OUR TRAVELS

On the road again, on the road again, I can't wait to get back on the road again........We've been in Washington, DC for the past 100 days and it has been wonderful to live here, see the sights, visit the Museums, and of course meet up with family and friends.  It's time to leave though, because there are so many more places to go and sights to see. Here are some last shots of the city and us toasting the city goodbye. Overlooking the Potomac River at Georgetown Waterfront Park Nearly sunset by the Lincoln Memorial Enjoying pizza and a beer at Home Slyce One last pic of an exhibit at the American History Museum.  There's no place like home - at this point, we're not sure know where that is!!!  Most stays of longer than a few nights feel like home to us. We're leaving for Boston on Amtrak early Monday morning.  We'll stay a week before heading to New York City and then Philadelphia.  Can't wait! It's been a long time since either of us was on a train

Here in DC, we have been doing much more than visit the museums and memorials.  Everyday, we are out and about usually walking between five and ten miles.  With exercise comes hunger, of course.  We stop at restaurants to meet up with friends and family along the way. Here we are at Rock Creek Park.  Did you know that it is a national park created by Congress in 1890? This house built in 1823 sits on a bluff within the park and overlooks Rock Creek Valley.  The house and land surrounding it were transformed into DC's first commercial nursery. The owner Joshua Peirce was an avid horticulturalist. Today this house serves as the Park's headquarters. If you have been following our blog, you will know that we have not been been very successful in our search for good Tex-Mex food during our travels across the Northeast and Midwest.  Our luck changed the other day when we stopped at a restaurant suggested by Donna's friend Kim - Laredo Mexican Restaurant.  It was the best Tex-Mex

Before you think we are not attending any cultural events........we have proof! Here we are at the Kennedy Performing Arts Center listening to the symphony - part of the music played was Beethoven's First and Fifth.  That's our daughter Alexa with us. Here we are at a performance of "A Christmas Carol" at Ford's Theater (yes, President Lincoln was shot while watching a play here). Donna was chastised by an usher for snapping a quick pic when the actors were singing prior to the start of the actual play.  She was mortified! Here we are back at the Kennedy Center for "Beautiful - the Carole King Musical". In our down time - let's be honest - when we can't take the cold outside anymore, we stay home and work on 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles. We did venture out for a chili dog with onions and mustard at the iconic Ben's Chili Bowl (thanks for the recommendation, Kim).  The original owners started the business 63 years ago.  Many famous people have ea

How can we not visit the entirely free Smithsonian Museums on the DC National Mall?!?!  There are so many of them.  With 100 days at our disposal, we have been able to visit each one at our leisure often spending several days in each one.  This visit is so different from the rushed we-gotta-see-it-all in one week vacation! Rather than inundate you with lots of photos, we have chosen a few from each of the museums we have visited thus far. National Museum of American History - Donna's favorite. Julia Child the famous chef donated her iconic kitchen to the Smithsonian more than 20 years ago. Her hit show - The French Chef - was on the air for 10 years.  She hosted many other shows in the years following.  She had an expert yet easy going approach to cooking and would often shrug off with good humor any cooking mishaps on her shows.  She once tickled a lobster and marked out cuts of meat on her own body to grab the interest of her audience.  Everything in her kitchen had its place inc

We've been visiting the monuments and memorials during our treks in DC.  There is so much history here that it is not possible to see it all!  It brings back memories of almost every history class we ever took. Did you know there are more than 100 memorials and monuments that pay tribute to those who have made important contributions to our country through innovation, leadership and sacrifice?  Here are pictures of just a few of the most iconic. Lincoln Memorial - We find the Memorial very moving and have visited it multiple times already.  In addition to the statue of President Lincoln, two of his most famous speeches are inscribed on the walls - the Gettysburg Address delivered in 1863 while dedicating the Soldiers' National Cemetery and his second inaugural speech delivered one month before the end of the Civil War. "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men