Road Trip: D.C.

So we decided to take a road trip down to Washington D.C. En route we stopped in Dundalk, Maryland to visit with Ruth and Jay. Ruth fixed us a delicious lunch then treated us to an afternoon at the Baltimore Aquarium. Both were thoroughly enjoyed and much appreciated. Esme loved the aquarium as well as having the opportunity to get to know Ruth and Jay a little better.

We hoped that an afternoon strolling around the aquarium would land Esme squarely in the nap zone, and that she'd use the time in the car traveling to our next destination, our hotel in Alexandria, to catch up on some sleep. Of course Esme, as always, has her own agenda. Instead she thought the time would be better spent requesting and re-requesting and then re-re-requesting all the varieties of snacks I had neglected to pack. I finally appeased her with a piece of cheese which she decided made a better balm than mid-afternoon treat. By the time we'd reached the hotel she and her car seat were thoroughly lathered in cheese.

We had just enough time for a dip in the hotel pool before dinner. Dinner was at Hard Times, a restaurant recommended by D.C.-insider and all-around great gal, Christy. It really fit the bill. Kristopher and I dined on Texas-style Chili Mac with Cheese while Esme enjoyed the same, only hold the chili.



The silver-lining to Esme's lack of afternoon nap was the ease with which she fell asleep and then stayed asleep in her hotel crib. We all woke refreshed and ready to face the day and a packed agenda.


After breakfast we took the subway to the Mall where we headed straight for the Museum of Natural History. They have a hands-on exhibit which was perfect for Esme. Here she is exploring the inside of her daddy's nose and trying her hand at reptilian dentistry.


From the museum we headed back out to the Mall. Already we were impressed enough with Washington as a family destination that we resolved right then and there to make it an annual ritual. With that in mind, we snapped this picture.


Consider it the start of a new tradition.

Early April is the perfect time to visit Washington. Our visit happened to coincide with their annual Cherry Blossom Festival. And though we skipped the parade, we didn't want to miss the blossoms themselves, so we headed down to the tidal basin to take them in.
















From there we headed out to the National Zoo. We figured that a healthy dose of museum-quality stimulation and fresh air would inevitably lead to some sort of stroller nap come the afternoon. Though once again Esme proved us wrong, she was a trooper just the same and really enjoyed herself at the zoo. She was able to get quite close to a pygmy hippo as well as an orangutan. Upon coming face-to-face with the hippo, Esme seemed a bit frightened, though later she did ask for "more hippo" and even used the sign-language for "more," something she reserves for her most urgent requests, like snacks. Kristopher and I were quite taken by the pandas. And lions are always something to see.



We had read about a kid-friendly restaurant in the neighborhood called Lebanese Taverna, so we headed there next. We had a delicious dinner with lots of tasty mezza and kabobs and, of course, plenty of RICE.












Another good night's sleep and we were ready for some more sight-seeing. As we wanted to make it home by dinnertime we only had enough time for one monument. We decided to make it the National Cathedral. Before heading up there we hit our "usual" breakfast spot (usual in the sense we dined there Saturday as well). A good, diner-like meal could be had there, so it really fit the bill. Typically when we dine out Esme often finds the surrounding tables to be far more interesting than her own, and this meal was no exception. She was so taken by the table next to ours that eventually we all started chatting. As it turns out they were from Phillipsburg. They knew Kristopher's parents quite well. Small world.

So after a stop at the Cathedral it was north on 95 with a quick stop for lunch in Baltimore. As we pulled into the Inner Harbor, Esme started shouting "Fish!" So I guess the Aquarium did leave quite an impression on her. Once again our hopes for a car-nap were in vain. She did fall asleep once. For five minutes. Oh well.