Washington D.C. & Philadelphia

3rd East Coast Stop - Washington D.C. 

BY FAR the city I was most excited for. I planned 4 nights, 5 days here and still didn't feel like we had enough time. We showed up bright and early to our hotel to make sure we had a full day of activity only to be told we didn't have a reservation. Turns out we were there a full day early and my first scheduling screw up presented itself. I knew it would happen eventually and was shocked I went so far without messing something up. They were nice enough to let us use the lobby and with points (Thanks SPG and Marriot merger!) we were able to book a room for that night. Great thing was it gave us an extra day in the city. 

First day we walked around the National Mall:

Alex got a lot of laughs trying to get this picture right:

We toured the Library of Congress and The Capital, both of which were super cool. 

Best thing about Washington D.C. - almost everything is free! Museums have been gauging our budget in the previous cities and here we didn't have to worry about getting our moneys worth everywhere. 

Over the new few days we went through a whirlwind of museums:

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - we got the tip to go here early and get one of the first timed ticket and it was definitely needed. People who showed up 30 minutes after us ended up having to wait until the afternoon to get it. One of the best museum we went to, they did a really good job laying out all the events that led up to The Holocaust and lots of information I've never come across before. You need at least 2 or 3 hours here. 

Bureau of Engraving and Printing - SO COOL and definitely the most underrated museum. You get to watch them print money MONEY. I was asking questions until I was pushed out the door. Super short tour and really wish it was longer. 

Smithsonian Museum of Natural History - Pretty cool museum but is more fun for kids. Its a good overview of animals and dinosaurs, best part was the Hope Diamond and a really great exhibit on viruses and how YOU NEED TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN. 

Smithsonian Museum of American History - I really enjoyed this museum and wish we'd spent more time here. Lots of exhibits ranging from different political protests that have occurred in America, histories of conflicts, and a really cool section on all the American presidents. There's even a super sexist exhibit on the first ladies and what they wore through the centuries :/

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum - I think this museum was cool, but I was really hot and tired when we came, we stayed for maybe 10 minutes. We're planning on going back when we can enjoy it

National Gallery of Art - Really really great art museum, and its amazing it's free. We spent most of our time in the Modern Art section, really cool building and they had a lot of great pieces. Spend at least 4 hours here, and the cafe that connects the two buildings had the best gelato!

National Archives Building - This is where the Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and the Constitution. We got to the building too late and it was a bit of a shit show. The documents are pretty faded, so while they're cool to see, don't expect to be blown away. 

Ford Theater - Where Lincoln was assassinated. They had an interesting timeline on where Lincoln and Booth were leading up to the assassination. 

National Geographic Museum - the only museum we payed for. AWESOME exhibit on how they found the Titanic while looking for missiles in the Atlantic. The rest of the museum was pretty lack luster so only go if they have a good exhibit. 

We happened to be in the city for the National BBQ festival and while it was horribly hot, we got a ton of free food (that we're still eating) and free toiletries!

Since we stayed in Arlington we were right next to Arlington Cemetery and Marine Corps War Memorial:

After almost a week we moved on to

4th East Coast Stop - Philadelphia

 We did the highlights:

Liberty Bell - Yep still broken

Independence Hall - Awesome tour of where the Revolutionary War started

Philadelphia Museum of Art "Rocky Steps" - We went on the "pay what you like night", and while the building is gorgeous, the exhibits were just so so after Chicago and Washington D.C.  (and yes we totally went on a run so we can run up the rocky steps). 

Reading Terminal Hall - SO MUCH GOOD FOOD. We could have spent days here eating

Rodin Museum - Pay what you want, largest Rodin exhibit outside of Paris. Highly recommend for a quick stopover

Mutter Museum - BEST MUSEUM EVER. A museum of medical oddities, Alex was over the moon there. We spent a few hours here and after reading through some pretty horrific diseases I felt queasy enough to call it, but overall it's a must see. 

Elfreth's Alley - Oldest "continuously inhabited" street in America, really pretty and makes you glad you don't live in any of the houses tourists were trying to peek into. 

All the food we had in Philly was phenomenal and reasonably priced. We wouldn't make the city a main destination but its great to add a few days if you're in the area. 

We were burnt out on museums at this point and luckily we were reaching our turning point from city back to mountains. But we won't forget how awesome our experience was.