D.C. Recap (Day II)

Recently got back from taking a few days off to hit Washington, D.C. This is the second in a short series of posts about how it went.

The first thing we learned about Babe-O on this trip is that she is a master traveler. This held true on our first full day when we left the hotel on foot for the subway. Except for two trips to the kickass Italian joint mentioned in the previous post, we didn't touch the car the whole time we were there. The subway was just a few blocks away and we could ride it all the way into town and get wherever we needed to go that way. Babe-O never fussed on the train and put up with all the commotion and running around between connections beautifully. It didn't matter if she was in her stroller or being carried by one of us, she was a complete trooper and didn't slow us down a bit.

Note to subway-travelling parents: The sooner you decide you are willing to take the stroller on the escalator, the better off you'll be. Trying to use the elevators taught me how inconvenient it would be to be handicapped (besides the obvious). Every station has an elevator. But generally there is only one, even if there are eight different sets of stairs/escalators going to different levels and different areas. That means you need to go out of your way all the time just to get to the floor you need. Using the escalator makes life easier. In fact, when the escalators weren't running for one reason or another, we found it easy to just pick the stroller up and hike up the stairs than to find an elevator that gets off where you want it to.

Anyway, I think I was a teenager before I set foot on a subway for the first time. I'm glad that Babe-O was able to get her foot in that particular (sliding) door before the age of one.

Small, flammable world

Our first stop in the city was the National Archives. We breezed right in, which was a relief because it was hot and the last time we went there it took hours to get through security. We faced a very stern security lady who made us dismantle all our crap, which was pretty much the name of the game every time we tried to go anywhere. This is a little bit of an ordeal with the stroller/diaperbag and all that, but we never had too much trouble with it. We got through, hopped on the elevator, and as soon as we hit the button we heard a loud, repeating noise that sounded like an electric slide whistle. It turned out it was the fire alarm and the whole building was evacuated. And by building, I mean block. It was at this point that we noticed that the tightly-wound angry security lady was armed. She was making very sure that everyone got the hell out of there and away from the building. We took about two steps out of the elevator (after Mom-O paused to take some catastrophe video) and then we ran into Mom-O's aunt, uncle and cousins. They live about an hour away from us and were (evidently) also visiting D.C. that weekend. Crazy coincidence. That stuff freaks me out. We talked for a while out on the lawn and then went our separate ways after getting the feeling that the security lady might shoot one of us as an example to the rest of the loiterers.

I have a stroller (and I'm not afraid to use it)

After some more sightseeing and running around the city, we made it back to the archives to see if things had calmed down. They had. Apparently there was a bus on fire nearby and they had to evacuate just to be on the safe side. On the downside, this time there was a bit of a line to get back in, but we waited in it and got through in about thirty minutes. Once inside, we checked out all the goofy stuff they have in there, Taft's big bathtub, George Washington's wooden thong, that sort of thing. Then we made our way to the rotunda where they have all the really badass stuff, like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Every American should make an annual pilgrimage to the rotunda to see those documents. It will help you keep your head on straight politically and recharge your patriotic batteries.

The line to get into the rotunda was a little more than an hour long, but as we stood there, a security guy came over and told us that the stroller entrance was just down the hall. We went over there and were shocked to find out that we could just walk right in without waiting. That was really the only time that having the stroller/baby really sped things up, but I was impressed none-the-less.

No, no…take your time…we'll be right here

After the rotunda, we went over the other side of the building where the research side of the Archives is. That was the whole reason that MIL-O wanted to come down, so that she could do some genealogy research on her family. She and Mom-O headed in to get their bearings before spending a longer chunk of time there the following day. You have to be 14 to go in there, so I was more than happy to stay outside with Babe-O while they went inside. We goofed off on the steps out front for about an hour before meeting up again and heading back to the hotel.

Five Guys and a baby

One of the coolest thing about travelling with Babe-O was that even though she had her own food packed, in general, she pretty much ate whatever we ate. Usually this just meant a stray french fry or a bit of salad, but she really blew me away with one particular lunch. We went to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, where all the burgers are doubles and all the beef is well done. You might know it as the burger-joint-of choice of a certain famous individual.

The burgers are absolutely awesome. We held one up for Babe-O to inspect, just for the sake of a laugh and maybe a photo opp, but the little carnivore chomped right down on the thing. These burgers are big enough that I could barely get it in my mouth, but her little jaw opened wide and took a huge bit of beef. She loved it right away and went back for more. So.Freaking.Proud.

Just one thing

The only real issue we had with Babe-O through all our travels was that she wasn't drinking enough water. She ended up a little dehydrated by the end of the day, so we just had to stay on top of offering her water all the time. Don't know if she was just distracted or what, but she was not drinking enough. By the end of the trip, though, we figured it out.

More to come…