Washington, D.C. day 1

Today we flew to Washington, D.C., and we'll be here all week for the 4th of July. I was dreading the 7am flight, but for once, the flights were completely uneventful and we even arrived early into D.C. Perhaps this is because we decided to challenge ourselves to bring only carry-on bags, in anticipation of the airlines charging for checked bags. We were very successful and so maybe that's why it felt like things went so smoothly this time. There were less chances for screw-ups in the airport.

We got here around 4pm and went to our hotel, The River Inn, which is located in the neighborhood called Foggy Bottom. It is fantastic! (The River Inn.) We have a huge suite with a bedroom, bathroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. There is a wall-to-wall window along the living/dining area, and we can see the Washington Monument from our room. This means we will be able to see the July 4th fireworks from our room as well, should we choose to stay in.

We didn't get much sightseeing in today. We just got acquainted with the Metro and rode the train around for a while and got off at different stops. Here is Mike at Union Station.

In preparation for our visit, we watched the movie National Treasure. So we were very excited to see the words "Pass and Stow".



You can't tell from all the sun in these pictures, but we were dodging rain all evening. I've got to remember to bring a hat or umbrella everywhere we go tomorrow. Otherwise, the weather is not as hot or humid as I might have expected, so I'm looking forward to this week.

I saw fireflies for the first time in my life. They are green! I didn't know that.

Foggy Bottom is a nice old neighborhood with lots and lots of brick, and these row houses that are tall and narrow and all stuck together like this.