Did you know that it’s about a 10 minute taxi ride from DCA right into the city? 10 MINUTES!!!! For a short stopper like me that is solid gold. I knew that when I had a layover in Washington I could actually make the most of my limited time. Here are all the amazing things I got to do in Washington in one day.
I got the taxi driver to deliver me straight from the airport to the Lincoln Memorial. I thought it would be a good idea and time saving to start at one end and making my way down the mall. It was fun pretending the statue was talking to me (ahem Night at the Musuem) and then on a more serious note, standing where Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream” speech.
Walking along the beautiful grounds on the way, I stopped at the Washington Monument and took the obligatory pretending to hold it photos. Quick stop to the White House to see if the Obama’s were home and wanted to have me in for tea. Equally quick dirty look from a couple hundred secret service people. I was so surprised at how small the white house actually is. I mean its probably 1000 times the size of my childhood home, but definitely not what I imagined after seeing it through film and television.
I am not generally a big museum person. Blame it on my short attention span, or my constant need to yell in quiet places. But I thought it would be wrong to not at least go to a couple in Washington. I am so glad I did and one of my favourite moments had to have been seeing the Ruby Red Slippers Dorothy wore at The National Museum of American History. As well, I may not be American but there was something really cool about seeing the Declaration of Independence, US Constitution and Bill of Rights. It’s always exciting being around something that is such a solid piece of history.
While the white house was much smaller than I thought, Capital Hill surprised me in that it was exactly the size I imagined. The area surrounding it is quite pretty and its cool to imagine it filled during all the presidents inaugurations.
Last stop on the mall, The National Air and Space Museum. I wouldn’t be a good flight attendant if I didn’t go here. It was a lot of fun, and really easy to walk through at your own pace. I especially loved the history of airlines and their employees.
Now I know there is tons more to do in DC. But I have to say for about less than 8 hours, I didn’t do too bad.