Washington D.C.

Several people have told me to take advantage of trips to other major east coast cities while in NYC this summer. This past holiday weekend Brooke and I spent some time in our nation's capitol. A BIG thank you to our hosts Kristen and Andrew Harding for letting us crash in their guest bedroom. Kristen is Brooke's best friend from BYU.

So here's how it went...

Friday we caught the Bolt Bus at 8:30 p.m. from NYC to Washington D.C. We arrived at approximately 12:45 a.m. and took the Metro out to Shady Grove in Bethesda, MD. Got to bed around 3:00 a.m.

DAY ONE

The next morning we all (our hosts included) took off for Arlington, VA to see Arlington cemetery. Andrew's grandpa is buried at Arlington and his family has a sweet VIP pass that allows you to drive anywhere in the cemetery. SWEET. We were able to see the changing of the guard and the amphitheater.

After visiting the cemetery we headed over to the 9/11 memorial at the Pentagon. This memorial is so well planned out. Throughout the memorial there are benches with names of people who died at that site. The benches that "point away" from the Pentagon are those who died at the Pentagon. Those that "point towards" the Pentagon are those who died in the airplane. The benches are then laid out in a grid pattern with dates running along the perimeter of the area. This allows you to see how old the victims at this site were. The youngest was born in 1998.

Kristen and Andrew dropped Brooke and I at the National Mall afterwards. From there we went to the Washington Monument and the American History museum. We then headed back to Bethesda and then out to Gibson Island for dinner with some of Kristen and Andrew's friends. Gibson island is where The Great Gatsby takes place. It was so gorgeous out there! I think I could take up a private island...

DAY TWO

Sunday we saw A LOT.

White House

Declaration of Independence Memorial

Vietnam Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Korean Memorial

World War 2 Memorial

Portrait Gallery

Air and Space Museum

We rounded off the day by visiting the National Archives and a nice little 4th of July BBQ back in Bethesda.

DAY THREE

On our last day in D.C. we finished up pretty much everything we wanted to see.

Capitol

Supreme Court

Library of Congress

Ben's Chili Bowl

Ben's Chili Bowl is frequented by Bill Cosby and the Obama family. The chili-cheese fries were definitely my favorite, the milk shake coming in second and the half-smoke in third. Ben's is a little out of the way, but well worth the trip!

JFK Performing Arts Center

The JFK Performing Arts Center was our last stop and we kind of went on a whim. And boy were we glad we did! While walking through the hallway of the center, we saw a sign that said Free Tours. We went up to see when the next one was, and turns out we had just missed one and the next wouldn't be for about a half hour. One of the guides that volunteers at the center, a sweet older lady named Sandy, spoke up and said she would take us around herself. Who got a private tour? We did!

Overall it was a great weekend! We headed back Monday evening and went to bed in order to be rested for the short work week ahead.

John's Pizzeria

Friday before taking off to D.C. for the 4th, Brooke and I ate dinner at John's Pizzeria on 44th street between Broadway and 8th. The building is actually an old renovated church. Original stained glass and mural paintings.

We ordered garlic bread to start with. And when they say garlic, they mean BUSINESS. That left a yummy taste in my mouth.... (not)

For dinner we ordered Bruschetta pizza. Complete with mozzarella cheese, diced Roma tomatoes marinated in olive oil, fresh garlic and basil. (no tomato sauce) It was so delicious! Perfect blend of flavors and crunch.

Overall, I'd give John's an eight out of ten. Below is a depiction of pizza consumption during our John's experience...

Before

wait for it....

After

D.C. Preview

"39 Steps" in Bryant Park . Measure for Measure

Movies in the park are something every city organization should offer. Seriously. Especially when the program consists of Harry Potter previews, a Bugs Bunny cartoon, and an old, black and white movie.

Brooke and I, YET AGAIN, got tickets for Shakespeare in the Park Tuesday evening to see Measure for Measure. This Shakespeare play was much more dark than the previous we had saw. The story line was much more serious and the actors did an excellent job at portraying the story line. I really enjoyed the play, but not as much as All's Well That Ends Well.

(Am I a theatre critic yet?)

Cloisters. Fort Tyron Park. Turtle Pond. Belvedere Castle

What could be better than a day spent pretending you aren't in the middle of New York City? I can't think of one. Today Brooke and I spent a majority of the morning up in Inwood - the most northern part of Manhattan). There we visited the Cloisters, an extension of The Met, and walked through Fort Tyron Park. The Cloisters is a museum/conservatory dedicated to Medieval art and architecture - beautiful art inside the old castle, courtyards/gardens, and more. After that we walked through Fort Tyron Park along the Hudson River. On our way back home we went to Central Park's Turtle Pond and Belvedere Castle. Man... I'm beat after this day!

The hike up to the Cloisters

I stumbled into Herbology...

We think we're cute... or something...