All those years in elementary school, I read about Washington DC, the capital of our country. Seeing pictures of the White House in my books and in the news, I knew what to expect as my plane left for the capital. My parents were excited to show my brother and I the heart of this country where policies are made. My dad works for the VA so he feels connected to the government as he proudly takes care of our veterans. I helped my mom pack our bags as we left for O’Hare, it was the summer before my 4th grade. I did not know what to expect, all I knew was the photos in my mind of the White House. I had high hopes of seeing someone famous, even wanting to bump into President Obama. However after I arrived in Maryland, I was pleasantly surprised to see so much more and not just see the White House at a distance.
If I could choose two words to describe my trip in Washington DC, it would be “museums” and “memorials”. As soon as we arrived at the hotel, we dropped off our luggage and immediately headed outside to tour the city. The streets were full with so many food trucks that I wondered if fast food is the norm here. These trucks varied from tacos trucks to ice cream trucks. The ice cream was colorful swirls of various flavors, my favorite was the chocolate swirled ice cream cone. Walking the grass plot called “the Mall”, I was confused that my dad called it this when there were no stores. As we continued our walk, one by one the next 3 days were filled with museums-all free in this state, and memorials clustered into the city.
There he was, standing tall at the entry point, showing his mighty and big fury body to the world, the mammoth at the History Museum. I stared at him, straining my 9 year old neck, surprised by his size. As we walked through this museum, I came across so many interesting exhibits. My favorite exhibit was the skeleton of a shark, with its sharp fangs, the great white shark. Interestingly, I noticed that unlike The Field Museum, this museum was lacking the bones of a dinosaur, disappointing indeed. Collectively known as Smithsonian Museums, there are so many museums in a small space and they are all free. Another museum we entered was the Airplane Museum where planes from so many different time periods were placed in a large room, some hanging on the ceiling. My favorite part of this museum was going into a simulation cockpit where I went in crazy angles as I imagined being in a WW2 jet. At the National Spy Museum, I imagined being a spy in the simulation round and learned so many facts about being in the FBI. The last museum stop was definitely just as memorable as the first, the Native American Museum. Going floor to floor in this massive building full of curves and impressive architectural structures, I learned more about Native American art and history in 1 hour than in my 4 years in elementary school.
Beside museums, my trip was also filled with visits to the various memorials. Walking up the long stairs to reach Thomas Jefferson memorial was exhausting, but worth the trip. His statue sat in the center and the wall above was engraved with his words. The memorials were all peaceful and reflective, as my family sat in each one, contemplating on the life of the individual to whom the memorial was dedicated. Larger than Jefferson was the Lincoln Memorial. President Lincoln sits on a large marble chair and this is the Memorial on the $5 bill. Lots of stairs to reach the top of his memorial and he had plenty of writings on the marble walls too. The structure of his memorial sits in a marble building full of columns. Some memorials were locations full of fountains and marble stones with engraved information, like Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King and the WW2 Memorial. My parents focused on the importance in history of the various people and soldiers as I walked through these monuments and grounds.
Heading back home after days full of walking and exploring, I was able to absorb so much of our history. There is so much to do that I know I could go back and learn more, see more. My trip to Washington DC was more than just seeing the White House from a distance, it was immersing myself in the proud history of my country.
Adam, I totally relate to how you described your trip to Washington D.C. – though I would add one word to it: “walking.” When I visited our capital, I was probably only 10 or 11 years old, so it was quite some time ago. I also remember the Smithsonian museums. I was so excited to see all the cool gems and rocks in the Field Museum… and that’s about all my kid self could handle.
Our family wanted to do a tour of the White House, but they were unfortunately closed that season – I don’t remember why. However, I do recall my disappointment at losing the chance to bump into Obama. When I arrived back home, I took it upon myself to write him a letter, and actually sent it to the White House. They sent me back an envelope labeled First Class, whatever that means. It was a picture of Obama, his dog, and a generic letter. But I was so excited to receive it.
Now that I have a more solid understanding of the way our government functions (thanks American Government) and how our country came to be (thanks APUSH), I think it would be amazing to go back and actually learn something. I would be looking at things through a totally different lens, and would probably read all those long museum descriptions with tiny words instead of complaining that my feet hurt. I definitely want to visit D.C. again.
Great blog post, this brought back memories that I’d forgotten!
I can really relate to this blog as me and my family are heading to D.C. this winter for the first time. I thought it was really interesting hearing you talk about all of the museums and memorials throughout your blog. I myself am a big fan of learning about history and other cultures, so I enjoyed hearing you talk about the different museums and memorials from the perspective of 4th grade you. I liked how you talked up leading up to your trip, mentioning how your parents really wanted to show you the heart of our country. I also found it interesting when you mentioned all the food trucks. D.C. is the capitol and so it is thought of as museums, government buildings and memorials, and sometimes you forget that there is a whole other side of the city, and that it has it’s own culture, even though you may initially think of it as a display of America.
Hi Adam, I enjoyed reading about your trip to DC, because I can really relate to it. I also visited our nation’s capital when I was around 9, and many of the landmarks you described instantly struck a chord in my memory. I remember hoping to see the President as well (which unfortunately did not happen), and I recall running up the steps leading up the immense Lincoln statue. I also have very clear memories from the airplane museum. While all the hanging gliders and historical information were super captivating, the thing I remember the most was the space ice cream I tried. After exploring various cockpits, I remember walking into one of those gift stores, and seeing a chip-like package of ice cream. So I begged my parents to let me try one, and ended up having an interesting surprise when I opened the “mint chocolate chip” ice cream to find a dry block. It was actually pretty good, but I still prefer regular ice cream. Another prominent memory of DC I have is of the cherry blossoms. My family went during the spring (so peak cherry blossom season), and walking around this one pond was just so relaxing and scenic. Thanks for sharing your trip and bringing back these happy memories for me as well!
Hey Adam! I thought your blog was written very well. I really relate to your blog, as I remember going to Washington DC for the first time. All of the sight seeing and memorials are in my memory, as it was a huge part of the trip. It is funny you mention the chocolate swirled ice cream because I remember that too! It was also my favorite. I remember seeing the White House and how fascinated I was at the fact so many people have lived in the same house over various years. I wish I could go back because like you said, there is so much more to learn while you are there. I remember watching a movie before I left for the trip, it was called National Treasure. When I was walking around DC, I kept remembering this movie and how it related to where I was. The National Spy Museum was so interesting to me, I wanted to be a spy as well. My imagination was running wild and I was pretending to be a spy. I really enjoyed reading your blog as it brought back so many memories for me. If you were to go back, what would you want to visit that you had not before?
Great post! I’ve actually never been, but I want to go!