So after my disastrous trip to Portland, Maine the next stop on my trip was to Washington DC. I got slightly derailed thanks to weather and canceled flights, but that just meant I had to cram what I wanted to do in a shorter amount of time.

I arrived at the hotel a little after noon and had some problems checking in. Since I didn’t check in the night before (flight was canceled) the hotel just deleted my reservation. A little while on the phone and it was fixed….eventually. I threw my stuff in the room and immediately took the Subway to the Smithsonian. Now, I’d never been to the Smithsonian but I was shocked at how big it was! I didn’t have a lot of time since everything closed at 5:30, so I spent most…all of my time at the National Air and Space Museum.

Air and Space Museum at the Smithsonian

I occupied my time there quite a bit with their little movies and hands-on exhibits. I read a lot of about the airline industry, how it flourished in the 60’s and 70’s with premium service, and how that’s declined into a hated industry today. It was actually pretty interesting stuff. I wish I had much more time to hang out and see other buildings in the Smithsonian, like this one just called “The Castle”:

The Castle as the Smithsonian in Washington DC

It was a pretty dreary day with all the rain and wind from the storm that was still hanging around the east coast. The Smithsonian closed at 5:30, but I had booked an evening tour that started at 6:30 that promised to see many Washington DC attractions at night, so back to the hotel to get ready for my next tour!

The bus picked me up right on time at 6:30 and I joined a bunch of other (older) people for an after dark look at some of the most popular tourist attractions around DC. First was the Capital building:

The Capital Building

Next was the white house:

The White House

The Washington Monument:

The Washington Monument

I have a bunch more photos from Washington DC but you’re going to have to wait until I make my major photo post in a few weeks. I promise, I have hundreds from this trip thus far!

The next morning, I had breakfast with an old friend of high school, Jessica! It was great seeing her and catching up. One of the main reasons I did this trip was because it gave me a chance to see and catchup with friends who I haven’t had the chance to see in a while.

After breakfast it was off to my next destination: Ft. Myers, Florida! Why Ft. Myers? I guess you’ll have to read my next update!