Weekend in DC

Piggy-backing on Bruce's System Dynamics conference in Washington DC, we decided to take a short family vacation to our nation's capital. Little did we know it was going to be during some of the hottest weather they have experienced all year! Despite the record-breaking heat, we had a great, action packed trip!

Saturday, after an early flight from T. F. Green, we arrived at the hotel and were able to check in early. This was especially great as it allowed us to get settled and Evan to take a nap before heading into DC for the afternoon and evening. After a bit of a challenge, we were able to find a cafe for lunch and then went to the Air and Space Museum. Due to the extreme temperatures outside, it was packed! But we were able to see all that we wanted to see and Evan took another short nap. We left the Air and Space Museum and headed to the Museum of Natural History. Evan loved it! He stood in the foyer for at least five minutes making his elephant trumpet noise. We then ventured through many of the exhibits of dinosaurs and mammals, with Evan making various animal noises the entire way. At one point, he was even entertaining an entire room full of people as he danced to some African music! When we were finished with the museums for the day, we met up with Glenn for dinner at a nice Italian restaurant. It was great to sit and catch up for a while!

Sunday started a little slowly with sleeping in and then a long nap for Evan mid-morning. We then met up with Adria and had sandwiches at Potbelly's in Crystal City. We decided to go to the Aquarium because we thought Evan would enjoy it and we were right. It wasn't a huge aquarium but it wasn't overly crowded either. After spending most of the hottest part of the day indoors, we decided to brave the heat and check out some monuments. We walked by the White House and then to the WWII, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials and were able to see the Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool as well. Unfortunately the Reflecting Pool was drained and under construction. After a long day, we decided on a low-key dinner of pizza in the hotel room. We had such a fun day in DC with a wonderful tour guide! Thanks, Adria!

Monday and Tuesday were still hot but much more low-key. Bruce attended meetings for the SD conference all day and evening on both days and Evan and I stuck pretty close to the hotel. On Monday, we went for a walk to a nearby playground and after a short while ended up heading back to the hotel due to the heat. Tuesday before Evan and I flew back to RI, we enjoyed a bit of time in the pool. All in all a nice family trip to a beautiful city even with the hot, humid weather!