- Conserve your legs by riding the bus around Arlington. The cemetery is very beautiful but also very hilly.
- Currently a lot of DC attractions are closed due to renovations or earthquake repair. Don't let it slow you down.
- Don't miss Union Station. It's gorgeous and a good place to eat with a group because they have a food court.
- If you are catching a train, get there early!!
We woke up at 8:00 and all started getting ready. Right as we were walking out the door we hear a loud nail gun on the floor above us. Good thing we didn't want to sleep in. The hotel was undergoing renovations and I was somewhat put off that the front desk staff didn't at least tell us that during check in. We booked the hotel for a mere $99 dollars and it was in a great location, close to the metro and White House. Despite the renovations, I still feel that the hotel was worth what we paid. All the other hotels in that price range were chain hotels in Arlington or Alexandria.
We decided to head to Arlington. We hoped on the subway and we were there in no time. It really was a short effortless ride. We exited the train station and walked to the visitor center to buy passes to the tour bus. We opted to do the tour bus instead of walk because New York City really did a number on my friends legs (I'm used to it by now), Arlington was very hilly, and we had limited time. We got our passes for $8.75 and jumped on the bus. It was a full load and we were off. I liked riding the bus and we heard a few informative things on it but we were mainly using it for transportation. If I had expected actual interesting facts, I might have been disappointed. 
First stop was the Kennedy grave sight with the eternal flame. I am too young to really mourn the Kennedy lose. I mean, of course its tragic but it wasn't "the moment of my generation" like it is for my parents generation. Next stop was the Tomb of the Unknown. We walked around the beautiful amphitheater until it was time for the changing of the guard. It was a cool thing to see and the view of D.C was nice.
The last stop was The Arlington House which had an amazing view of D.C and was my favorite stop on the tour. Unfortunately, they were going through renovations and the recent earthquake had caused some damage. We couldn't go on the second floor at all. The bus dropped us back off at the visitor center and we decided to grab some food and then head the National Museum of American History. We grabbed some McDonalds because it was easy, cheap, and fast.
 |
| Chelsea and I made these potato heads! |
I only had 2 hours to take in the American History Museum and I thought that it might be possible. I had previously been to the Natural History Museum in DC and got through it somewhat quickly. However, the American History Museum was much more interesting to me so we spent a long time here. I really enjoyed this. Highlights for me were playing in the room with pop culture icon toys like potato heads and etch-a-sketch, seeing the star spangled banner flag, the pop culture type room with Babe Ruths baseball, Dorthys shoes, and a part of Plymoth Rock. Very cool!
 |
| Union Station is actually my favorite building in DC! Everyone's coming and going to all over the country! Not to mention the architecture... |
We left and I grabbed my bags at the hotel and headed to the train. The line at the train station was long. I got there 20 minutes early and was about 20th in line but by boarding time it was a loooonng line of about 150 people. Glad I wasn't in the back because I wanted a window seat. I was actually looking forward to some alone time on the train and I got it. It was nice and the ride was easy.
Arriving back in Penn Station, I actually got lost on the train platform. It was Friday night so I knew service would be a little screwy. I waited a long time and then finally a C train rolled through, but I needed an E. The C train was absolutely covered in graffiti and looked very old. I thought it was strange since usually MTA is very good about pulling graffiti trains off the tracks. Next train comes, and its a C too. I then see the E heading uptown on the next platform over. Shoot. I tried to find the stairs leading up to the E but I don't know if I was in such a hurry that I wasn't paying correct attention or if I was just so tired. I ended up taking a tour of every platform in the station, some twice. I finally ended up on the right platform and was home at 12:30. My train had arrived in Penn at 11:30. I told my mom I took a cab to make her feel better but I am way to cheap for that and I feel safer on the subway usually anyways. Sorry Mom!!
Tomorrow kicks off my week long solo time in New York City. Hands down my favorite time on the whole trip. Of course, I enjoyed the time with my friends but I was able to wake up each morning with no plans and unlimited possibilities. I loved it!!
No comments:
Post a Comment