the great american road trip 2.0 - day 4

The National Mall was our first stop today - the Washington Monument to be exact. Punk was in tears at the prospect of riding an elevator to the top, but managed to peer out the windows and even take a few photos once we got there. Kooka thought the experience was "amazing" and kept looking back over her shoulder as we left, saying "Can you believe I was all the way up there?"

Next stop was the Lincoln Memorial. This was a highlight for both kids, since the monument was prominently featured in "Night at the Museum 2." Punk said it was the highlight of his day.

After making our way down the stairs, we spent a silent 10 minutes walking along the Vietnam Wall. I am the only one of us who had ever seen it before, henceforth, the only one who was really prepared. Rick had a hard time watching, Punk was uncharacteristically quiet, and Kooka kept reading and reading, finally coming to the conclusion that no matter how fast she read, she would never see them all. Finally, we decided to each pick one name and pray for that soldier's family, which brought a bit of closure to the visit.



We stopped for street vendor lunch - dirty water hot dogs (ketchup for Punk, mustard & onions for Kooka and I - and some sort of garbage disposal contraption for Rico. He did coerce me into taking a bite, but not two).



Since we'd hit the Spy Museum yesterday, it was Punk's turn to choose, and it came as no surprise that he picked the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. His time there varied between glassy eyed stares at giant squids, and protoceratops skulls - to frenzied running back and forth shouting. "You guys have GOT to see this!" He was even brave enough to hold some sort of third-world insect at the Orkin Insect Zoo. Rico held a Madagascar hissing cockroach. Kooka and I were content to watch, until he accidentally dropped the 4-inch insect at out feet. It began to shuffle towards us both, and we quickly found something else to look at.

Even though they had been prepared, both kids were disappointed at the size of the Hope Diamond. Punk thought the giant quartz was far more impressive, and Kooka loved looking at all of the crowns and royal jewelry.

On the way back, we stopped for a snack at Red Velvet Cupcakery. Kooka had the birthday cake special, Punk opted for the Vanilla Bean, and Rico and I shared key lime. Three of us agree that it was totally worth the $10 price (I'll let you figure out who the lone dissenter might be).

For now, we are back at the hotel. The kids are thrilled to be let loose in the pool, Rick is napping on a poolside chair, and I am here - watching it all, reveling in how very lucky we are.

Tonight we will cruise past the White House, eat dinner in Chinatown, and head to my favorite monument of all - the Jefferson Memorial - where again, I will probably watch it all and revel in how very lucky we are.