|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
DAY 16 - SMITHSONIAN, SHOPPING & MOVIES
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Lie-In | Bit of a lie-in this morning - didn't even ring the girls until 8:30ish. Up, showered and breakfast in room (bought Kellogs Variety pack and a big tub of milk last night).
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Our Day Begins | Outside and over the road - catch the bus - get off around 7th and Pennsylvania behind the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. Thru the back of there to Museum Shop. After last night we need to be prepared - 4 poncho rainmacs required! Sold out yesterday - what a surprise. Out the front and make our way towards Air and Space. On the way we pass a little Snack Bar/Shop. Yep - still got some. So with a plastic poncho each we are safe from the elephants.
Weather today is much cooler - low 70s and humidity is lower. This means not much sweating and much less oppressive. Funnily enough, the girls were really cold in all the museums we went in. So much so that they sat outside the Air and Space to warm up from the aircon inside.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Smithsonian(s) | Brain was fascinating, showing lots of technical details of synapses, chemicals etc, also bits about perception and illness and drug abuse. Filled a good hour. Next the Air and Space. Huge building containing whole airplanes plus Nose Cone from Mercury and Apollo shots etc (they looked cramped). Very good section on Moon and Mars exploration that kept my particular attention for quite a while.
Outside to greet the girls warming up on the wall, then to American Culture - diagonally opposite, next door to Natural History. First thing we did there was to go to the lower floor for lunch. Had 2 small pizzas and soft drinks - half a pizza each. Back to the American Food Thing again. Families sitting with huge pizzas, fries, crisps, sugary drinks etc etc. We were full on our "scraps".
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Tired Dad | Then the exhibits. Today I has been mostly having achey legs - especially right ankle and calves, so I wasn't a happy bunny. Obviously yesterday's slow march has taken its toll. I always get round exhibits first anyway - so I did a lot of sitting near the entrance. Now normally this would not be a problem (apart from the nagging pain) but - directly in front of me was a two-storey video wall (actually it was also a two story video wall - one being a video commentary on the museum and its exhibits - the other being hundreds of captioned stills of items in the exhibits). Watch this lot 3 times and you need a walk round!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| And Now The Shops | All done and on our way. Having done the culture, we now need the shopping. Down the nearest Metro on the Mall (Smithsonian), up the Orange Line to Metro Centre, change to Red Line and get off at Farragut North for t'shopping. OOPS - all the shops here are closed (it is Sunday), so that little magazine snippet bites the dust.
Back down the Metro to Metro Centre on Red, Change to Orange to L'Enfant Plaza, Yellow to Pentagon City (going over, not under the Potomac River). Now we know that this is a big mall and so it transpires. Rest of the afternoon shopping - me providing Visa when required - still Lucy virtually nothing, but KT and Mary get Trainers and I buy Mary "smellies".
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Night At The Movies | After 5 by now, so by the time we get home (and its probably raining) there will be no time to sort out what to do on our last evening. How about the pictures? (which is on-site in Pentagon City). OK - so how about "Rush Hour 2" with Jackie Chan - comedy. All agreed and in we go. Pay quickly and easily with Visa "Enjoy Your Evening", ticket man inside tears off, gives back our stubs telling us with great enthusiasm "Best Film This Year" and "Never laughed so much in Ages"; "You'll really enjoy the show". (followed by the obligatory "Have a Good Evening"). Doesn't quite happen like that at home.
Cinema trailers etc as the place gradually fills up. American audiences laugh at different things - no, change that - they laugh in different places. They laugh at the "silly stuff" as well as the "funny stuff". This is refreshing. I am usually one of the first to laugh out loud in cinemas, theatres etc - but not here. This added to our enjoyment of what is a thoroughly funny film. A great choice of venue and film, a very enjoyable evening.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Blue Peter Rainwear | On the way out we are reminded that Lucy has lost the poncho we bought for her earlier. Not to worry - the two pairs of new Trainers in their boxes come out of the big plastic bag. A hole is made in the bottom and - Hey Presto! Lucy also has a plastic "poncho". Metro adjoins the Shopping Mall, we decide to take the Blue Line all the way to Federal Triangle rather than all that changing between Yellow and Blue lines and arrived without incident.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| An Amusing Ride Home | It was raining quite hard when we surfaced - maybe it's something to do with the Old Post Office nearby - do you think it's a beacon pointing out to the Rain Gods where we are? So 3 of us in Smithsonian Plastic Ponchos and one with her head sticking out of a Lady Footlocker Bag, we trudged the streets to Penn. Ave between 14th and 15th. As we stare at the timetable in the rain-soaked gloom without our glasses, trying to work out if the buses have finished - one arrives. So on we get thankfully and only slightly damp.
Uneventful journey all the way back to our hotel - only amusing bit being a "dolly bird" who, whilst waiting to get off the bus, put her brolly up whilst stood in the bus. Driver pointed out, quite firmly that this wasn't really the done thing a) because she was wetting everyone around her and b) it wouldn't get out of the damn door!
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A Quick Dash | Our stop arrived - about 20 yards past our hotel. Got off into fairly heavy rain with a torrent of brown water rushing down the gutters. Quick dash into the hotel - and rest.
Arranged to keep one of our rooms until 2pm and relinquish the girls' room reasonably early - no charge. Also sorted out the cheapest and easiest method of getting to airport - seems to be BTS Shuttle Service which we can book in the hotel gift shop. All that settled we relaxed and did some pre-packing ready for the off tomorrow.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |  |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Words and pictures © Steve Andrews 2001 - 2012