Back in November, one of my very best friends got married and I was beyond privileged to be matron of honor at her wedding, taking place in Richmond, Virginia. Since I’d be coming back to the US for a couple of weeks, but not quite up to New York State, I convinced my dad to meet me in Washington DC, where I would be landing after my very long 24-hour international flight from Melbourne, Australia. In all honesty, it didn’t take any convincing and my dad was just as excited as me to spend a couple of days on a father-daughter trip in a really cool city that we had both been to separately, but never together. For those of you who aren’t familiar, Washington DC is just a short 2-hour drive from Richmond, Virginia, which is also a really cool city that I’ve had the pleasure of visiting once before.
I departed Australia on November 9th around 8 pm. Twelve hours later I arrived in Beijing with a fairly long layover, but sadly not long enough to leave the airport and explore the city. My next flight was almost fourteen hours long. I managed to sleep quite a bit and watch a couple of movies, but if I can take anything away from those long flights, it’s that sitting down for that long is not good for your body! My ankles were swollen, my back ached, and I felt beyond dehydrated. Needless to say, I couldn’t have been more excited to step off that plane. Especially once I walked out of immigration and saw my dad’s face. This was our first time together since June when I flew home to celebrate his 70th birthday. But it was a wonderful reunion and we were so excited about the fun couple of days that laid ahead.
Day 1:
Thankfully we both arrived in DC before 12 pm, so we had a full day ahead of us and we were ready to use it to our advantage. Jet lag wasn’t going to slow me down! Our first stop was the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, which is only five minutes from Dulles Airport and I would absolutely recommend going, especially if you’re flying out of Dulles as well. They even offer free luggage storage if you are coming right from the airport. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center is part of the Smithsonian Institution and is a really impressive National Air & Space Museum. Just like the other Smithsonian museums, admission is free! (They do get you on the parking though, which is $15 before 4 pm.) The museum is so extensive you could easily spend 2 hours wandering around, which was about how much time we spent inside. A couple of highlights for me were the space shuttle enterprise, which was used by NASA between 1977-1979, Enola Gay, which is the aircraft that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance plane, which is still the fastest, highest-flying aircraft ever built, flying more than 2200 mph! There’s so much history inside this museum and as I have recently started working at an aviation school, I was even more intrigued by everything I was seeing.
After our wander through the museum, it was time for us to head to our accommodation for the next few days. Originally we were looking to stay at a hotel, which seems like the obvious choice when visiting somewhere but our extremely thoughtful neighbors Don & Sue, who live half the year next-door to us up in Canada where our summer homes are, and the other half the year at their home in DC, graciously invited us to stay with them. They live in a beautiful suburb of DC called Chevy Chase, which is only about a 20-minute drive outside of the city. For those of you visiting DC that don’t have friends, family, or really nice neighbors to stay with, my go-to is usually booking.com or hostelworld.com and believe it or not, there are a bunch of reasonably priced hostels in the DC area ranging from $21 a night- $89 a night (in case you’re on a budget!) One app that I definitely find worth having is Hotel Tonight. This one can be a little bit of a gamble, but chances are, you’ll end up getting a great deal. Hotel Tonight offers major discounts to hotel rooms when you book them that evening or in the very near future. As I said, it can be a gamble as you’re booking very last minute, but the deals offered are usually pretty impressive.
After making our way to Don & Sue’s, getting settled in and having some time to catch up with each other, my dad and I headed out for dinner. We found a really nice Japanese restaurant in their neighborhood called Makibar. If you know me, you know how much I love sushi. I had a favorite spot back home that I would go to basically once a week and this place was almost just as good! My go-to: crunchy spicy shrimp & crunchy spicy crab.
After dinner, we grabbed a couple of things for breakfast from the Trader Joes next to the restaurant (it was nice to walk through a Trader Joes again) and then we called it a night. My jet lag didn’t seem too bad, but I wanted to ensure a good, full night’s sleep because we had a big day ahead of us!
Day 2:
The next morning we woke up on the earlier side to get ready and out of the house by 10:30 am. We took the Metrorail into the city, which was fairly easy, even if you’re not familiar with their public transport system. To take the Metrorail in DC, you must purchase a SmarTrip card. There are different options for how much money you’d like to put on the card and a pricing chart to calculate your fare between stops. There is also an option for a day pass at $13 which gives you unlimited rides for the 24 hour period. However, once you’re actually in the heart of DC everything is so walkable, we didn’t even bother with the day pass.
Our first stop of the day was the US Capitol Building. We had a beautiful walk to the building down quiet, tree-lined streets and I had a very sudden realization of how much I miss and appreciate the foliage of autumn, something that isn’t as obvious during Melbourne’s changing seasons. I decided that moment, that autumn is an absolutely perfect time to visit Washington DC.
We had a guided tour for the Capitol Building scheduled at 11:30 am. It is not required to book tours ahead of time but definitely recommended. Plus the process is easy, free, and saves you a little time once you arrive. To book a tour, click here: https://tours.visitthecapitol.gov/cvc
The tour starts with an interesting, short video that takes you through some really important American history. Afterward, you’re broken up into groups and placed with a tour guide. Our tour guide was phenomenal, as I’m sure they all are! She was extremely educated and seemed to have a true passion for what she did. Her knowledge of history and ability to make the stories and facts entertaining kept my interest the entire time. Besides all of the history that took place there, the architecture, paintings, and statues, were remarkable on their own. This is definitely a tour worth taking!
After our tour ended, we took the underground tunnel to the Library of Congress. The buildings are right next to each other and connected by this pathway that also allows you to skip going through security again. The Library of Congress is exquisite! Every detail from floor to ceiling is worth noting and the colors are really beautiful. We didn’t take a guided tour through the library, however, they are offered for free. Instead, we took our own wander around. The main point of interest for us was the geography & map reading room where you can find original maps dating back to the 14th century along with other amazing artifacts.
For lunch, we went to one of my absolute favorite places and this may very well have been one of my favorite parts of the whole trip, Lukes Lobster. Have you ever had a lobster roll? If not, you’re missing out! And Lukes knows how to do them better than anyone else (in my opinion!) There are a couple of different locations around the DC area, but if you’re also coming from Capitol Hill, the closest one is in Penn Quarter, about a 20-minute walk. Enjoy!
After lunch, we had another 15-minute walk to the Smithsonian Museum of American History. There are so many museums in DC, which makes it a little difficult to decide which ones to go to but to be honest, I don’t think you can go wrong! My dad and I are both really into history so we agreed this one would be a great option and it did not disappoint! There are so many highlights in this museum that you’ll need to give yourself at least a couple of hours to get through them, depending obviously on what you’re most interested in seeing. Something on the top of my list was the ruby red slippers from Wizard of Oz. It’s such an iconic & classic movie, seeing a real-life piece of history from the film was so cool. We also got to see the original Star-Spangled Banner, which was a lot larger than I was expecting it to be! Reading about its history and its previous homes before making it to the American History museum was really interesting. A pair of Muhammad Ali’s boxing gloves were on display, as well as a Julia Child’s actual kitchen from her home in Cambridge. Needless to say, there’s enough at this museum alone to keep you entertained for ages.
From the museum, we headed to dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill, which is Washington’s oldest saloon, founded in 1856. Apparently quite a few presidents have even dined there. I made a reservation ahead of time, which I would definitely recommend as even on a Monday night the place was packed. I would also recommend going between 3-6 pm for their oyster happy hour. Everything was delicious!
Apparently, the White House is pretty close to Old Ebbitt Grill and we were considering a walk past, but by this point, we were pretty tuckered out and ready to call it a day. We did, however, get to stroll by the Washington Monument at sunset, which was a very nice way to end the evening.
Day 3:
The following day we rose on the earlier side once again and made our way out of the house by 11 am. We had our nice little commute into the city and headed for our first destination of the day, The Old Post Office Tower. Construction on the building started in 1891 and at one point did actually serve as the local post office. I wouldn’t have guessed from just looking at the building because it’s really extravagant and ginormous! It has since been bought by The Trump Organization and transformed into (surprise, surprise) a hotel. The main reason for coming to The Old Post Office Tower though is for the tower. Entering through the back of the building, you can take the elevator up to another elevator which brings you to the watchtower of the building and a really cool 360 view of Washington DC.
Right down the street from The Old Post Office is Ford’s Theater, our second stop of the day, and the location of Lincoln’s assassination. This was another tour that I booked ahead of time and one of the only activities we did that actually cost anything. But at $3 a ticket, it hardly broke the bank. We took the 12:30 pm self-guided tour. There are plenty of time slots to book tickets however, so I’m not positive its something that you need to book ahead of time. But again, it can’t hurt! To book a tour of Ford’s Theather, check out fords.org
The tour starts with a self-guided walk through some of President Lincoln’s history. You get to read all about his killer, John Wilks Booth & his accomplices. You even get to take an up-close look at the gun which ultimately took his life. There’s a fascinating and very detailed account of what happened during the days leading up to Lincoln’s assassination and as you walk from the museum to Ford’s Theater, on either side of the walls, you’ll see a representation of April 14, 1865, for both Abraham Lincoln and John Wilks Booth, as if you’re walking in their shoes through that day.
From there, you enter Ford’s Theater, which is still an active theater and often has performances taking place, which the public can buy tickets to. It was a bit smaller than I was expecting but looked quite authentic to what it may have looked like decades ago (minus all of the new lighting equipment, which I don’t believe was around during Lincoln’s time.) We were informed though, that all of the chairs are relatively new. Back in the day, people sat on little wooden boxes or crates while watching the shows. We got to take an up-close look at the booth that Lincoln and his wife were sitting in when he was shot. While walking around the theater, it was amazing to think about all the history that took place right here around us.
The last part of the tour takes place across the street from the theater in The Peterson House where Lincoln actually passed. On the night of his assassination, Lincoln was brought here as he wouldn’t make it to a doctor or back to The White House in time. The Peterson’s opened there home to him as well as numerous people that came in and out of the house during that evening. The next morning at 7:22 am Lincoln died in the back bedroom of the home and The Peterson House was no longer just a house across the street from Ford’s Theater.
After our tour concluded we took a little walk through the gift shop, which is worth doing just to see the enormous tower of Lincoln books; every book that was ever written about Lincoln, and more are being published every year. Pretty impressive, wouldn’t you say?!
For lunch, we went next door from the theater for a quick and easy souvlaki wrap at GRK. We still had a couple more stops for the day so a nice and easy lunch seemed necessary. If Greek isn’t your thing, there were a bunch of little restaurants and cafes in the area to grab a fast bite to eat. To keep with our Lincoln theme for the day, we obviously had to go to the Lincoln Memorial, but we decided to make the walk from the Washington Monument. Here, we found out you can actually go to the top of the Washington Monument! Unfortunately, it is something that you have to book in advance, but it was a great thing to find out for next time. The walk was beautiful with gorgeous views in all directions of monuments, memorials, and stunning architecture. The Reflecting Pool always strikes me as a peaceful, serene place and since it’s such a commonly photographed site, it was really lovely to be looking at it in person.
The Lincoln Memorial was pretty busy, but I can’t imagine a time when it’s not. However, everyone was very respectful inside of the memorial and kept the volume down, as there are signs around asking for quiet. Did you know there is a small museum under the Lincoln Memorial? My dad shared this with me and we took the elevator down to explore the museum. There was a really nice exhibit for Martin Luther King Junior with some very iconic photographs from his “I Had A Dream” speech. It is definitely worth going down and taking a look through.
Just outside the Lincoln Memorial, you can also find the Korean War Memorial and the World War II Memorial, which were both very well-done, beautiful sites. We took a little walk around both of these to admire and pay our respects.
From there we made our way to our last museum of the trip, the Smithsonian Natural History Museum. This one I had actually been to previously during my high school junior year school trip. Our class spent a long weekend in DC and I remember liking it, but I definitely didn’t appreciate it the way I was now, coming back as an adult. It was a new perspective, now having more of an interest in history, architecture, and culture. Which are three things that Washington DC is great for!
We stayed at the Natural History Museum until we actually got kicked out by security doing there closing rounds. The museum closes at 5:30 pm, so good thing to note if you’re going later in the day as we did. The building itself is so stunning and there are so many cool exhibits to look through. One of my favorites has always been the dinosaurs. It still amazes me when I’m looking at the skeletons of these creatures that at one point in time, they roamed the Earth! I also love anything space related and they had a really interesting exhibit of all these lunar rocks that have made their way to Earth from outer space. Also, don’t forget to check out Henry, the 13- foot elephant which has been in the museum since 1959. There’s some great information about elephant ecology and the threat of poaching these incredible creatures.
For dinner that night, our amazing hosts Don & Sue took us out to one of their favorite Italian restaurants. One great thing about knowing someone in the city that you’re coming to be a tourist in is that they know from a local’s perspective of all the great places to go to and restaurants to eat in. Just to extend a little on the background information I gave earlier, my family has a summer home up in Ontario, Canada, about 15 minutes from our home in Buffalo, where I was born and raised. We spent most of our summers at this house and I remember a great deal of my childhood being up there. Don & Sue live next door to us and also spend their summers there. As neighbors, we would obviously always see each other in passing, have nice little conversations, but to be honest, I never got to know them that well. Also, in my adult years, my time spent up there is extremely limited (especially since I don’t live in the States anymore.) So staying with them in DC was one of the first times we really got to spend some quality time together and have extended conversations with one another. They are a remarkable couple, extremely cultured, have traveled the world, and have countless entertaining stories. Having this experience of staying with them on our trip, really made it that much more special. Thank you, Don & Sue!
Departing Day:
Before we knew it, our final day had arrived. However, my bus to Richmond and my dad’s flight back home were not until after 3 pm so we decided to make the most out of our last bit of time together. Instead of going back into the city, we decided to do something on the outskirts of DC, which was a nice switch-up of scenery. We decided to go to Hillwood Estate, Museum & Garden, the former residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post of Post Cereals. Entry tickets are $17 for adults and can be purchased ahead of time at https://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/ but we didn’t find it necessary.
The grounds were spectacular! She had one of the most recognized orchid collections in the country which is still kept up in the greenhouse. This was our first stop. We met a really nice groundskeeper that gave us a bunch of great information on her history and about the estate itself. All of the staff there seemed very friendly and helpful, willing to answer any questions and as I didn’t know much about her prior to visiting the estate, this really came in handy.
Next, we headed over to the mansion, which was her residence from 1955 until her death in 1973. Each room was even more impressive than the last. Marjorie was a collector of many fine things and it definitely showed! Unfortunately, any description I could ever attempt to write will never do justice, so hopefully, my pictures can shed a little light on this phenomenal place that she called home.
After touring through the mansion, we went through the gardens, which were also stunning. I especially loved the Japanese garden. Again, the time of year seemed perfect as the colors of the leaves had been changing and the surroundings just couldn’t have been more beautiful. My dad and I even sat in a couple of the blue lawn chairs for a while and tried to imagine what it would feel like for this to be our backyard.
In all honesty though, even if I had all the money in the world, I don’t think I’d want to live in such an extravagant home. The estate was remarkable and her residence was outstandingly beautiful, but it didn’t feel homey to me. I think I’d make do with something a little smaller and a lot more cozy!
After we left the estate, we grabbed lunch, which was sadly going to be our last meal together for a while. We went to a really great restaurant in the area called Clyde’s. They had an extensive menu and a really cool atmosphere with old cars, and small planes displayed everywhere. There was even a little train track hanging from the ceiling circling around the restaurant.
Before we knew it we were back at Don & Sue’s packing up our bags and saying our goodbyes. Saying goodbye, especially to my dad has always been the most difficult part of any trip. What made this one even harder, is that there is no set date in place yet as to when we will see each other again. It is a great excuse to start planning our next adventure though!
Overall, our Washington DC father-daughter trip was an absolute success. The amount that we got to see and experience over a short couple of days was impressive. Even though this was technically my third time visiting DC, I was still able to find a tremendous amount of new, exciting things for us to do without many repeats from my previous trips. It is definitely a very interesting, historical, and cultural city with so much to offer! I’d highly recommend it and I hope this post has shed a little light on anyone trying to plan a trip there themselves. Please feel free to share any thoughts or questions in the comments! Thank you for reading & happy travels!
Carly your travel blog was fabulous…very informative and I loved all your beautiful pictures. I have missed your blogs and was so excited to see one in my email…you certainly have a gift for writing and adventure, too…you make us all so very proud of you…God bless you always my beautiful niece!!!
Thank you so much for reading Aunt Lee! I’m so happy you enjoyed it <3 Miss & love you very much!