Written by Averi Westerman (with a little help from her friends)
Photos by Peter Bouret
This morning we woke to the ding of the alarm clock in our ears at 6:15 in the morning and trudged down to the breakfast room. We munched on bacon, eggs, sausage and the other treats that the hotel had provided for us. After breakfast, kids filed into the lobby as Starbucks employees frantically grabbed overflowing cups of hot chocolate to lighten the dark circles under our eyes.
Our day began at the Library of Congress where we were treated to a special audio tour by a docent who helped us appreciate the amazing architecture and function of this remarkable building. Trying to block out the outside world, we turned off our addicting electronics which allowed us to figure out something about this magnificent library that was significant to each individual. For me, I noticed that there were many paintings and figures of women. Not usually appreciated in memorials, or other monuments in D.C., these images were both powerful and strong.
Here are some of the other highlights of our day: an educational tour of The Supreme Court, a veritable smorgasbord of lunchtime offerings at Union Station, inspiring visits to the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, reverent walks past the Vietnam and Korean Memorials, and a trip to the American History Museum where we got to see the ruby red slippers Dorothy wore in The Wizard of Oz, the actual flag that flew over Fort McHenry when Francis Scott Key wrote “The Star Spangled Banner,” and Abraham Lincoln’s top hat!
For dinner, we went to the Pentagon Mall, which was filled with yummy places to eat and some great shops. With full stomachs and tired legs, we boarded our buses and rode back to the hotel in anticipation of a pool party but with the threat of lightning in the area, the pool was closed. Boooooohooooo!!!! So we went to our separate floors; girls to the second and boys to the third and prepared for the day ahead.
