stunning and somber memorial for all those who fought in this war.  

Korean War Memorial, DC

We didn't get far enough south to get to the Martin Luther King Memorial, as we were all starting to fade in the heat. The eastern end of the Reflecting Pool is the home for the World War II Memorial, and while not American, gave pause for me to think about my grandfathers who fought in New Guinea and the Philippines during this war. Part of the memorial is a starred wall. The 4048 stars each represent 100 deaths of American troops during this war, and a real fitting and touching memorial to those who sacrificed their lives.

For ease of pick up, we walked over to Constitution Ave & 17th St to have the Uber pick us up and take us home.  Once their I had to take a quick nap, as a migraine began to kick in. Though we only walked half as far today, the heat is definitely taking it's toll on me.  An hours rest and an ibuprofen later and I was fine to walk back to Imm Thai to pick up takeaway for dinner (I told you that place was good).