So then the day after Christmas, we went to Mount Vernon (George Washington's Estate). I'd been there before, but it was cool to see it again now that I'm older and can appreciate it more. It really is beautiful...right on the Potomac and surrounded by acres of fields and forests.
After Mount Vernon, the girls went shopping while the boys went to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. Luckily my dad was on top of things picture-wise (much to Hans's dismay, I'm sure :) )
Tuesday, we went to the Holocaust museum. It was a really cool experience; they have a lot of really interesting stuff there. Then at the end, they had a video of Holocaust survivors telling their stories. They were so sad to hear, but so amazing at the same time.
Wednesday, the kids left. While Rachel and mom were taking them to the airport, dad, Hans and I went to the National Museum of American History. I think this is a really cool museum. They've got all sorts of things from American culture throughout the years. The first thing that we saw was the ACTUAL AMERICAN FLAG that inspired the national anthem. Tell me that's not so cool! I couldn't get any photos because it was a low-light room to preserve the flag, but trust me when I saw that it was awesome. We also saw stuff like the original muppets, Lincoln's hat, and old trains and cars. There are a ton more photos of this on my facebook, but here a couple just to give you a peek:
Lincoln's hat:
Sweet old car:
In an old timey train station...which one is real?!?
After the American History museum, mom and Rachel met us at the Spy Museum! This museum is also very cool. Unfortunately, it's not free, but it's kind of worth it. You get to see all kinds of sweet stuff that's been used by actual spies! And there are interactive activities where you can pretend to be a spy. You also have to assume an identity a the beginning and remember everything about your identity so you can be tested on it later. It's a super fun place and I definitely recommend it to anyone visiting DC.
The next day, Thursday, we set off for New Jersey to visit Missey et. al. and to go to New York. Along the way, we got to stop in Gettysburg for Hans. Hans has been wanting to go to Gettysburg pretty much his whole life. He said it was like going to Disney World for him haha. First we got to go in the museum, which included a movie, a cyclorama (which was actually a HUGE painting covering the whole round room, that was painted in the early 20th century by a French guy. Too cool), and a bunch of really neat old stuff from the battle. One of my favorite things was a pair of opposing bullets that had collided in MID-AIR!! How cool is that?
Part of the cyclorama painting:
Fused bullets:
After the museum, we went out to see the battlefield. The museum took a lot longer than we'd expected, so we didn't get to see the whole battlefield, just the Confederate side and a tiny bit of the Union side. It was really neat to see the landscape where the battle took place and to see all the different monuments for each Confederate state.
Hans scoping out the battlefield:
The Virginia monument:
The Georgia monument:
After only a few short hours in Gettysburg, we continued on to NJ. For anyone who's thinking about visiting Gettysburg, IT IS A FULL DAY'S TRIP. Don't expect to just spend a couple hours there, like we did. The museum takes at least 2 hours, and we were rushing. Then the driving tour takes something like 3 or 4 hours, and I'm sure that doesn't count you stopping and looking around. There really is a lot to see.
So we got into NJ and were able to spend some time just hanging out with family. Then the next day (Friday), we went to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, which I was really excited about because as many times as I've been to NYC, we've never thought to do that tour. Unfortunately, we were already pretty museumed-out by the time we got to Ellis Island (I'll be honest, I didn't know it was a museum), so we only spent maybe half an hour there and didn't really take full advantage of it. But it was still cool to see.
So then after Ellis Island, the boat took us over to the Statue of Liberty. This ended up being a kind of poorly-timed visit because the Statue is currently being renovated, and no-one is allowed inside. Still, it was awesome to see it up close. I took about a billion pictures (duh). It was also really neat to see Manhattan from across the water.
The other cool thing of the day was that we got to see the New Jersey 9/11 memorial, which I didn't even know existed. But it's there, right by the terminal for the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty tours. We were originally going to go to Ground Zero, but apparently you need tickets, and none of us knew that until the week before we left, which is too late. So it was cool that we at least got to see one of the memorials for 9/11. It was a really pretty, but relatively simple memorial with all the names of NJ residents whose lives were lost inscribed on it. And in front of it, they had pieces from the actual structures of the towers.
Saturday, we went into Manhattan. For any of you that were keeping track, Saturday was New Year's Eve. Yeah, we went into Manhattan on New Year's Eve. That wasn't on purpose, it was just accidentally poorly planned. Luckily, though, we went in the morning and it wasn't TOO crowded, although people were already starting to gather in Times Square (imagine just standing there ALL DAY just to get a good spot for the party....crazy!). So anywho, we walked around for a bit, then got lunch at this random little deli/sushi place, and THEN we went to see WICKED!! For anyone who hasn't seen this, I highly reccommend it. I mean, it's definitely not Phantom or Les Mis, but it was definitely a good one! Interesting plot, great set and costumes, and really amazing singing! Overall, definitely a must-see.
So after the play, we drove Rachel to the airport (sadface) and then returned to Missey's house to wait out the new year. And I must say, this new year definitely started out better than last (if you don't know that story, ask me, I won't go into it here).
Then Sunday, we drove home. I think we ended up driving a weird way (thank you, weirdie GPS), and so found ourselves driving through Philadelphia. Well, this was very exciting because I didn't think we'd be going this way, even though I'd asked if we could, because another one of Hans's life goals was to eat a Philly Cheesesteak from Philly. So as soon as I realized where we were, I quickly looked up a list of good cheesesteak places (ah, the wonders of a smartphone), and navigated us to not just any old cheesesteak place, but the cheesesteak place that started it all! Pat's King of Steaks...how cool is that?? The guys who started this place actually INVENTED the Philly Cheesesteak. Another Hans Life Goal accomplished...with bonus points!
Yes, that the line wrapping ALL THE WAY around the building. Philadelphians take their cheesesteaks seriously!
Hans's first official Philly Cheesesteak:
So that was pretty exciting. Other exciting events on the way home included seeing the Ravens' stadium and the Eagles' stadium (which was literally right next to the highway and had a game going on when we passed it. Win.), making three total NFL stadiums that we saw on the trip (we passed the Giants' stadium while in NJ).
Monday was our last day in VA :( but it was definitely not wasted. We went shopping and SHOOTING! That's right, folks, I actually shot a gun. My dad took us to a shooting range and we all took turns shooting his old 9mm and revolver from his cop days. And I won't lie, we're all pretty good shots. Although right when I was really getting the hang of it, we ran out of ammo for the 9mm and had to switch to the revolver. Let me tell you, shooting a revolver is just not fun. Hans liked it because it was smaller and fit his hand better, but I very much disagreed. Since it's smaller, it's got a lot more kick to it, and it hurts when it pulls back :( But that's okay, because we had fun anyways, and now I know how to shoot a gun. Dangerous :D Ha.
So anyways, then on Tuesday (at some unearthly hour of the morning), we flew back to UT. Sad, sad. But it really was an amazingly fun break! If only real life could be like that all the time :)
If I were planning a trip, this is exactly what I would do. I am a history site/museum junky. I loved the Holocaust Museum. Very depressing but so so interesting. Gettysburg? Yes please! And I loved Wicked. Like really loved it. Ugh. Jealous.
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