bert425

that. . .is really beautiful. very nice!

that is some great looking food. I had a huge lunch, and my stomach is growling looking at these pics! Good Job, Disney.

Day 7: After the exhausting prior day, we did out best to try and sleep in. But being in DC, and just not having to think about work at all (it hadn’t even crossed my mind the whole trip thus far), had us both up and about by 8am. Shocking, considering how wiped out we should have been! I did briefly make the argument that it would be nice to go to the Zoo (which is considered a Smithsonian site, and therefore has free admission).. but it seemed so far away even tho the Red Line goes right to it (and if we chose to drive, parking was $22!). So I only made that argument briefly, since I didn’t want to lose the whole day. The only “musts” today were the Monuments tour at 7:30 pm, and the Air & Space Museum on the mall, and I had budgeted 3-4 hours for it. But we still had a bunch of time, so we got showered, dressed, and left the room by 9:15, and headed towards the Foggy Bottom Station with the intention of stopping at a few additional Smithsonian Museums that had been on our “maybe” list, since we had finished 2 of the really “big” museums yesterday. So we exited the Smithsonian stop, and that put us a short walk to (really right next to) the Freer Gallery, the square museum built around an open courtyard, with a focus on Asian art. The most “famous” object in the Freer Gallery is an American Work, however, the Peacock Room, painted by Whistler (of “Whistler’s Mother” fame). .this is an opulent London Dining room that is painted in royal blues and golds with very Asian influenced design work, and gorgeous gold leaf applied throughout. . the room also displays hundreds of Asian ceramics with glazes that match the background of the room. The room was brought over from London as it was created, and then installed in Freer’s home, and upon his death, it was moved to the Smithsonian, where it was installed and appears as it did in the original London house. It really is jaw-droppingly amazing. While not one of the Smithsonian’s larger museums, as a fan of Asian art, I was happy that we got to visit this Museum from our list. . .but as we saw with several other museums, the Freer is about to undergo renovation in 2016, and they had already started closing off some of the Galleries in preparation. Unfortunately, the ones that were shut already seemed to be the Japanese focused ones. . (my favorite art style. . .poop). But 3/4ths of the Museum was still open, so we started on the left and just worked our way around the square, seeing art and sculpture (and textiles) from: Chinese (with lots of Budda and animal sculptures), Korean (ceramics), Iran/Islamic world (some amazing illustrated manuscripts), & South Asian and Himalayan (lots of religious art).. . in addition to the Peacock room – installed in the back corner gallery of the Museum. We spent about 25 minutes in this gloriously quiet museum – which was a little bit cold, since the A/C was cranked but there were not a lot of folks there with us (a guard mentioned to me that we had timed it perfectly, since we were there on Sunday, the day before the summer camps started, and on those days they get non-stop tourgroups of kids thru the museum). Connected to the Freer Museum via underground tunnel is the next door Sackler Gallery – another Smithsonian Museum focused on Asian art, tho this one tends to be a little more contemporary. Most of this museum was located below ground level, and the main attraction here was the incredible Silver and Gold Iranian objects from the 4th Century that line the long tunnel/hallway between the two museums. Also on display at the Sackler were some South Asian and Himalayan Sculpture, a large display of Contemporary Asian Art (honestly, not too impressive to us), and what is billed all over the place in DC, “the Peacock Room REMIX: Darren Waterston’s Filthy Lucre” – a “new” version of Whistler’s Peacock Room from the other Museum, but this time filled with cracked and crumbling objects, and in “decadent ruin”. . . .I thought it was pretentious nonsense, a waste of space, and an insult to the real room that was but one building over -- but hey, art speaks to each of us in it’s own way. LOL. We didn’t spend too long in the Sackler, as it was really cold in there too!. .so we made our way back underground and back out the front doors of the Freer Gallery, and continued to our next stop (next door on the Mall), the Smithsonian Castle. The Castle is the 1st building that was done for the Smithsonian, and originally it housed all the collections before they got so big and split off to their own museums. Ben had mentioned the night before that it might be closed due to the construction on the mall, but luckily it was open and operating as usual. The Castle really is intended to be the 1st stop when visiting the Smithsonian Museums, as it serves as a planning center, with TONS of info on what to do, what to see, etc. Of course, I had researched all this online, so why did I want to stop at the Castle on our 2nd day there? Because the whole West Wing of the Castle serves as a “Sampler” of the Smithsonian museums – a Pu-Pu platter if you will. . with displays of objects from all the other museums. Including ones we weren’t planning on going to, such as the Portrait Gallery, as well as some Furniture that could only be seen in the original Smithsonian building. We spent a good 30 minutes in the large ballroom looking at the displays from all the Museums, and chatting with a Volunteer, who pointed out some interesting objects along the tops of cabinets lining the walls. The architecture in this building is pretty impressive as well, and just to stop and take a look at the turrets is worth one’s while. It’s also the final resting place of James Smithson. .the man who founded the Smithsonian – who’s crypt chamber lays to the left as you enter the main Castle from the National Mall. . the only body actually buried on the mall, and supposedly his ghost haunts the castle. There is also a gift shop here (but mostly cheesy stuff to keep the kids occupied – there wre MUCH better offerings at the individual Museum gift shops), as well as a Café . .. and tho we were getting hungry, I didn’t want to eat here. I was more interested in making our way past the Air and Space Museum to the American Indian Museum (with their Zagat rated Cafeteria). The American Indian Museum really is a gorgeous building, with a long winding path along ponds and fountains, and a few statues, to get you to the front doors. We didn’t realize until we were sitting in the café, that the long windows at the back of the ponds wrap around the dining room, so when you’re eating, you’re actually staring across the ponds to the people walking up the winding path to the Museum’s doors. Just beautifully designed. To be completely honest, we simply weren’t that interested in the contents of this particular museum (tho there were one or two exhibits I wouldn’t have minded peeking into. . even tho we did not), but as a “foodie” I really wanted to eat at the Mitsitam café ("Mitsitam" means "Let's Eat!" in the Native language of the Delaware and Piscataway peoples). The Café is billed as: The café enhances the museum experience by offering Native-inspired cuisines from five regions of the Western Hemisphere, including the Northern Woodlands, South America, the Northwest Coast, Meso America and the Great Plains. Each menu reflects the food and cooking techniques from the region featured. Menus are changed with each season to reflect the bounties of that area. We got the directions to the café from the visitor’s desk (and noticed that the vast majority of the Museum was made up of the large central atrium with the path circling around it, as well as the large theatre . . so really this was a rather small museum despite the impressive exterior). We went down the ramp and into the very large cafeteria style stations, and seating area. It smelled absolutely wonderful, and there were so many choices. Now, granted, Nick still has issues with what he can, and can’t eat – since certain spices, or spice levels still irritate his mouth from the Cancer treatments. . .but still, I figured with so many options there was bound to be some things he could try. This was a rated restaurant, and agreed upon by all the critics the best food on the National Mall. A NORMAL couple would each order something from one of the 5 stations, and sample from each other’s plates, to get different tastes. Well, unfortunately, we aren’t normal enough – Nick went ahead and ordered Chicken Fingers. Yeah. Me? I wanted to try a few things, and since I was on my own now food wise, I went to several of the different stations to try different options. So *my* lunch ended up costing somewhere in the neighborhood of $36. Yeah. Still, it was all really, really good. Looking at the current menu being offered at Mitsitam, I’m pretty sure what I tried was: From Northern Woodlands: Duck Fat Potato Hash (side), Vermont Maple and Bacon Cornbread (side) From Northwest Coast: Fig, Walnut, and Caraway Dressing (side), Wild Basil Fried Dough w/ Strawberry Compote (desert – it was VERY good) From South America: Sopa de Quinoa y Cerdo (Inka Style Quinoa Chowder with Pork Dust) (cup of soup) And from Great Plains: Indian Taco (Buffalo Chili on Fry Bread with Pickled Chiles & Pinto Beans, Lettuce, Tomato and Shredded Cheese) (Main dish) We got our heavy trays (at least mine was heavy), and headed to a table by the floor to ceiling windows. The Café is “green” so no straws available, but real silverware (which was nice), so you have to put your plates/trays/silverware back for washing on the way out. It was Father’s Day, so about ½ way thru our lunch, I stopped to go call my Dad and wish him a Happy Father’s Day (he confirmed he got the card I mentioned I mailed on the first day of the trip report, and as expected, he loved that it was cancelled with a Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Era cancelation stamp). We chatted for just a bit, and he tried again to convince me that we should stop by the Holocaust Museum (I’m sorry, but I DON’T want to be depressed on my Vacation! Same reason we never went to the Vietnam Memorial, despite being so close, and why I’ll never go to the 911 memorial in New York. I barely made it thru Pearl Harbor, and I’m not doing that again), and after saying goodbye, went back to join Nick and we took our time finishing up lunch. After a Bathroom Break, and confirmation that we didn’t really want to spend time doing exhibits in the American Indian Museum, we went out the back doors, thru the Indian Gardens, and onto Independence Avenue, to head next door into the biggie for the day: the Air and Space Museum. This one is the one we had most looked forward to (both here and the offsite one), as Nick is big into Planes, and both of us enjoy the Space aspect, so I had saved this for when we could really spend time on it. If I thought the American History and Natural History Museums yesterday were a zoo? This one was absolute anarchy. And the displays are EVERYWHERE. .it’s hard to even formulate a plan to walk thru the museum and ensure you hit everything, as exhibit galleries are left and right (and UP) off the main corridor. We knew we were not going to be bothering with any of the flight simulator rides, but that only knocked out one gallery of many.. . luckily, a check of at the Visitor’s Welcome Center showed there was a 90 minute tour starting at 1pm – just about 10 minutes from when we arrived-- so we decided we’ll go on the tour, and after, can swing back to see anything we missed. As with the other museums, the tourguides are all Volunteers, who enjoy taking visitors around the museum. I quickly directed Nick to line up with the very tall (6’5” ?) guy, figuring that with the crowd in the museum, we’d be able to find him again if we got separated from the tour. . .a strategy that worked quite well, as our group size shrunk (as the tour went on) and swelled (as folks heard him talking about a specific exhibit and joined in the tour) throughout the tour. I can’t remember this guide’s name, but he told us he was an Engineer (something I would have known anyways, from the way he enjoyed talking about the minutia in the history of many exhibits. .LOL), and he was a really great guide, telling us all kinds of History and stories from the days of the Wright Brothers, Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, a very interesting stop at the hall of Black Pilots. He really focused mainly on the “Air” portion of this museum, only giving us a cursory 15 minutes or so on the Space portion, but we didn’t mind, as the tour went way over the 90 minutes promised (he was closing in on the 2 ½ hour mark, when he realized how late he was running). He thanked us for taking the tour with him, and then we sat down to examine the Map of the Museum, and were pretty stunned to realize that although we had just spent 2 ½ hours touring, we hadn’t even covered 1/5th of the Museum! So we basically started in the corner of the 1st floor where the tour had ended, “Moving Beyond the Earth” and worked our way back across the galleries on the 1st floor, leaving the large floor to ceiling galleries (with the suspended planes and rockets) for last. . . but at least we were able to fast track thru what had been covered on the tour  So from “Moving Beyond Earth”, we went to “Exploring the Moon” (Apollo landings), then “Explore the Universe” (about telescopes), and into “Looking at Earth” (focusing on Earth from above, including balloons, spyplanes, and satellites. Then into “How Things Fly” (the hands on kids section -- that was insanely packed, so we stayed here maybe 3 minutes? LOL). .Past the welcome center/main doors, and into “Early Flight” (a gallery we partially covered on the tour), then into “Jet Aviation” (a large gallery with fighter jets on display), and finally the “Golden Age of Flight”. . . that knocked out the 1st floor, pretty much, and had taken us about an hour & ½ , so it was getting close to 5 by now. We didn’t have to head to Union Station for our Monuments tour until 7, so we still had 2 hours to do the upstairs and the large “two story” galleries, so we still had plenty of time and we headed upstairs. Most of the galleries upstairs on this side focused on warplanes, something Nick is into, so we took our time going thru: “World War II aviation”, “Military Unmanned Aerial Vehicles”, “Sea-Air Operations” (with the whole gallery themed as if you had stepped onto an Aircraft Carrier. . VERY well done), and “Great War in the Air” (WWI). One of my favorite galleries was next, “Exploring the Planets”. . poor Pluto, LOL, you could actually see where they had covered over references to it as a “planet” in the museum! But still, lots of information about all the planets, with what seemed to be a big focus on Jupiter, and Saturn (several exhibits on those planets). .but every planet got at least a display or two. We were then able to walk thru the next two huge galleries, “Barron Hilton Pioneers of Flight” and “the Wright Brothers” as the tour we had taken had gone thru these particular galleries extensively. . tho we did stop to read a bit more about Amelia Earhart’s business dealings, and look at her Lockheed Vega on display. The “Apollo to the Moon” gallery was interesting, with big displays of machinery, lunar rovers, tools, foods, and other things the astronauts took with them on the Apollo missions, as well as real Astronaut gear, uniforms, and paraphernalia. The small gallery next door, “Flight and the Arts” was blocked off (renovations?), so the last big Gallery on the 2nd floor was “Time and Navigation”, which focused on how sailors historically navigated using the stars, and how radar and other more modern Inventions changed the way we navigate. An interesting gallery, but we were way too tired to do much of the Hands on stuff in here by this point. It was just after 6, so we headed to the three large galleries we had skipped, stopping along the way to walk thru a recreation of the Skylab Orbital Workshop, and to walk thru the nose/control room of a Boeing 747. In one of the three big galleries (America By Air), we went thru an exhibit on the history of flying – that lets you walk thru a recreation of a luxury Douglas DC7, history of Airline Uniforms, and how they did the engines (I had no idea Rolls Royce made plane engines). In the “Space Race” gallery, we saw the Apollo-Soyuz test project, Tomahawk Cruise Missiles, and very large Missiles in the 4 story “Missile Pit” – in the center of the museum. we saved the best for last tho (even though some of these had been covered on our tour). .in the “Boeing Milestones of Flight” gallery, we saw Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis (first nonstop flight from New York to Paris), Chuck Yeagher’s Bell X-1 (the first plane to break the sound barrier), Spaceship1 (the 1st commercial spaceflight), as well as the Apollo II command Module Columbia, and the Gemini IV. Unfortunately, this gallery is in the middle of a large renovation, so although it worked in our favor (the aircraft I mentioned above are typically hanging from the ceiling, but we got to see them up close on the ground), but it worked against us that Sputnik and Explorer (a replica of the 1st artificial Earth Satellite) had been taken off display and had been removed for cleaning. . oh well, it was a replica anyways, since the original burned up at re-entry. We still had some time, and the Air and Space has a huge, 2-story, museum store, so we did some shopping in there, and basically killed some time until we had to head to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro stop just up the street, to make our 7:30 tour. So we headed out of the Air And Space Museum at just about 7pm (having spent about 6 hours there), and surprise, surprise, Independence Avenue was just blanketed with Ambulances, Fire trucks, Police Cars – seriously, there must have been over 50 of em. .flashing lights everywhere! And a slowly circulating overhead? a Helicopter. People were sitting on the steps watching, and I asked the guards at the doors what was going on. They told us they didn’t know, but it had been going on since around 3:30 pm! (we hadn’t even noticed, since we weren’t looking out windows while touring the galleries. I asked them “is it safe to go out this way?”. . and they shrugged, and pointed to the people that were sitting watching. I explained that we had to get to the L’Enfant Plaza stop, and the guard laughed at me and told me the station had been closed down. I went into panic mode and tried to get clarification – was the Metro down? Or just the Station closed? Because we had to check in for our tour at Union Station at 7:30, and I now had likely screwed us by taking time in the museum store. They told me the Metro was running, but that L’Enfant Plaza was shut down. .so we’d have to go to the Smithsonian stop. (gah!). So we ran as fast as we could (on sore as hell feet), out of Air and Space and up the mall, past the Hirshhorn Sculpture Museum, past the closed Arts and Industry Museum (apparently this one has been closed for years and will never reopen to the public), past the Smithsonian Castle, and to the Smithsonian Metro Stop. Keeping with our luck, of course, we both had to pee, but I would NOT let Nick stop. . as we were going down the escalators, we heard the train pull in and we ran to it and hopped right on it. At the Metro Center, we hopped off, went down the escalators to the Red Line, and managed to time *that* just as the train arrived. So we pulled into Union Station, sweating like pigs, out of breath, and at 7:18. . . . I went to check in for the tour -- and of course the booth that I had located the prior night so I would know where it was. . wasn’t there! But asking around got us directed to inside the station to a permanent counter, where we swapped the vouchers for tickets to the tour, was told where to line up, and then we went to the restroom for relief (I’ll spare you a description of the restrooms in Union Station, other than to say they were in the EXACT state of what you’d think a train/bus terminal toilet would be in). Finally relieved, we went out to where we had been directed, and lined up for our Monuments by Moonlight tour . . which I’ll cover in Part II, hopefully in the near future. And no, we never did find out what caused the police presence or the shutdown at the Metro Station. The news all reported it for a couple of days after, but they always said that they were not being told why the station was shut down, or why there was so much emergency response. . . Whistler's Peacock Room (online photo since mine were blurry) Japanese Sculpture (and me) at the Freer Gallery Whistler's Peacock Room (online photo since mine were blurry) displays for the museum we didn't make it to (the Portrait Gallery) cast of the famous Love Statue, from the American History Museum display in the Castle. Coming up on the Smithsonian Castle Nick giving his feet a rest in the Castle while I looked at displays. Comfy? Stuffed Peacock from the Natural Science Museum display in the Castle some of the displays in the Castle wing. Piece of the Berlin Wall (from the day before, in the American History Museum -- Ronald Reagan section). . oops. .out of order! Bell X-1 (the plane Yeagher broke the Sound Barrier in) (the orange one). .and in front, 1/2 of Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis. Spaceship 1 (the 1st commercial orbiter) (and the other 1/2 of Spirit of St. Louis ) Wright Brothers 1st successful plane Apollo II command Module Apollo Lunar Module Lockheed Martin/Boeing RQ-3A DarkStar Unmanned Drone Boeing X-45A Joint Unmanned Combat Air System (J-UCAS) Douglas DC-3 Inside the Cockpit of the Boeing 747 artsy reflection in space suit. . but blocking Nick's face better the "Missile Pit". .

I swear I've seen this exact post a few pages back. did I dream it?

They could (and probably will) take out Flying Ace and BR Tollway for a large new coaster. The plaza, station, and lift/launch could be in Shockwaves's spot while the rest of the coaster is in the rest of the space. y'all really are dreaming. this park has I305, Volcano, Flight of Fear, and Dominator. . and you think they will put in ANOTHER "big" coaster? if anything, the park is missing a "big" woodie, and that won't happen until Hurler/Grizzly go, and get a large one in that spot. I could very well be mistaken, and we shall see -- I'm just guessing just like everyone else -- but what's coming are a couple of flats (or possibly a re-positioning of the Mouse, with something big going in the old mouse spot). certainly not another "big" coaster tho. edit: sorry I'm cranky. . I've had a tough day at work. Y'all go ahead and keep thinking of stuff, it's all in fun anyways.

I will say if you see Pompeii or Mach Tower operating. . hop on them then. Those two are rather infamous for breaking down. in 3 days at BGW a few weeks back?. . Pompeii was working and we rode it, and literally EVERY OTHER TIME we passed by, it was broken down, with a boat stuck on the lifthill. if you missed it, my Trip Report is here, with days 1-3 at BGW, and Colonial Williamsburg. http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70573 you might find it interesting

^^ but then how boring would the internet be?

heh. . being from Texas, we make a point to avoid Bar-B-Que on our vacations. But yeah, it did SMELL great (in New France (aka: Canada) section

I went on Flying Ace without kids not too long ago and saw tons of adults riding it when I was there a 2 weeks ago? Edit: The park's website says... so I guess that's it?. . we were two adults, both over 48". . . so no go. it was ok tho, I got on Windseeker

CFC lives there, so trust him if he says quick queue is needed. We needed 2 days to do all the rides and shows. . and that was with 1 day completely dead, and the other with only 20-40 minute waits on things. (but we ride pretty much EVERYTHING, so if you only focus on the big stuff, yeah, quick queue might be for you). you're missing one of the two best shows. See Celtic Fyre, yes. . . but try to see "Mix it Up!" too. It's a theater themed to a cafe, with several food options nearby, so you could actually eat Italian food while watching that show. (tho as you mention, if you end up eating in the Festhall (in Ocktoberfest), you can catch Roll Out the Barrell while you eat too. Not a great show, but if you're there). as to you other questions. Weather: we had very HOT the whole time we were there, but there was a 20 minute period on the 1st day where they shut down EVERYTHING, because 'thunderstorms were in the area". The operators told us it was because of lightning within 10 mile radius. . but announcements were made over the park loudspeakers, and everything just shut down. (then after a very brief sunshower, and no bad weather at all,and everything started up again). Food: The only place in the park to get a hamburger (if that's what you want) is the Pub in London, right behind the double-decker bus. We had Pizza from there, and it was decent. But for food recommendations: 1) Pizza/Pasta buffet back near Roman Rapids. Best deal in the park, all you can eat + drink for just $14. Decent Pizza too. 2) the Festhaus in Ocktoberfest -- some very good Pastrami sandwiches, Turkey sandwiches, and the pizza was selling like crazy there too. HUGE portions on the sandwiches. . we easily could have shared just one. 3) the Gelato across from "Mix it Up!" is amazing. hope that helps

yeah. . we were told it was considered part of Planet Snoopy, so we could not ride. (that's why I was concerned we wouldn't be allowed on Woodstock Express )

It's a kids ride tho. (we were just there and were told we could not ride it. . so it's the kid's version of what you mentioned)

aw. . thanks as long as her quality of life is good (and she's adapted quickly, and she LOVES going for her walkies, even tho we now have to do a short leash, so I can keep her from tripping on curbs), there's no way I'm putting my baby-girl down!

Thanks! Lemme know if any specific things I can help out with info on (tho I probably covered it). . LOL The one thing I haven't gotten to yet, that I recommend wholeheartedly? "Monuments by Moonlight" tour in DC from Olde Towne Trolley. If you're a Club TPR member, you get the Tickets at Work discount, and it was a pretty significant savings, for a GREAT 3 1/2 hour tour around the DC monuments.

If it's a hot day, most people will be in the waterpark in the morning. We were just there three weeks ago Friday, and it wasn't crowded at all. . and it was a hot day. Follow the suggestions, and go to Volcano first. we did Volcano, Avalanche, Intimidator, Flight of Fear, Anaconda first thing after rope drop, and we had no problems hitting all these early, and then going to the other side of he park in the afternoon! okay thank you so much. This will probabily be the one and only time I go to Kings Dominion (even though i get in free to all Cedar Fair owned parks). I would like to get Every coaster done. I may go to Volcano first, just like how I go to Firehawk/ FOF at Kings island. Volcano 1st at 10:30 rope drop really is a must. It's got terrible capacity (and it's an amazing coaster). once the line gets long, it never gets short, and you can expect 30 minute + waits (at minimum)

If it's a hot day, most people will be in the waterpark in the morning. We were just there three weeks ago Friday, and it wasn't crowded at all. . and it was a hot day. Follow the suggestions, and go to Volcano first. we did Volcano, Avalanche, Intimidator, Flight of Fear, Anaconda first thing after rope drop, and we had no problems hitting all these early, and then going to the other side of he park in the afternoon!

heh. yeah, and some people disagreed with me. .but we HATED it. My trip report from last year -- we went thru Pennsylvania, from Pittsburgh to Philly, hitting Kennywood, Hershey, Knoebel's, and Dorney, along with all the Culture stuff in Philly -- is on the site here (somewhere) too.

Didn't seem like there is THAT much space when we watched it a couple of weeks ago (actually RIDE it?. . oh hell no). I seriously doubt a new coaster is coming in, as KD has a lot of them, and the only thing that would really fit there is a mouse -- which KD already has (so unless they are going to move the mouse there. .. . .and open up THAT space?). Considering they said they wanted to expand Candy Apple Grove?. . I think you're looking at 2 (maybe 3) new Flats. one of which is definitely a Frisbee sort ride (KD doesn't have one), or perhaps a Round-up (that would fit in well with the themeing there)

Candy Apple Grove, across from the Dodgem bumper cars. yep, just before you get to the Bad Apple:

great pictures! that shot of Silver Bullet over the water is just beautiful!

I bought this lovely shirt when we were there the other week. the saleslady told me that they have to restock very often as they sell out a LOT.

as I tell everyone. . Absinthe, in the tent outside of Caesar's Palace. One of the best shows we've ever seen in Vegas. intimate theater in the round. [youtu_be] [/youtu_be] http://www.absinthevegas.com/

Day6: We started the day off early, as we knew this was gonna be a full one: A tour of the US Capitol, followed by at least 2 Smithsonians, and meeting my high-school friend Ben for dinner at a place called Circa. Tho I had researched it and the dress code is casual for the Tour (and for the Restaurant), we still decided that we’d dress a little bit “nicer” (no T-shirt) so I wore a button down shirt, and Nick wore a polo today. So we were up and out of the hotel by 7:20am, and headed to the Foggy Bottom Metro station, where we were going to take the Blue Line to the Capitol South station, and then walk to Capitol Visitor’s Center. I wasn’t sure how far it really was (it’s a bit hard to tell from the map), so I wanted to make sure we got there in plenty of time – which we did, arriving about 8:15 for an 8:30 visitor’s center opening. The Capitol South station is actually much closer to Capitol Hill then it looks on the Map, so following the signs, we took our time heading towards the Visitor Center, walking among the office buildings that house the Congressional Offices of the House Members, and stopping to take pictures of the Library of Congress, and the Supreme Court building (there was one lonely protestor standing in front of the Supreme Court Steps with signs against Gay Marriage – we were there on Sat, 6/20, so about 6 days prior to the Historic Court ruling – but Nick would *NOT* let me go across the street to take a picture with her. . LOL, I was dying to! We met a lobbyist who was taking a tour with his Granddaughters (who looked like they would rather be doing anything else, heh), but he was from Austin, so while walking to the Visitor Center and waiting in lines, we chatted with him about Texas, and our Representatives (he didn’t care for them either), and about Austin. At 8:25, the door opened, and people went into the Visitor Center to either exchange their online vouchers for actual tour tickets, or to try and get tickets (something we had also seen in Philly last year, where we got lucky and were able to snag day of tickets for Independence Hall). The signage in the Visitor Center really sucks, and I actually had to ask 2 different people where to go! (you got to the right side to exchange your voucher, then you go to the left side to exchange your ticket for another ticket, then you line up in front of a movie theatre to watch a 15 minute film about America and how Congress works, before you start the tour). Because of my uncertainty, we were way early for our 9:20 tour (it was only 8:35ish), but at the 2nd counter when you exchange your tickets for other tickets, the Ranger asked me if we wanted to go on an earlier tour? It seemed there were large groups of School kids, they were trying to keep together, so were moving anyone there to earlier tours if they wanted to. We said, sure, why not? And went directly into the line that went into the theatre. The theatre holds probably 350 people, but the 1st tour of the day (at 8:40 – the one we ended up on) only had maybe 150 tops? We watched the film, and then you exit out the back of the theatre where you are funneled into 4-6 lines, each with their own tour-guide. Volunteers stood with headsets that you put around your neck and would pick up the mike from YOUR tour-guide only, something I thought was just brilliant, as you could hear the information clearly, and without the guide needing to shout. -- Nick and I were the only two people in our group who could figure out how to put these headsets on. . seriously, there are some stupid people visiting DC.. even with my trying to help, everyone else in our group ended up having the string that’s supposed to go around your neck hanging from one ear or the other. . . LOL. Our tour-guide not only looked exactly like Jonah, from “Veep”, but he also carried himself with that same aura. I asked him about it, and he said he has heard this several times, and he really needs to watch the show. . LOL. Once again, our Trip Karma kicked in, and not only were we on the first tour of the day, but our group was the 2nd one to go – meaning that we walked into nearly empty rooms, allowing us to take some great pictures, before they got crowded. The guide even commented that within 20 minutes the rooms would be so crowded, that the headsets would be required use, because it gets so noisy/busy. Very interesting tour, even with the disappointment that the work on the dome outside, is also affecting the inside (something we hadn’t realized) – so there was a giant “donut” blocking much of the mural on the inside of the dome . “Donut” is what our guide told us they call it...it looked like a Hemorrhoid pillow to us  The tour brought us thru the Main Hallways, under the Dome, and into the original House Chambers. Very interesting to see all the original artwork, and all the sculptures – each State provides 2 Sculptures of notable people (not all politicians, either, there was an astronaut and the inventor of Air Conditioning represented in Marble and/or Brass), and those 100 statues are on display throughout the Capitol. We weren’t able to go into the actual House of Senate Chambers, even tho they were not in session, but still it was a great tour. An interesting note about that. You actually need special passes from your State Congressman to go into those chambers (one for each chamber) while they are in session. We had not counted on going into the chambers, because as I told Nick, no way in hell am I contacting the idiots who represent my State for anything! But then the same co-worker who had given Nick the Metro Cards, also had given him passes to BOTH the House and Senate that he had requested, but hadn’t used. We were told we could come back on Monday morning if we wanted, to trade the passes in and watch the Houses in session, but decided it wasn’t worth our effort, and besides, they make neat little souvenirs. As I said, it was a fun tour, but the Capitol was starting to fill up, so as the tour ended, we made a very brief stop at the Museum in the Visitor’s Center (a decent museum, but the standout are a series of 6-7 large Dioramas that show how the Great Mall sprung up around the Capitol, and how DC filled in around that). Of course, we had to go by the gift shop too, to pick up a magnet, and a shirt – everything proudly stating “Made in the USA”. Since we had gotten on the early tour, we had finished earlier than I had planned, so I think it was only ~10:15 am at this point, so looking at the map, we decided to head towards Union Station, which didn’t seem to be too far of a walk, and the Smithsonian Postal Museum is right across the street from it. The walk was very pleasant (not hot yet today), and as opposed to the Congressional House Member Offices we had passed when coming out of the Metro, in this direction we walked thru several buildings of Senate Offices. We saw the flags and fountains of Union Station up ahead, and decided to swing by there first, since our “Monuments by Moonlight” tour left from there the next day, so the planner in me wanted to make sure we knew exactly where we had to go to check in. We easily found where we’d have to check in (which of course, when we went the next day, it wasn’t in the same spot!), and then continued across the street to the Postal Museum. Because this museum is not on the National Mall, I expected it to be less crowded, but really. . wow, there were maybe 10 people (including us) in there! It’s not a large museum, but it is a good size, and we spent a good hour there. We saw the most expensive stamp in the world (it had just gone on display for a limited engagement. . but it just looked like a purple blob), we saw the famous upside-down plane stamp sheet, we saw mail that was cancelled on the moon, and mail that was from the Hindenburg, and the Titanic. We saw early stagecoach carts, and saddles from the Pony Express (learning all about that in a very interesting exhibit). Another great exhibit was about Postal Inspectors, and how they investigate mail fraud, and other crimes – they had some of the Unabomber’s letters, and package bombs on display! There are also exhibits on how mail is sorted, and processed thru the Country, and various ways it was delivered in the past (the Pony Express and Stagecoach stuff was in this part of the museum). Very interesting stuff, if not super thrilling. Of course, when we went into the gift shop, every other person in the museum crammed in there with us (something that always happens to us. . we go, crowd follows. .LOL). We didn’t take a lot of pictures in the Postal Museum, because you really can’t take pictures on the stamp side, and really once we got down into the main museum, we simply didn’t think about it! But we could have spent many hours there if we were serious stamp collectors, as their archives/exhibits on that side were HUGE.. we just only hit the highlights without digging into the detailed displays. It was lunchtime by then for sure, and we were hungry, so we walked across to Union Station and went down to the food court. Nick had to look to see what he could eat (I think he ended up with Subway). . but what did I see? “Cajun Grill”. . run by little Asian Ladies, with the EXACT same menu (and ordering options) as our beloved “Tropical Cajun” that they have in Peachtree Center in Atlanta – also run by little Asian Ladies – that we eat at almost every day when I’m in Atlanta for Dragon*con! I asked them if they were affiliated, and they had absolutely no idea what I was talking about, but seriously, the menu was exactly the same and the food tasted exactly the same. I was in Bourbon Chicken heaven, but two months before I was expecting it!!! (Dragon*con is Labor Day weekend in Atlanta, so I thought I had to wait until Sept. for Bourbon Chicken) Once again, trip karma was with us, as literally the moment we sat down, the food court flooded with over 200 school kids and their lunch vouchers. Seriously, the came pouring down the escalators, and suddenly every counter had lines that were 20-30 deep, the biggest being Taco Bell. We had our food, so relaxed and ate, while I looked at the map, and formulated a plan – we’d take the Red Line from Union Station to Metro Station, where we’d change lines and then take the Blue Line down to Federal Triangle station – that would put us our right by the Smithsonian American History Museum on the Mall. Nick was worrying because it was starting to look like Rain. . and definitely clouds were forming, but we were underground, and it looked like the stations are close to the museums, so I figured worst case, we’d get a little wet. . but reminded him that we do tend to have very good trip karma, and the weather always works with us! So we hopped on the Red line, did the transfer, and got to Federal Triangle station, and came up in the middle of a courtyard surrounded by buildings (none of which had any signs, but all of which were tall enough to block the view, so I couldn’t even use the Washington Monument for reference). By the way, I should mention, the freaking METRO stations don’t even have good signage! We could have walked right by this place and never have known there was a station there, if we hadn’t had a metro map! Anyways, I tried to center myself according to where I thought the map matched, and took an educated guess, and we started off down the narrow street on the left. After a few minutes, we did pass a lady and her Mother who were coming from that direction and I asked her if the National Mall was that way – she told me “yes” and “aren’t the signs terrible?? So hard to read!”. . LOL. . so I was happy I had chosen correctly. We went thru a large archway, and into the street, directly across Constitution Avenue from the back entrance to the Smithsonian American History Museum. We crossed the street, and went into the lobby, and were immediately overwhelmed by just how many people were in this museum (especially since we had just come from the Postal Museum which was deserted!). This place was so jam packed, it was crazy. We had gotten there just prior to 1pm, and there was a sign that a “highlights” tour was starting at 1, so after checking and finding out it was a free tour, we decided to do the Highlights tours. . simply because I was so overwhelmed by all the people. We sat on the benches and waited, and then at about 1:10, the information booth lady came over and apologized that the tourguide (all of whom are Volunteers) had not shown up, and she was very sorry, but there was another tour at 2:30 if we wanted to come back for that. Poop. Oh well, I had been looking at the Museum Map, and although it is a large museum, 3 floors, with 3 wings on each floor. . one entire wing was closed off for renovation, meaning we only had 2/3rds of the Museum to see. So we decided that we’ll just go to the top, and work our way down, and hopefully not have to fight the crowds too badly! the 3rd floor has the exhibits: the Price of Freedom - which I don’t recall much about, I guess it was about the American Revolution, so we went quickly past, since we had just seen that History in Colonial Williamsburg. Gunboat Philadelphia – the full recovered shipwreck on display American Presidency – with really cool stuff such as campaign paraphernalia, Thomas Jefferson’s Desk, and Abraham Lincoln’s Top Hat (that he wore to the theatre the evening of his assassination). First Ladies – with many of their gowns, china patterns, jewelry, etc. on display (LOL, Nick nudged me and said that we were the only guys in this exhibit, which while not quite true, was close enough. . LOL). We then went down to the 2nd floor, which has the exhibits: Within these Walls – buildings from Colonial times, and what they tell us about living back then (we blew thru this section, since we had just seen all this info in Colonial Williamsburg) Star Spangled Banner – the remains of the actual flag that the Star Spangled Banner was written about. It’s a beautiful display, and well worth the trip to the Smithsonian just to see that in person. American Stories – lots and lots of really cool stuff such as Edison’s 1st lightbulb, the ruby red slippers from “Wizard of Oz”, Archie and Edith’s chairs from “All in the Family”, the Kermit muppet wasn’t on display, but Count Von Count was!, African American History & Culture – with the original Woolworth’s lunch counter (from the famous sit in during the Civil Rights Movement), stage worn clothes from big R&B stars, and Broadway costumes. (I expect most if not all of this gallery will move to the new African American Museum when it opens in 2016). While we were midway thru the 2nd floor, we heard the 2:30 pm tour going by and stopping at the Ruby Slippers and the lunch counter, but since we were doing pretty well on our own, we just continued on down to the 1st floor. the 1st floor has the exhibits: the American Currency - which didn’t open until July, so we were a little too early, but they did have the wing open so folks could peek in past the barricades, Food! – with Julia Child’s full kitchen, transported from her home, and on display, as well as a ton of classic Americana relating to food (supermarket carts, fast food restaurant menus, etc. On the Water – which, if I recall, had to do with the history of Sea Exploration and oil drilling. America on the Move – by far the biggest gallery in this Museum, with many full size cars, motorcyles, campers, trains, carts, etc. from over the years on display. Lighting a Revolution - about the development of the lightbulb, power lighting, and the installation of which throughout history. Power Machinery – big turbines, and machinery used in factories, and a focus on the Industrial Revolution. We were exhausted (it’s a lot of walking), so we took a lot of breaks to rehydrate, but we had made really good time. It was only about 4:15, and we didn’t have to meet Ben and his partner until 8pm, and we were fairly close to the Metro station still. So I said to Nick, let’s go next door to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. . even tho it’s billed as being over 24 Football fields in size, at least we can get some of it done. If we thought the American History Museum was crowded, the Natural History was absolute pandemonium. Easily double the amount of people, plus at least 40% more kids, and not just toddlers. . babies. TINY babies, being pushed in giant strollers, thus making the crowd even more tightly packed. I almost turned around and walked out, but instead we looked at the map I got and saw that since we weren’t going to any presentations in the Auditorium, we weren’t going to see an IMAX film, and weren’t going to go into the Live Butterfly Pavillion (in addition to the huge National Fossil Hall being closed for Rennovation). .that this museum was very “doable” if we did ½ today and came back tomorrow for the other half. I was most interested in seeing the Hope Diamond, so we went up the 2nd floor, with the plan of attack we had used on the American History Museum (start at the top, and work our way down). . . and it was a zoo. You could barely get into the special room they had set up for it, and when you did get in the room, there were people packed at least 20-24 deep among all 4 sides of the case. The diamond necklace is on a turn-table and it moves around so everyone could see it. You would think folks would go, take a look, take a picture if wanted, then move on. Nope. . they camped out in front of the glass and watched it and took multiple pictures, while the whole crowd heaved to try and squeeze up to it. I said to Nick, and to a guard that was standing there ‘this is insane! Why would y’all not put a walkway like they do with the Mona Lisa in the Louvre? Come in one side, see it and move on?” The Guard said to me, that if we came back closer to 6, the place would clear out. . since the museums were on Summer Hours, but most of the tour groups stick to the usual 5:30 closings, so the crowds would really thin out. I thanked him for the advice, and we decided to head across to the opposite side of the Museum to start looking. Of course, stupid me, didn’t look at the map, and so we started off in the section with the Butterfly Pavillion, and the live Bug Farm – which as you can imagine were packed with kids, and those strollers I mentioned. We sludged our way slowly thru, looking at what we could see over the people’s heads in front of us, eventually coming out in the Mummies room, which was slightly less crowded (and I love Egyptian stuff). .so we took our time looking at the Cat and Bird Mummies, and then headed into the hall of Bones. . which is just astounding, full skeletal displays of every kind of creature you could imagine (including whales). The bones exhibit put us back out in the main atrium (looking down on the gigantic stuffed Elephant that dominates the room), and so we went to the left and into the Into Africa exhibit, with lots of interactive displays, and National Geographic quality pictures of the African savannah and what lives there. Into Africa leads into the Wilderness Forever exhibit – again pictures, but some incredible ones of rare Natural phenomena captured in images – such a blood falls, or rainbows in gorges. I needed to sit again by this point, so we took advantage of the Korea Gallery at the back of this wing to sit and enjoy looking at some of the textiles they had on display and just peoplewatch for a few moments. It was quieter back here, but I wasn’t sure if it was because it was getting later, or just because we were at the back of the wing. Next to the Korea Gallery was a big exhibit on Beyond Bollywood, that was very interesting, and I was pleased to note that I had seen several of the films they had on display as examples of good Bollywood storytelling. They had some sets from films recreated, as well as a typical Indian dinner table set up (with info on all the food types), and even info about the Swami who opened up Woodstock Music Festival. Next gallery was the Dinosaurs, and I was expecting this to be packed with kids, and there were some in there, but not too bad, as several of the dinosaur bones had been removed from display for cleaning, so we got thru this section pretty fast, even with stopping to look at the Fossil Lab for a bit. The Dinosaurs exhibit dead ends into the Mummies, so we took the left and headed thru the Hall of Bones again, and this time it was very noticeable that the crowd had thinned. So I said to Nick, let’s try the Hope Diamond again. We went around the main atrium to the Gems/Geology wing, and walked right up to the Hope Diamond. Wow. .what a difference an hour and a ½ makes! LOL It really is a beautiful diamond necklace, although I did think that several of the other Jewelry on display in the Gem and Mineral Hall put it to shame with both their luster, and settings. Hope Diamond gets all the glory tho because of the supposed curse, so it’s infamous. Now that the crowds were gone tho, we took our time looking at the set stones (examples of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, gold, diamonds, etc), and the amazing gem, mineral, and rock formations in this wing. They even have exhibits of Gold, Silver, and Copper Mines, in the back of this wing, so you can see what the raw material would look like. This wing wraps around to the Geology wing, and heads back to the main hall. Nick is a big fan of Geology, in particular how it relates to weather, Volcanoes, Earthquakes, etc. . . but he didn’t want to do much in this wing, I’m guessing due to a combination of being a bit tired, and that he has already seen most of the information they were playing – since they were from Smithsonian Channel and History Channel. So we finished up this final section on the 2nd floor, and looked at the clock (close to 6:30). . and looked down at the nearly empty 1st floor, and decided that since we didn’t need to get on the Metro until after 7:30, let’s just stay until the Museum closes. We headed down the stairs to the first floor, and since (as I noted) the massive Fossil hall was closed for renovation, we started in the Ocean Hall. The giant squid was interesting, as were the rare species of fish, and the live coral reef, but since we’re Aquarium aficionados, a lot of the info in this hall was not new to us, so we moved thru it pretty quickly (you don’t have to read the info, if you know about it already. . you can just look and move on). So we finished the HUGE Ocean Hall quick, and went in to the African Voices exhibition. Now this hall was interesting, as it did have some history (the grass huts, the tribal culture), but it was more focused on the current way of living in African villages, rather than the tribal villages. We didn’t have time to sit and watch the film playing in this gallery, but there were a few folks back there watching it, so I’ll bet it was good. Back out the way we came, we went into the “Portraits of the Ocean Floor” exhibit – another photo exhibit with beautiful photos of sea life, and then continued into the largish Human Origins section. This section focused a lot on evolution, and Neanderthal life, and how they lived, worked and died. Way too much info to take in with the amount of time we had (it was just before 7 at this point), but we took our time with anything that looked interesting, and actually enjoyed this hall very much. The Iceland Revealed exhibit didn’t open until July 1, so a little too early for that (frown), but last exhibit hall was the gigantic Mammals hall. As the upstairs Hall of Bones had the skeletons for almost every creature, the Mammals hall had so many stuffed and mounted animals, that anything I could think of, they had on display (as long as it was a Mammal, of course). Having been to the Field Museum in Chicago, I’ve seen a large display of tons of animals (where the field museum has a heard of stuffed Giraffes, the Smithsonian had one. . but the point is they BOTH had at least one of each type to see), so I could see this being amazing for the kids. But for me, since I’d seen similar, it was just OK. So we stayed in this hall looking at creatures until just about 7:30, then headed out the back exit on the lower floor, past the T-Rex skull, to make our way towards the Metro station so we could meet my friend for Dinner. I didn’t realize until looking at the map now, while typing this up, that we *did* actually miss an entire wing of the Museum (on either side of the Auditorium) on the lowest level – the Birds of DC exhibit. Shoot. . I like birds. But still, we had managed to knock out the Capitol, and 3 Smithsonian Museums (Postal, American History, and Natural Science) in one day.. .meaning we had more time for the remaining museums than I had planned, so I was in quite the good mood despite my aching feet. While walking back to the Federal Triangle Metro station, it started to drizzle, but nothing heavy. So we went down to the station, and hopped on the Orange line for the short ride back to Foggy Bottom Station. . . and as we stepped out of the train, we heard a roaring sound. We went up the escalators to street level and it was absolutely POURING. Like the sky just opened up and buckets and buckets of rain. We were still about 20 minutes early, and the station is right next to the George Washington University Hospital complex, with a Starbucks inside, so even tho we were just across the street from the restaurant, rather than walking in the rain, we went into the Starbucks to wait it out. While we were sitting, Ben called me and told me that they were running late due to severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado warnings, and could we reschedule for tomorrow (he had sent me a text, but I didn’t get it because my “cat head phone” (as Ben called it) doesn’t receive texts). We hadn’t heard anything about the warnings or the weather, as we’d been gone from the hotel since 7am, and hadn’t been near any televisions. So I explained that we were actually right across the street from the restaurant, and when the rain stopped, we’d go over and get the table to hold the reservation, and that I hoped the rain would stop so we could see them. . since Sunday afternoon wasn’t going to work – we were booked solid, with a tour Sunday evening too. Ben told me he’d call back when they are able to leave the house, and the moment we hung up, it started to hail outside. . good, golfball size too! Nick and I just looked at each other, but what were we gonna do? So we waited for it to stop, which it did (slowing down to a drizzle around 8:10) and we headed across the street after calling and telling Ben the rain had stopped. He reported there was flooding near him and a tornado watch and they were going to keep an eye on the TV and call is when they headed out. So we checked in at the restaurant, and got seated, and ordered an appetizer and some drinks to wait for my friends. . . and the sky opened up again, and it just poured and poured, and poured. We chatted with the waitress – although it was a Sat. night, the downpour was keeping new customers from coming in, and the patio was just under-water (I specifically had asked for indoor when being seated. . I’m smart sometimes!). We really did not expect Ben & Mark to make it, but when I called them at 9 to check, he surprised me by saying they were on their way. By 9:20, they came thru the drizzle and met us. It was a true pleasure to see a friend from High School, who I really had not seen in over 30 years. He looked EXACTLY the same too. . LOL. He and his Partner were super pleasant and we reminisced about HS days, and our mutual friends, and I teased him about how I didn’t have any hijinks to share with Mark, because Ben was never with our group when we got into trouble (heh, he was a good boy). . . but we spent about an hour and ½ drinking and eating and having a great time, and before we knew it it was almost 11pm, and they had to get going. I finagled a ride back to the hotel (rain was the excuse, but really, our legs were shot after the day we had), and we said our goodbyes outside the hotel entrance. And wouldn’t you know it, as they were driving off, I said to Nick. . not one picture! Three iPhones, and a real camera, and not one of us got the idea to take a picture! Dang it. Luckily, he told me he might be coming to Austin in the near future for business, so we’ll definitely meet up and get a picture then. Full, buzzed, and tired, we collapsed into the hotel bed, and got some much needed sleep before our next full day started! But at least we could sleep until 9am. And again, Trip Karma. . . the ONE night we didn't have anything planned? it POURS. If it had rained the next night for our Monuments by Moonlight tour, it would have been miserable! (and they don't give refunds, so we would have ended up riding around in a sealed up bus, looking at things thru wet windows!). But nope, poured the night before instead, and was beautiful the next night for us! statues and paintings around the inside of the Capitol Dome statues and paintings around the inside of the Capitol Dome statues and paintings around the inside of the Capitol Dome statues and paintings around the inside of the Capitol Dome (some of them very famous) Looking up at the "donut" surrounding the central mural (to protect from construction) in the Capitol Dome Looking up and trying to get some of the detail inside the Capitol Dome. Looking up at the "donut" surrounding the central mural (to protect from construction) in the Capitol Dome Standing in the original House of Representatives Chambers - now used to house Sculptures. Standing in the original House of Representatives Chambers Standing in the original House of Representatives Chambers - now used to house Sculptures. Just up the street from the Metro Stop and on the way to the Capitol Visitor's complex -- the Library of Congress. Nick and the Library of Congress, but I tried to get in that incredible (and naked) fountain in front of it. walking up to the Visitor's Center a nice pic of us taken by a fellow Texan (those are his grandkids by the wall). The art over counter #1 (where you exchange your online voucher for a ticket you take to counter #2 on the other side of the complex). More detail inside the Capitol Dome statues and paintings around the inside of the Capitol Dome, some of them quite famous. . you can see how empty it was. . we were the 1st tour of the day! Zooming in on the mural to try and get the details (George Washington surrounded by Roman gods) A slightly blurry pic of Nick showing the headphones/necklace combo that only we were able to figure out (really). Standing in the original House of Representatives Chambers Standing in the original House of Representatives Chambers - now used to house Sculptures. Declaration of Independence in the original House of Representatives Chamber Nick with Declaration of Independence in the original House of Representatives Chamber Me in front of the Supreme Court, and just over my left shoulder is the one anti-gay marriage protester that was out. in the Postal Museum, one of the original mail planes. another early plane in the Postal museum, over the mail train. me at the Presidential Podium. (I look like my Dad) frown! Lincoln's Top Hat that he wore to the theater on the night of his assassination. Lincoln's Top Hat that he wore to the theater on the night of his assassination. Edison's 1st Light Bulb Count Von Count! Gay Wedding Cake Topper. . about a week before the Supreme Court decision. Edith and Archie's chairs, from "All in the Family" Nick and a full size steam train in the America on the Move exhibit. the Hope Diamond Closer view of the Hope Diamond me and some Rhinos at a watering hole in the African exhibit a view of the Natural History Museum from across the mall (taken the next day from the entrance to the Smithsonian Castle)

Schlitterbahn is bigger than you think -- seriously, there's a shuttle between sections (see map below). If it were me, I'd take the bus to the "old section" (where they have "Cliff Hanger", "Raging Rivers" and most of the other classic "tube ride" big attractions, and do that first -- and then work my way towards the newer section. But I wouldn't be paying the early entry, and you are. . in particular to Blastenhoff, which gets you to MasterBlaster, Black Knight and Torrent (the first two tend to get long lines). .so start there and do the new section first, and then go to the older section for the afternoon. you really can't go wrong tho, the lines will be longer in Blastenhoff -- simply due to Master Blaster tower. http://www.schlitterbahn.com/getmedia/4723f4a1-2399-4533-9919-884e3004bd9e/SNBW_parkmap.pdf.aspx for Fiesta, Tx, it really is a beautiful park, and they are known for the shows. Try to catch whatever is playing at Rockville Theatre, or the big theater in the main entrance. . those are typically well worth seeing.

LOL. .understood. that travel time is pretty accurate, IF (and that's a big if) there's no weather. Even a light shower and Texans forget how to drive. "OMG. . WET stuff is falling from the sky! I better go 10 mph!" so yeah, even if sprinkles, expect massive delays. Most of the construction you'll find will be between Dallas and RoundRock (about 10 minutes outside of Austin). . once you hit Austin, it should be pretty smooth sailing, and just about an 1:10 or so until you hit San Antonio.