Our first goal was to get metro passes. It was really easy and took significantly less time than I anticipated. A super nice worker at the station nearest our hotel explained what we needed and helped us get the right tickets. I had planned on needing to go to the central station to get Jennifer's discounted disability pass, but we could do what we needed at a self serve kiosk and were all set in less than five minutes. Riding the metro trains was probably one of the highlights of the whole vacation. Our hotel was about a 10 minute walk from the Dupont Circle Station, and with our 7 day passes we were able to ride all over town with very little inconvenience or fuss. The system was remarkably user friendly, clean, and wheelchair/stroller accessible (though the elevators were too small for both a the same time, so we usually had to take the lift in shifts). The boys loved it!
Since getting our passes took next to no time, we decided to hop on a train and see something before lunch. We aimed for the National Postal Museum, but the train was running on the rush hour schedule and turned around before we reached the stop we wanted. We got off at a different station, looked to see what was near, and ended up at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We walked through a video game exhibit which Matthew really liked, then stopped for snacks in the neatest courtyard either of us had ever seen. It had a glass roof so one could keep cool while enjoying the sunshine, and four water scrims each one-quarter inch deep so the boys could walk around splashing without getting totally soaked.
We had planned on going back to the hotel for lunch and naps after getting our metro passes, so we didn't bring much food or the camera. However, after a bite to eat and getting their wiggles out, the boys seemed up for more sight seeing so we decided to press on and see if Abraham might fall asleep in the stroller. We spent some more time at the art museum, then went over to the Museum of Air and Space where we had arranged to meet my mom. Hyrum explored an interactive exhibit with Matthew, while Abraham enjoyed spending half an hour climbing on and off a bench. The museum was super packed and crazy, and not especially well laid out for the smooth flow of such a crowd. Abraham became inconsolably fussy and Hyrum was pretty tired himself, so after checking out a couple of things we really wanted to see, we gave up on airplanes and bought the boys Happy Meals at the overpriced McDonalds attached to the museum. After a potty break to deal with a teething-poo explosion, we headed back to the hotel and got the boys to bed a bit after 7pm. The adults ate dinner at the hotel's bistro and Matthew had an adventurous trip to Safeway to pick up a few supplies. That night there was a massive storm that tore down trees and took out electricity in many DC suburbs. I guess I was tired because for the first time in my life...I slept right through it.
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