The snotty rainy weather cleared when our daughter Kate brought the sunshine here from Denver for Father’s Day weekend. We were a bit weather-delayed in Annapolis but managed to pull into the dock in Inner Harbor Baltimore with Kate there to catch our lines. It has been too long.
We celebrated Father’s Day weekend at the home of the Father of our Country, George Washington, at Mount Vernon on the Potomac River. There is so much to do here from the mansion tour, his tomb, the gardens as well as an interactive museum and art galleries. His story is one of epic proportions and he did it all while suffering from horrible tooth pain. No, the dentures were not wood but made from gold, lead, ivory, human teeth and hippo tusks held together with metal springs which made his mouth look stiff and peculiar.
We went into DC on Sunday and were amazed that there were no cars around the National Mall area, but then the triathletes came running by in a herd. With the 14 free Smithsonian Museums here, it is hard to decide which ones to tour. Since it was his day, Bob chose the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art and was not disappointed. From the Wright Brothers and Lindberg’s early planes through the Space Age shuttles and moon rocks, it’s all here. We were very impressed with the Gallery of Art and its extensive modern and impressionism collections as well as the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. Our feet were tired but we were feeling pretty smart and cultured.
Parking at Union Station is very easy and economical, and all of the DC tours start here. We took a bus tour on Monday to all the important sites (Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, White House etc.) as well as a secondary bus to Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects. From President John Kennedy’s eternal flame overlooking the countless rows of tombstones to the Washington Memorial in the distance, you get an idea of how much blood, sweat and tears have been shed to make our country.
We could have easily have spent our entire time in the delightful city of Baltimore and its revitalized Inner Harbor. We toured the National Aquarium there and it was a fun-filled day of an amazing dolphin show, 4D digital movie of the ocean complete with up close and personal encounters with snakes and sharks, and multi-tiered tanks of underwater life. Great walking is to be had in the Fells Point area which has museums, historic row homes and unique shops and restaurants. Did I mention Little Italy---you can not go wrong with any restaurant here! We even went to a movie at a Landmark Theatre just 2 blocks away as well as reprovisioned at Whole Foods. When you don’t have a car, you appreciate these things being close-by. We will not be here for July 4th but we heard that Baltimore has a fantastic fireworks display which is only fitting as the Star Spangled Banner was written here as a battle raged at Fort McHenry.
We celebrated Father’s Day weekend at the home of the Father of our Country, George Washington, at Mount Vernon on the Potomac River. There is so much to do here from the mansion tour, his tomb, the gardens as well as an interactive museum and art galleries. His story is one of epic proportions and he did it all while suffering from horrible tooth pain. No, the dentures were not wood but made from gold, lead, ivory, human teeth and hippo tusks held together with metal springs which made his mouth look stiff and peculiar.
We went into DC on Sunday and were amazed that there were no cars around the National Mall area, but then the triathletes came running by in a herd. With the 14 free Smithsonian Museums here, it is hard to decide which ones to tour. Since it was his day, Bob chose the Air and Space Museum and the National Gallery of Art and was not disappointed. From the Wright Brothers and Lindberg’s early planes through the Space Age shuttles and moon rocks, it’s all here. We were very impressed with the Gallery of Art and its extensive modern and impressionism collections as well as the Hirshhorn Sculpture Garden. Our feet were tired but we were feeling pretty smart and cultured.
Parking at Union Station is very easy and economical, and all of the DC tours start here. We took a bus tour on Monday to all the important sites (Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Capitol Hill, White House etc.) as well as a secondary bus to Arlington National Cemetery to pay our respects. From President John Kennedy’s eternal flame overlooking the countless rows of tombstones to the Washington Memorial in the distance, you get an idea of how much blood, sweat and tears have been shed to make our country.
We could have easily have spent our entire time in the delightful city of Baltimore and its revitalized Inner Harbor. We toured the National Aquarium there and it was a fun-filled day of an amazing dolphin show, 4D digital movie of the ocean complete with up close and personal encounters with snakes and sharks, and multi-tiered tanks of underwater life. Great walking is to be had in the Fells Point area which has museums, historic row homes and unique shops and restaurants. Did I mention Little Italy---you can not go wrong with any restaurant here! We even went to a movie at a Landmark Theatre just 2 blocks away as well as reprovisioned at Whole Foods. When you don’t have a car, you appreciate these things being close-by. We will not be here for July 4th but we heard that Baltimore has a fantastic fireworks display which is only fitting as the Star Spangled Banner was written here as a battle raged at Fort McHenry.
