I would give the whole thing about a B-. On the plus side:
- I can highly recommend the Embassy Suites at Chevy Chase Pavilion. It's right on top of a Metro Station (Friendship Heights), only 30 minutes by car from Dulles and there are many palatable (but not gourmet) eating options within walking distance. The rooms were big for an ES and the included hot breakfast and happy hour are a hit in my house.
- The International Spy Museum was cool. All of us liked it and was worth the money. Since my dad worked on super-secret stuff, I like these kinds of things.
- We went to Kennedy Center and saw Sheer Madness. The wife and I were rolling out eyes quite a bit, but the boys loved it.
- Dave & Buster's. Always a hit and a short Metro ride away.
- It was the first time I'd seen the National WWII Memorial and it's very interesting.
- Seeing the other monuments (Washington, Lincoln and Viet Nam) was a good way to talk to the boys about the different wars and the people who fought them.
On the eh/negative side:
- The White House tour kinda sucked. It's not as much of a tour as a chance to walk through some rooms. No docent, no park service person to provide any context or tidbits.
- The Capitol building tour was cool, but too short and the docent wasn't exactly full of knowledge about the artwork or the sculptures. It definitely paled in comparison to the tour of the houses of Parliament we took in London.
- Our guide in the National Archives couldn't have made that tour more boring.
- The National Museum of American History was closed for renovations.
Overall, I'd say that last year's trip to NYC was the better one. But, when I go back to DC in the fall for a conference I'm probably going to stay an extra day to see some of the stuff I like but I knew we wouldn't get to (National Galley, Phillips Collection and National Museum of American History).
2 comments:
glad you're back!
Thanks! It's good to be back.
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