La Vie est Belle: Learning our history in DC

Heather and I traveled to DC at the beginning of February. We spent a week in the city part of it staying at her friend Juliana's house (a former Chicago LVCer) and the latter half with the Uncs. This was my first time on the East Coast and I was excited to see what all the hustle and bustle is over there. We packed in our days with museums, governmental buildings, memorial sites, etc. I think we managed to see a good chunk of the Mall plus a few extra like the Holocaust museum, the Newseum and the Kennedy Center. We had the privilege of touring (thanks to Patty Murray) the Capitol Building, the House of Reps, Supreme Court, Library of Congress and the White House. I feel it is a trip everyone should experience. How better to educate yourself about our country than to see things first hand, especially when you're a visual person like me. Now when I hear about Obama or laws being passed it's much easier to picture.

We did quite a bit of walking over the span of the week, but we lucked out fairly well with weather, a few days even being 50 degrees. Only when we visited Williamsburg and Yorktown did it drizzle. For the trade off of cold weather you get zero tourists and feel practically VIP at all the museums. I think we saw more joggers than we did tourists. I can't imagine how crowded the summer time is, especially considering all the xray and metal detector machines you have to walk through.

We had a great stay at the Uncs, treated to gourmet home-cooked meals, a hot-tub and good conversation. It's always fun to hear the insider stories about the city you're visiting!

Overall I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to travel so much lately. I'm looking forward to whatever next comes my way!