It has been a jam-packed week! There is so much to see and do in DC. On Sunday, we left our campsite in Williamsburg, Virginia and drove to Historic St. John’s church in Richmond. There, we sat in the second row of the Liberty or Death reenactment. It was a very moving performance and we had the cool experience of sitting in front of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson as several of the actors argued the merits of preparing a Virginia militia in response to Britain’s treatment of the colonies. The intense speech, by Patrick Henry, gave me goosebumps and made me a little teary (which is probably not surprising to anyone who knows my tendency to get a bit emotional over these things).
The afternoon drive from Richmond to DC was long, mostly due to a lot of traffic and confusing city streets that completely overwhelmed my usually keen navigational skills. When we got to the Airbnb, I was very frustrated by the lack of care given to the beautiful, old, three-story home. There was a lot of space, but it was inadequately furnished and had an appearance as if someone had left in the middle of cleaning and renovating. There were unfinished baseboards, art leaning against the wall instead of hanging, paint cans under the sink, plus tools and large furniture parts on the deck. The manager addressed some of the issues pretty quickly, but I couldn’t help but fantasize about what I could do with a few days and a few thousand dollars to make that beautiful space truly awesome (and alter the dilapidated frat house motif).
I cleaned up and organized while Jon unloaded the truck. Luckily, we had found street parking directly across from the house. Our friends arrived a short time later, and all of the girls were giddy with excitement about being in DC and sharing the house. Everyone chose bedrooms and we enjoyed a late dinner of Mediterranean pasta and salad. When the kids finally wound down, we planned our activities for the next day.
In the morning, we ate breakfast at the house and then headed towards the national mall. The Columbia Heights metro stop was a few blocks from the house. After sorting through the confusion of purchasing passes from the machine and determining our route, we hopped on the train. We started with the Museum of the American Indian, which was very cool and not at all what I expected! It was thematic rather than historical, and we spent most of our time in the exhibit “Americans” which explores some of the ways in which Native people and culture are understood, represented, and interpreted (or often misinterpreted) in the American culture of the past and present. It was all very engrossing, but I was most moved by the Trail of Tears section. The images, quotes, and documents in that section really delved into the politics behind the forced removal of native people from their lands east of the Mississippi – genocide in the name of economic growth for a young nation.
Other exhibits were both moving and surprising, such as the hundreds of images of native people or cultural artifacts used in advertising, the news, and other media as well as the many representations of Pocahontas, both fact and fiction. After grabbing some snacks from the Mitsitam Cafe, we left the museum knowing that we could’ve easily spent several more hours in there!
Outside, we found a place to sit and picnic. After eating, we walked over to the United States Botanic Garden, which was simply incredible! We walked through the outdoor area and into the large conservatory, which was divided into growth regions, such as tropical and desert, as well as exhibit sections. We all loved the beautiful replicas of historic DC landmarks made entirely from plant material!
After the gardens, we decided to go out for dinner since we had a night tour of DC scheduled for that evening. We searched for a good dinner spot and finally found Hill Country BBQ. I though the food was fantastic- pork ribs, brisket, mac & cheese, collard greens, cornbread, sweet tea, and lemonade, just to name a few of the menu items we tried. Delicious!
Our night tour of DC was expensive, but worth it! We met our bus driver, Curtis, and our guide, Larry, out in front of the Navy archives. Our tour had about 20 people in it, including the seven of us. They took us to see the White House, WWII memorial, Jefferson memorial, Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, Korean War memorial, Vietnam memorial, and the Lincoln memorial. Each of the monuments was uniquely artistic, grand, and moving.
It had been a long day, and we were all exhausted by the time we hopped on and off the train and walked the five blocks back to our apartment.
On Tuesday, we enjoyed a relaxing morning breakfast of French toast, bacon, and greens. After bundling up, we braved the freezing temperature to head towards the mall. We planned to visit the National Archives, which houses the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. There were also many other amazing, original documents as well as exhibits related to civil rights. I got in trouble from the security guards for trying use my phone to show the Lighthouse students around the archives. They are VERY strict about photography, but I had hoped a video call would be permissible. I was wrong. I hope it amused the Lighthouse students to hear their “principal” being reprimanded!
So, instead of touring the archives with the students, Daisy and I rushed outside to show them all the elaborate exterior, talk about DC, and give them a view of the Capitol building and Washington monument.
After I concluded the FaceTime chat, we all reconvened back at the archives and enjoyed a snack outside. From there, we walked to the Portrait Gallery to see some very fascinating folk art and view all the presidents’ portraits, from George Washington to Barrack Obama. We went through in reverse because of where we entered, but I read the brief biography of each president, which really placed a mental framework in my mind for the history of our country and the many divisive issues we’ve faced and overcome over the centuries.
We headed back to the house after another long day, and enjoyed a fabulous grilled pork and asparagus dinner with salad. We all stayed up late again, laughing and talking. We planned to visit George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate the next day, so we made a 12:30 tour reservation.
Mount Vernon was only about 45 minutes from DC. We got immediately swept into history upon entering the estate. We watched a brief movie about the lives of George and Martha Washington, and then went on the tour. It was very impressive to see the many original structures and furnishings throughout the home and grounds. We even saw George Washington’s bed, where he ultimately passed away shortly after giving up the presidency.
We explored the grounds for a while and then, after a quick snack in the visitor center’s food court, we split up. I called in to Lighthouse to FaceTime the students while the rest of the group joined a tour about the lives of the enslaved people on the estate during Washington’s time. I appreciate the attention that was given because, in many texts and videos we’ve been using as resources, the role and impact of slavery has been ignored or minimized in favor of oversimplified versions and views of our shared history.
The Lighthouse students also had the opportunity to talk to Kate, a very friendly and informative Mt. Vernon tour guide who answered questions about chamber pots, outhouses, toilet paper, and bathing practices. We learned that “splinter free” toilet paper did not become available until 1935, which led to some appreciation for the time in which we live and the many amenities we take for granted.
In my FaceTime call, the Lighthouse students got the opportunity to see the mansion, gardens, and the men’s and women’s slave bunkhouses. The students were surprised that the bunkhouses seemed so well constructed and spacious, with four bunk beds each. Then they learned that the rooms were designed to house up to 20 enslaved people who were required to sleep two to a bunk, with children sleeping on the floor. That was an eye opening realization.
After finishing my conversation with Ojai and meeting back up with everyone, we visited George Washington’s tomb, then spent some time back at the visitor center exploring the exhibit on the enslaved people of Mt. Vernon. I thought the introductory video and the exhibit were very enlightening with regard to laws and practices around slavery during George Washington’s time; they provide details that shift a historical group (slaves) into individual humans with their own unique lives and stories (visit youtu.be/gylNHHmTLAw). Again, this is not often accomplished in the typical texts that explore the role of slavery in our nation’s history.
Back at the house, we faced the unexpected challenge of parking the truck and trailer. When we’d arrived on Sunday night, there had been plenty of parking on the street. Wednesday, however, classes at the educational institution across the street seemed to be in full swing. There was nowhere to park within several blocks of the apartment! Jon dropped me and the kids off to go inside while he kept searching… for 90 minutes. When he finally found a spot big enough to hold both vehicles, right around the corner from the house, he was (understandably) in a very bad mood! But, by the time our dinner of tacos and salsa was on the table, I think Jon was feeling a little less angry at Washington DC.
Thursday, we had a uniquely bipartisan tour of the Capitol scheduled! We met up with our tour guide at the office of a Republican congressman from Texas, Michael Cloud. One of his staff, Savannah, had invited our friends to tour the Capitol through her office over breakfast at their Williamsburg B&B. Our friends had taken her up on her offer and scheduled a Thursday morning tour. One of the interns, Gracie, showed us around. It was really exciting to learn about many of the historical features of the building and to see the inner workings of our government on such an up-close and personal level. We met the Texas congressman, by chance, as we were walking through the underground tunnels from the office building to the Capitol building. He was quite nice as he took a few moments greet us and, at Jon’s request, explain to our kids what had motivated him to go into politics!
Following our tour, we were scheduled to meet my cousin, Lisa. She generously hosted our group of seven in the Congress members’ dining room. Elected in 2017, Lisa is Delaware’s first female and first African American representative. We had just been visiting with her parents and sister in Wilmington last week, but had missed her at that time because she had been out of the country. It was great to have a chance to see her in DC!
Due to a couple of scheduled votes, our lunch was brief. But, it was fantastic to sit and chat with Lisa, even for a short time. Like the Texas congressman, Lisa shared with our kids her passion for political engagement and the role that average citizens can play in effecting change. It meant a lot to all of us, as parents, to have our daughters get encouragement from such an accomplished woman. Lisa even took the littlest girls down to the floor to help her cast her vote!
In the Capitol building, after lunch, we got to observe the proceedings taking place on the house floor from the gallery. It was far more fascinating than I had expected. It brought life, in my mind, to our political system while also making me realize that these people, who make decisions for our country, are just… people. The whole day, but this experience in particular, somehow made our government more accessible in my mind.
We were all tired by the end of our time in the Capitol building, but we wanted to see the Supreme Court, where they had been hearing DACA arguments just the day before. The courtroom was closed, but we were able to tour the building, watch a video on the Supreme Court, and view a great exhibit on women in politics and in the court.
A cold walk led us back to representative Michael Cloud’s office, where we said goodbye to Savannah and Gracie. We hopped back on the metro to head home for our last night at the DC apartment, where we enjoyed another yummy pasta and salad dinner, followed by sorbet and ice cream, much to the delight of my kids!
Our night and morning were occupied by laundry, cleaning up, and packing. We woke up early to see our friends off; they had a 9:00 am White House tour scheduled and would be heading to the airport afterwards. We are so glad our girls got to experience DC with friends!
Once we had the truck all loaded up and the house cleaned, we were off. We decided to skip any morning sight seeing and give our metro cards to the construction worker across the street; hopefully she gets some use out of the $18 or so remaining on the cards! We’ll be spending the night on the road and heading to Savannah, Georgia in the morning.
In Georgia, we will continue our study of the early economy and industry of the south and its reliance on human trafficking and slave labor. I met Jon in Alabama 19 years ago, and we’ve returned a few times to visit with his family, so I’m only a little uneasy about spending the next couple weeks in the Deep South. Of course, for the past couple of hours, I’ve been occupied with writing while Jon scrolls through numerous Christian rock, conservative talk radio, and country stations trying to find us some music to listen to. I won’t lie, I’m sad that our free satellite radio trial has ended, and I’m getting a little more anxious by the mile.
Leave a Reply