Planning a trip to Washington DC, MD, DE and NJ

[lbaker]

HAH HAH HAH!! I've already tried to email Vcat and will continue to do so until it works One thing I must push is a very special, private, small chapel within the Washington Nat'l Cathedral that was funded and built as a chapel for pets. It's very small and beautiful and one can feel the heartbeats of all of our gone to the bridge furkids. It's magic. It's way in the back but I can lead the way. Another MUST is "The Awakening" sculpture by The Mall. And no, teens... "The Mall" does NOT mean shopping mall It's the National Mall of Memorials and the Smithsoniam Museums I can't wait to see you!!

[Vermontcat]

Slick, Laurie is the first person I thought of and I already PM'd her about it.

Laurie I did get your PM in reply and I had given you my e-mail address in the PM I sent you. My PM box is too full and I need to clean it out before I can PM back a reply.
My sons are 15 and 12 and my daughter is 9. We were thinking of walking around the Mall and seeing the sights on our first day there which will be Sunday the 23rd of April. Is there a good time to see the Washington Monument and would you recommend getting the tickets in advance? We also plan to visit some of the Smithsonian Museums.(I love that they are free!)
I have to run for now but I will be back online later. Sorry that I have not been online much lately or been easy to reach.

[emily_the_spoiled]

Laurie is on her way out to LA this afternoon, but I will try and help you out with a few things.

The most important thing is to bring comfortable shoes. DC is a town for walking (and Baltimore is to soom extent.

I'll do Baltimore first because it is easier (and smaller). The best thing to see is the Inner Harbour. If you are there on a game day you can always get tickets to the Oriole's (the stadium is great even for us non-baseball people).

Regarding tickets for the Monument... I would definitely advice getting them in advance if you can. Because then you don't have to wait in line as long.

I would also recommend seeing the National Holocaust Museum. One can not say this place is "fun", but it is one of the most moving museums I have ever seen.

The kids might also be interested in the Spy Museum. Unfortunately this one of the few museums in town that is not free but it is very good.

I always find that just walking on the Mall is nice (especially if it is nice outside). The Vietnam, Korean, and Lincoln Memorials are altogether at one end. Then the Congress is at the other end, with many of the Smithsonian Museums in between (or off the Mall a few blocks)

Cheryl

[Edwina's Secretary]

I love Mount Vernon....

[Vermontcat]

Thanks for the information Emily(Cheryl). Laurie mentioned that you live in the DC area too and would have some ideas.
We do plan to do a lot of walking as long as the weather is good. After a full day in the car the kids will be ready to do lots of walking.
A friend of mine also mentioned the Spy Museum but also said that it will cost more money.
We will see how many of the Smithsonian Museums we can see first before we try the Spy Museum.
Edwina's Secretary, I was thinking of going over to see Mount Vernon too but we will see if we can fit it into our schedule after we see some of DC.
Thanks for the help so far, it looks like I will have to wait a week to hear back from Laurie.
In the meantime I picked up Fodor's Guide to DC today so I will be checking that out for more info on the area.

[emily_the_spoiled]

There are something like 13 Smithsonian's so you could spend alot of time just in those museums

Are there specific things that the kids would be interested in?

(There is always shopping...)

[Cessa's Mom]

The Spy Museum is very good! I even crawled through the ductwork. LOL! I also enjoy watching "The Changing of the Guard" at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington Cemetary.