We started Day 3 with a trip to Arlington Cemetery. It was cooler today - highs in the low 80's and mostly cloudy, so we thought it would be a good day to do the cemetery, although it still felt pretty hot in the sun. I don't think the kids were very impressed by anything there. We explained things to them in general about the cemetery, who is buried there, and the perfect straight lines of the tombstones, etc. Then we headed to the Kennedy burial sites. Of course, neither Maria nor Sam knew who any of the Kennedys were, so we tried to explain enough so they could understand the idea behind the eternal flame, etc., but it's difficult for them to really get it, and in the hot sun I don't think they cared all that much. We saw Ted Kennedy's burial site too, which was new to Ben and I. I do think as the kids get older, and learn more history, they may be able to look back and think "Oh yeah, I remember seeing that." I think most people don't really start to respect history until they have lived through more of it!
Then we made our way uphill to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We ended up getting a perfect spot up front to watch the changing of the guard, but had to wait about 20 minutes for it to occur. They were doing wreath-laying ceremonies so at least there was something to watch while we waited, but it was hot, and I think the kids were just glad when it was over. A quick stop to the memorials for the Space Shuttles and we were on our way. One thing we have noticed about traveling in June is there are so many school groups here with teenage kids - acting like teenagers - which we are trying to avoid over summer vacation! These large groups are sometimes annoying to work our way around when we are walking places.
After Arlington, we headed back to the mall and grabbed lunch at a street vendor and ate on a park bench. When we noticed we were right across from the Museum of Natural History, the kids and I took a quick trip inside to see the Hope Diamond. It's so nice that's there's no admission price so we could just go in for 10 minutes and then come back out.
At this point we had some time to kill before our 2:00 tour at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving, but not enough time to come back to the hotel. So we decided to walk over to see the Jefferson monument, which is fairly close to the Bureau, but it was still a long hike around the Tidal Basin, which was made longer since we had to walk around all of the construction. Still, it was a very cool monument to see, and we saw lots of similarities to Monticello, which we visited two summers ago.
The tour at the Bureau of Printing and Engraving was neat because you could actually walk through the factory and look down as workers printed real money. I think the kids enjoyed it and it was something new for Ben and I too. It's just amazing the amount of paper money that is being printed every day.
We came back to the hotel for a break before dinner, which we had decided to have at the Hard Rock Cafe. We thought the kids should experience it, even though we knew it would be very crowded. We did have to wait 45 minutes for a table, but spent some of our waiting time looking around and in the gift shop so it wasn't too bad. They had some things there from artists the kids recognized - like Beatles album covers, Michael Jackson's red leather jacket, and a guitar belonging to Prince. After dinner, we came back to the hotel for a swim and then to bed.
We are having a great time, but starting to miss home as well. Our hotel is a suite, with a separate sitting room and bedroom, and I think that has really saved us all from getting on each others' nerves too much. But still, the kids are starting to argue a little more often, which they only do when they are together this much, and I am missing my bed, my house, my own coffee maker, my own TV, etc. So we'll be glad to get home on Thursday night.
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