DC, Day Three and Four: We're Alive

A note right off the bat: I apologize to anyone who worried about Shane and my safety because I did not blog yesterday after the horrible metro collision down here in DC. We actually didn't even know about it until fairly late in the evening when we came back to our hotel room and I realized I had a bunch of concerned text messages from various people and a missed call from my dad. The really creepy thing is that we were on the red train earlier that day...we never went through the area where the accident was...but still, it was enough to give me a chill. Needless to say, my thoughts and prayers are with all who were involved and the families of the 6 people that died. Truly horrific.

Other than that we've really enjoyed ourselves the past couple of days. We did go to the zoo and our nice dinner yesterday but we didn't make it to Georgetown Cupcake...yet. We plan on going tomorrow before we hit the road instead.

Today we hit three of the Smithsonian Museums - Air and Space (again), Natural History (again), and American History. We are BEAT. It's been pretty crazy but it's also been really fun. However I may need a vacation to recover from my vacation...

On to the pics!

On Monday morning we had a delicious McDonald's breakfast...mmmmm...it was so good my arteries were clapping.



Then we went over to the zoo.


We saw gazelles...


...zebras...


...a great panda (yes, we saw a real one too...not just this statue)...


...a TON of flamingos...


...some pretty peacocks...



...and many many other animals.

Then we got all fancy and went to dinner at a restaurant called Proof after taking a stroll through the National Portrait Gallery (which was very cool).


It was sooooo good...the wine was delicious and the food was excellent. Couldn't have asked for a nicer night out.

Then this morning we went over to the Air and Space Museum to see a show in the planetarium. It was a lot of fun because it'd been a long time since either of us had been to a planetarium...but I didn't taken any pictures while we were at the museum. We'd already been there so we didn't stay long before heading out.

We started walking to get lunch and took a detour through the sculpture garden next to the National Gallery of Art.





(Believe it those pics of Shane and I separately were not posed. We're just excellent photographers.)

Then after we got lunch we went over to the Museum of Natural History.

Shane next to some creatures that are (or were) actually taller than him...


We also saw the Hope Diamond while we were at this museum but...once again...I didn't take any pictures. It's very big and very sparkly...take my word for it.

After that we went over to the American History Museum which I actually think was my favorite of the three we visited today. I didn't even take any pictures while I was there I was so absorbed! We got to see the original star spangled banner while we were there which was actually an amazing sight. It was in a low light area to prevent any further fading or damage from light and it was HUGE. The original flag was in the neighborhood of 35'x40'...but it's now closer to a square shape because of the tests of time. And they actually flew that huge thing! It's the very flag Francis Scott Key saw in the distance that inspired the song "The Star Spangled Banner." And seeing it in person was truly inspiring. Another favorite part of this museum was the photos of the 2009 inauguration.

I've said it once but I'll say it again...I'm BEAT! Now time for some relaxation and sleep...tomorrow there will be cupcakes, White Castle, and lots and lots of driving.