Day 13 - The End

For our last day of the trip we headed to the Penn campus to walk around and reminisce.  From the hotel I drove to campus via Walnut to look for a parking spot.  When there were none available, I decided to head to Spruce, only to find out that Spruce was closed due to freshmen moving into the Quad.  I could have merely pointed towards Ethan and said we were moving in, but I didn't so I turned around and ended up parking at 37th and Chestnut.  From there we walked towards Locust Walk where our first stop was the obligatory picture with Ben Franklin.

The 4,956th picture of the kids with Ben

(You will note that I am now able to embed photos into the blog because I am typing this on my home PC which has a more up to date browser.  Debbie wants me to go back and embed some photos, which if I have time I guess I will do, but you are not required to go back and re-read the whole trip blog, in case you were wondering.)

We then walked down Locust Walk towards the Library and Button (for another required photo op) only to find that the button was undergoing some sort of renovations, so no photo op today.  In fact, much of the campus seemed to be undergoing some sort of renovation.  Many buildings had scaffolding or other construction equipment.  Too bad they couldn't have finished what they are doing before the students arrived.  Anyway, instead of the Button Debbie and I located our respective Ivy Day plaques and then we went into Houston Hall.  It was hard to recognize Houston Hall as we knew it, as it has undergone a substantial renovation. 

Judd's Ivy Day Plaque (well, not only Judd's - Class of 1989)

And Debbie's

From Houston Hall we continued walking down the campus to the Palestra.  We walked in the front door and asked if we could go to the court and the guard said sure, so down we went.



I'll take The Palestra over the Dean Dome
or Cameron Indoor any day

After the Palestra we walked next door to Franklin Field to see if we could get onto the field.  We walked in one door and were told that the field was closed on the weekend.  So we decided to head towards Spruce and walk back up that way.  But upon turning the corner on 34th Street, I noticed the entrance to the field where we used to enter for intramural games.  I walked up to the gate and it was wide open, so in we went, where the kids ran on the track and on the field.

 

Not exactly the Penn Relays

Hike

After Franklin Field we went and checked out the new Penn Park.  It is quite a nice series of sports fields, which I am sure will get a lot of use.  They are a little far from campus, so as 40+ year olds we thought it would be too far to walk to go play, but we figured that 18-22 year olds would not feel the same way.

 

We then walked up Spruce and, not surprisingly, were unable to get into the Quad today, so instead we headed to Walnut for what became "Get Your Wish for Lunch Day."  Brian had been busting our chops for days that he wanted to go to a Chipotle (both in Washington and Philly), but we resisted.  Every time we were at a ballpark Debbie asked if there was a Jimmy John's (so she could get her "unwhich" concoction) and Amanda had seen signs for Bobby's Burger Palace and was naturally in love.  So as luck and progress would have it all three of these chains are right next to each other on the renovated block on Walnut between 39th & 40th.  After my 3rd failed attempt to get into the Sammy house everyone got their wish.  That is, except for me, who left Philly without one side order of cheese fries.  Oh the humanity.  I gave Ethan and Brian $20 to go to Chipotle, Debbie went off to Jimmy John's and Amanda and I went in for burgers, where Debbie joined us with her lunch.  After everyone was satisfied with their lunch (again, other than me) it was time to leave Dear Old Penn and head home.

 

Due to traffic approaching the GW Bridge (and a few bathroom breaks) the trip home took almost 4 hours, but after just more than 1,400 miles, 1,071 photos, 4 colleges (Duke, UNC, Eastern, Penn) and a ton of calories, home we got at around 5:30.  Now the reality kicks in with piles of laundry and piles of work, but it was worth it.  This trip was definitely different than the first two - much less action (and fewer truly funny situations) and much more looking and learning.  I definitely don't think the kids appreciated all of the looking and learning at this time, but I think they will later.  We saw a lot of historical things this trip, things they will learn about (or have learned about) in school.  That can't be a bad thing.  I have no idea what next year's adventure will be right now, although Brian has suggested going way out of the box and heading west (via plane) then renting a minivan out there and exploring the other side of the country for a few weeks.  We'll see.  Until then...

Day 12 - Fun in Philly

Today, our last full day on the road, the goal was to do some things in Philly that we had not done before.  That meant our first stop of the day, after a late start to sleep in a little, was the US Mint.  This is the location where most of the US coins are made.  I found a perfect parking spot a short walk from the Mint and we went in.  Unfortunately, what we didn't know was that the Mint is not operational on the weekend, so that left us to read info on the walls and in the exhibits, which as any loyal blog reader knows is not the preferred activity of the Volk children.  The machines looked quite impressive, but since they weren't working it kind of lost its impact.  At one point we came up to a group that was being led by someone that worked at the Mint, so we slowly walked behind them to hear what he was explaining.

We finished at the Mint (after, of course, buying stuff at the gift shop) and headed next door to what looked like a very old cemetery.  From inside the Mint we could see people walking around the cemetery, so we figured this wasn't any old cemetery.  This was a correct assumption, as this turned out to be the burial place of Ben Franklin, the Christ Church Burial Ground.  There was a small admission price to enter, and as we were paying the cashier mentioned that they were having what was basically a scavenger hunt for kids that related to 7 signers of the Declaration of Independence that were buried either at this location or on the church grounds.  The man who explained the details gave Amanda the pamphlet and she and Debbie were off and running. 

The answers to the questions for five of the men were found on their graves at the cemetery, and Amanda dutifully read the info and wrote the answers.  We then got in the car and drove a few blocks to the church, where I once again found a very good parking spot (George Castanza would have been proud) and we headed into the church.  This church was where not only Ben Franklin attended, but so did George Washington and the Penn family.  So we didn't actually go someplace where Washington slept (unless he dozed off during a sermon or two) but did sit where Washington sat.  Amanda found the last two answers and headed to the gift shop for her momentous prize (not really momentous, as I guess the thrill is in the hunt).

After leaving the church we headed nearby on Market Street for lunch at a cheese steak place that was recommended by one of the people that worked at the church.  The place was small, but the food was good (although the lack of a fryer for cheese fries was a big mark against the place) and the woman cashier was very good at upselling the "cole slaw, macaroni salad and potato salad that [her] mom makes."  Like suckers, we bought all three sides. 

By the time we finished lunch it was around 2:45, and we had arranged to meet Derek's family at Mariah's dorm room at 3:45.  The ride there should have only taken 20 minutes or so, so we were kind of in no-man's land.  But we decided to head there anyway, figuring we would walk around when we got there.  Good thing we left early because the traffic was awful on 476 and 76.  We didn't get to Eastern University until a little after 3:30.  Derek, Amy and Mariah were still in a meeting and they asked us if we could go pick up Dylan, Lilly and Serena from Danielle's house (and Adam's house, just easier to reference one name each time) to bring them back to the college so they would have time to say goodbye to Mariah.  We drove the short distance to Danielle's house, got the kids and headed back to Eastern.

By the time we got back to the college the meeting was done so we all convened in Mariah's room.  Good thing her roommate decided not to attend school right now, because there would not have been enough space in there for 3 families.  It's a very cute, little room that Mariah was already making her own, and we are sure that very shortly she will love being in college there.  We bid our goodbyes and headed out.

Now it was time to bring back the memories, as we headed towards the Penn campus.  First stop, the Book Store.  I am sure if I looked back on blogs from 2 years ago I said the same thing, but I have to say again that I really prefer the old book store from when we were in school versus the Barnes & Noble book store of today.  That place had the real college feel.  OK, it was small and cramped and was always a zoo, but it was a true college book store.

Anyway, we spent lots of time looking for new Penn gear, and everyone got something.  We finished at the book store around 6:15, so we headed up the street to the Sammy house to see if we could get in.  No luck.  The place was locked and no lights were on, so we just took a few pictures out front and moved on up the street to Lee's Hoagies (at this point in the blog I am sure Matt is rolling his eyes, but I don't care).  I found a parking spot (again with the parking spots?) on 41st Street directly across the street from 219, where both Debbie and I lived (not at the same time, at least technically).  As I walked across the street to take a picture, Debbie noticed that a light was on in Apt. D (top floor, our apartment) so I rang the buzzer.  A woman answered and I explained quickly that Debbie and I had lived there years ago and wondered if would be possible to come show the kids.  Not sure if she truly believed me until she came down to open the door and saw the kids standing there.  She nicely let us in and up the 3 flights we walked and entered a time warp.  Other than the fact that they converted what was our living room into a 7th bedroom it pretty much looked the same.  We showed the kids where Debbie's room was and where my room was, and left.

We walked around the corner to Lee's and ordered.  As has been the case since 1987, I ordered a tuna hoagie (again, deal with it Matt, it has meaning), Debbie and Brian had turkey, Ethan got corned beef and Amanda went off the grid and got chicken fingers.  Yes, it was tuna on white bread with Provolone cheese, but mmmmmmm was it good.  We finished our hoagies and left.

As for evening plans, we simply headed back to the hotel because Ethan needed access to a laptop and the internet because he was going to be involved with a fantasy football draft with his camp friends.  Unfortunately, the draft that was supposed to start at 8:00, giving us a slimmer of a chance of walking around afterwards, has not started as of 8:45 as I type this.  Oh well.

Tomorrow I think we will head back to the Penn campus to walk around and see what is new.  After that, I believe we will wrap up Volk Tour 2012 and drive back to reality.  Waaaaaaah.

Day 11 - Squeezing Every Last Minute

The plan for today was to try and run to a few places in DC quickly (National Museum of American History and the National Archives) and then grab a bite and get on the road to Philly.  We got a bit of a late start in the morning, so by the time we got the car, loaded it up and got on our way towards the museums it was after 11:00.  A few notes on the hotel first.  We have stayed at a lot of hotels, and a lot of Embassy Suites, but this Embassy Suites in DC had the nicest staff we have encountered.  The first full day we were there the housekeeping people not only made the regular beds, but they also made the sheets on the air beds.  They were also always friendly and helpful, and when we got to the car this morning the valet told me that he left a few bottles of water in the car for the drive.  There happened to be a manager outside, so Debbie got out to compliment the staff to the manager.  There was another valet standing there, and he then asked how many people we had in the car, and went off to get more water.  He came back with 4 more bottles and then we were off.

After driving around the museums about 327 times looking for a parking spot, and missing by seconds approximately 529 spots, we decided to put the car in a parking lot in the Ronald Reagan Building.  When I pulled into the driveway of the lot, I inadvertantly straddled two lanes.  This was evidently paramount to an act of war, since the menacing guard then walked right in front of my car and stopped me.  Clearly this was a woman who had gotten bullied or ignored while younger, since she used her role as a guard to use her "mean, tough guy" look.  She clearly ate up the power (and obviously ate up a lot of other things as well), and started by asking me for my ID, and to take off my glasses, which were clearly meant to disguise myself of throw her off my trail.  She then asked me to open the trunk and gave the car a colonoscopy.  After the trunk got a clean bill of health, she asked us to roll down each of the windows to look in, because clearly in her job as parking lot security guard she has been given the powers of X-Ray vision, because simply by looking into the windows she determined that we were not a threat.

We parked the car in the lot, then took the elevator up to the lobby of the building.  It was here that we began to question the security of the government buildings, despite the efforts of tough parking lot guard.  It may be hard to explain, but did you ever see the part in Blazing Saddles where the bad guys are riding through the plains and come to a random toll booth in the middle of the plains and have to go back to get a ____-load of dimes?  That was what going on here.  We came up in the elevator and could have simply gone into the office building unchecked.  To the left was a security checkpoint with a metal detector.   But where we came up the elevator was PAST the metal detector.  So what was the point of the security there?  Made no sense.

Anyway, we didn't try and infiltrate the offices, and instead walked a short way to the National Museum of American History.  The initial plan was to check out a few "highlights" and move on.  But soon it became clear that this was not going to happen.  We looked through almost all of the exhibits, and saw things like Dorothy's Red Slippers (thanks Al for the tip - two shout outs in a row, you are hot), the original and a later version of Kermit the Frog, Howdy Doody (who none of the kids knew), an exhibit on the presidents and First Ladies and the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner.  Two hours after we arrived we were done with the museum.

"Where can I get a pair of shoes like these?"

Two Icons Meeting

The boys once again riveted by a museum

It was lunch time, and we walked across the street to find a little food court area between the Reagan and Wilson buildings.  Nothing exciting for lunch, but it was better, and cheaper than the crappy museum cafe food we had the two previous days.


Lunch by the Ronald Reagan Building

After lunch we walked a few blocks to the National Archives.  There we saw the original Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and the Magna Carta.  That was pretty cool, although I wasn't quite sure why the US has a copy of the Magna Carta.  They had other rooms with other well-known documents, or so I assume, but by now it was almost 3:00 and the kids were done.  We headed to the gift shop (I think the only gift shop we missed was the gift shop for the parking garage), then headed back to the car to drive to Philly, for what should have been a 3 hour drive.

National Archives

Unfortunately, by the time we actually started out of town it was a little after 3:30 and the traffic was awful.  We crawled along for quite some time and probably lost at least 30 minutes.  We finally started moving and were doing much better until we went through the tunnel near Baltimore on 895 (I think that was the road, may have been 95 at that point).  There we were met with signs that read "Major Delays."  Not good signs.  After again crawling for a few miles, I studied the GPS and noticed that there was a road that seemed to parallel the highway.  It wasn't a major road, but it seemed big enough to be worth the risk.  I got off the highway and headed there.  Not to pat myself on the back (OK, to pat myself on the back) but after staying on this road for maybe 10 miles I re-entered 95 and voila, no traffic!  Genius, I say.

All day Derek and I were texting to check on each other's schedule to see if we could maybe meet for dinner.  They also hit a ton of traffic so they didn't arrive in the Philly area until 5ish, I think.  My GPS said that we would be in Philly at 7:50, so we made plans to meet for dinner near where they were staying (near Mariah's college in Wayne, PA at Danielle's house).  As the GPS predicted, we arrived a little before 8:00 and Derek's family arrived a little after 8:00.  We had a very nice meal (thanks for the suggestion Danielle) and as always the cousins got along like they see each other all the time.  After dinner we took the obligatory family photo of the kids, and said goodbye. 

The Two Monkeys

Must be a Middle Child thing

Too Cool for School

70% of the Volk Grandchildren

We might go back there tomorrow to see Mariah's college room and campus, depending on their schedule and ours.  As for our morning plans, we aren't quite sure yet.  We may try and go to the US Mint, but it will depend on how energetic the gang is in the morning.  Based on the moaning of "I'm so tired" that was the common theme tonight, I'm not all that optimistic.  We'll see.

Day 10 - He's Baaaaaaack

Today we slept in a little to give Ethan some rest and to hope he felt better so we could see a bunch of things today.  When he woke up he didn't seem all that much better, but didn't have a fever and only complained about being tired.  By 11:30 we were finally out the door, and by the time we got outside we noticed more pep in Ethan's step, and more sarcasm in his voice, which we took as a good sign.  Turns out he must have broken the fever last night because pretty shortly he was totally himself again.  This was quite a relief, since even though I may have been a bit hard on Ethan in yesterday's blog post (at least according to Al), we were in fact concerned for his health and that he was going to have trouble doing anything if he didn't get better soon.

The plan today was to head to the Air & Space Museum, then hit some monuments and memorials.  Part of the reason for this plan, at least for me, was that all of these things were free.  And after the $2,845,245.44 we have spent on meals, keychains, hats, shot glasses, baseballs, etc. it was nice to be able to just go someplace and look around for free.  We also decided to partake of the DC subway system.  Excuse me, Metro system.  So we walked a few blocks to Metro Station where we proceeded to ask the Metro info guy about 24 questions and after the two Wharton grads spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to use the ticket machine and the best use of our funds, we had our 5 tickets and headed to the platform.  A few stops later we were near the Air & Space Museum.

We had mixed reviews from friends about the Air & Space Museum, with some loving it and some completely bored by it.  I think we ended up in the middle, leaning towards the bored side.  As has been the case throughout our journeys, our kids really only enjoy museums, no matter the kind, if they can do something hands-on.  Simply looking and reading about things bores them instantly.  The first room we hit was the children's area, which was pretty much all hands on stuff.  We spent maybe 20 minutes in this room and the kids enjoyed it.  Then we went to a few more rooms where it was mostly looking and reading and within a few minutes they were not interested.  I liked the moon mission room, and they may have found some of the planets room interesting (I found it interesting when Amanda gave a very detailed explanation as to why Pluto was no longer a planet).  We decided to check out the planetarium, but when we learned you needed tickets for this and that it was mostly movie type stuff, we passed.

He's back, baby!

By now it was around 1:30 and the gang was getting hungry.  On the way into the museum we passed a ton of food trucks with all types of food.  We figured we would go to them after finishing inside.  Big mistake.  By the time we were done all of the trucks had left with the exception of a frozen yogurt truck.  We decided to get yogurts to tide us over until we found real food, and $25 worth of crappy frozen yogurt was purchased.

We then headed towards the Washington Monument.  This began the massive walking tour of the Mall area.  We got close to the Washington Monument, took some pictures, then headed left towards the Holocaust Museum. 

Washington Monument

We had been warned that some of the exhibits in there were quite graphic, and were glad that they had a whole section geared towards kids.  The exhibit takes you though the experiences of a fictional child named Daniel, and shows how his life changed from the mid 1930s through the war.  They use his "diary" and actual photos as a way to explain how things started out great and normal, and ended up the way they did.  For an exhibit geared towards kids it was quite powerful.  At the end it left Amanda in tears.

We decided that the children's section was enough for us, and I asked someone if there was anyplace to get something to eat (by now it was after 3:00).  For the second day in a row, we had an overpriced, average at best meal at a museum cafe.  This one was in the building next to the Holocaust Museum, and serves vegetarian food with some kosher selections.  That is enough detail on lunch.

From the Holocaust Museum we headed to the Lincoln Memorial, with a stop at the WWII memorial at the beginning of the Reflection Pool. 

WWII Memorial

We then proceeded to take the long walk along side the Reflection Pool to the Lincoln Memorial.  After climbing the steep stairs and taking a few pictures of Honest Abe (and going into the small gift shop primarily to cool down, since by now we were all schvitzing like a gorilla in a sauna -no clue where that came from), we walked a short way to the Vietnam Memorial. 

Lincoln Memorial

Amanda kept waiting for Abe to get out of his chair

It was very nice of the good looking family from NY to
take a picture with a homeless guy in a Red Sox shirt.

Vietnam Memorial Wall

We slowly walked the length of the wall, then headed out.  By now we were far away from the Metro.  The choice was to retrace our steps back towards the Smithsonian Station, or walk up towards GW and go to the Foggy Bottom Station.  After using a very scientific measuring tool (my fingers) on a map I had, I opted to head towards GW.  About 20 minutes later we made it to the station and headed back towards the hotel.

We arrived back at the hotel (dripping and stinking) right at 5:30 when the hotel has its Manager's Reception.  Again taking advantage of free food and drinks, we headed there for some, well, free food and drinks.  A little after 6:00 we headed up to the room to de-stinkify ourselves before dinner.  The plan was to head to a restaurant called Founding Farmers that was recommended to us as the "best restaurant" by the person who checked us into the hotel the other day.  So after we were all cleaned up, we got the car (no more walking today) and headed there.  What the person who checked us into the hotel the other day failed to mention was this was clearly a very popular place where a reservation might have been useful.  We were told that the wait was 1-1.5 hours, so we left and decided to head back into Georgetown to find someplace to eat.

I found a spot on M Street near Wisconsin (for those of you that know the area) and we headed out to find someplace to eat.  We walked a short way on M Street, then headed up Wisconsin, checking out a few places along the way, none of which really appealed to the group.  So we turned back down Wisconsin and took a right on M Street, where we looked at a few more places until we chose (and by "we" I mean "I" because Mama Bear was getting tired of walking) a Mexican food place called Bandelaros.  Luckily they had a cancellation for a large table and we were seated right away.  What we didn't know (and again by "we" I mean "I") when we chose the place was that it was kind of like a Mexican Tapas place where you ordered a few things and shared them.  Amanda was happy that they would make her a cheese quesadilla, and the rest of us picked out 4-5 items, some of which we doubled up on.  The food was OK, and a little more filling that we expected (although as I type this I'm getting a little hungry, so maybe Mexican Tapas is similar to Chinese).  Most of the dishes we ordered we liked, and we paid the bill and headed out.  We hoped to try out a second cupcake place on the street (Sprinkles), but since it was by now 9:20 they were closed.

We got back into the car and decided to drive by some of the memorials to see them "lit up" (happy Mom?).  We ended up driving by the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial, although I don't think in that order.  After we passed the Jefferson I took a small road, just because it was there, and we ended up passing right by the FDR Memorial and the Martin Luther King Memorial.  We parked near the MLK Memorial and got out for a quick look. 

MLK

Jefferson Memorial all "lit up"

Debbie then consulted with the travel book we have with us about the FDR Memorial and read that it has become a favorite among tourists.  So I drove around the block, even though it turned out that the FDR was about 100 yards behind the MLK, and I double parked in front, figuring it would be quick like the MLK look.  What I didn't know was that the FDR Memorial is massive, and very beautiful.  It's one section after another and I started to get nervous that my car might get a ticket or towed.  But my fears were unfounded and after finishing at the FDR we got back into the car and headed to the hotel to get everyone to sleep after a long day.

The good looking family from NY dumped the homeless
guy and traded him for a statue of FDR

Tomorrow is our last morning in DC then we head to Philly where we will hook up with Derek and his family who will be moving Mariah into college near Philly on Saturday.  Before we head to Philly we will probably hit one or two more places in the morning.  We are debating about going to the Newseum (not sure if the kids will enjoy it based on looking at the website) or checking out the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights (this gets my vote as of now).  We may also try and swing by the Capitol.  Maybe on the way out of town I will at least drive by.  Either way, tomorrow night we will be in our home away from home.

Day 9 - Nice Puppy

Today started out early as we had to be at the White House to meet Ari Isaacman, Drew's relative, at 9:45 for our 10:00 appointment.  Knowing that we are typically late for things, we made sure we left plenty of time to get there, so we had the kids up and ready and left the hotel arouind 9:15.  It was only a 15 minute walk, so we were actually on time.  A little before 10:00 Ari met us at the gate and got us through security.  We weren't really sure what to expect, and were surprised to learn that the tour is self-guided, so Ari went back to work while we went through a few more security checks and then entered the White House.

In one of the first areas, there we a lot of presidential portraits and as we were making our way around the corner one of the residents of the White House came running by.  Was it the president?  Nope.  The First Lady?  Nope.  The kids?  Again, nope.  It was Bo, the Obamas' dog.  He seemed to know where he was going and just ran by on his way wherever he was headed.  After that brush with greatness, we continued to view a bunch of the rooms - Vermeil Room, China Room, Green Room, Blue Room, Red Room, Jungle Room (oops, sorry, that one was at Graceland).  On the tour you basically walk by the entrance of the room and peek in.  There are secret service agents in each room that serve as tour guides and they can pretty much answer any questions.  We went up one flight of stairs and saw the state dining room, and then we were pretty much done.  The upper floors where the president and his family live is off limits.  We were told that once the tours are done, typically in the early afternoon, they take down the ropes and the family has free reign of the place.

We left the White House, took some pictures outside (not allowed to take photos inside) and headed back to the hotel.  We had to go back because we were not allowed to bring any sort of bags to the White House, so Debbie didn't have her pocketbook and I didn't have the camera or backpack I usually bring during the day.

The rest of the day pretty much revolved around how Ethan felt.  Based on the level of his moaning and groaning, and how he felt chilled despite not having a fever and it being hot outside, we came to the conclusion that he must have the Bubonic Plague.  It's the only explanation for the way he looked and acted throughout the day.  To try and alleviate the symptoms of the Plague, we tried to get him to take some more Tylenol in a fruity drink.  There is a Starbucks across the street from the hotel (I know, I was stunned also), so we went in and got him some sort of mango drink that he said he liked.  Debbie had already crushed up a few pills, by now an expert on the pill crushing technique, and she mixed it into the drink.  Evidently, mixing crushed up Tylenol into a Starbucks mango drink turns the drink into something horrible, because he had trouble drinking it this time.  I won't get into too much detail on what happened next, but let's just say that whatever Tylenol he was able to drink didn't stay down long enough to take effect.  'Nuff said.

After this wonderful experience, he said he felt a little better, so we ventured towards Ford's Theater to check out where Lincoln was shot.  The good news with this place was that the tickets were free.  The bad news was that the theater itself was closed for renovations, so we couldn't see the actual spot where he was shot.  However, the museum was quite interesting, and most of the family took a keen interest in Honest Abe.  Amanda liked it so much that she bought a book on Lincoln to serve as the biography book she needs to read before school starts.


Only Lincoln enjoyed his time in Ford's Theater less than Ethan did

 

After Ford's Theater, we headed towards the International Spy Museum, which was pretty close by.  It was after 1:00, so we looked for someplace to eat, and kind of by default we just chose to eat at the cafe connected to the Spy Museum.  Nothing worth mentioning regarding the food at lunch.

At the Spy Museum they have a whole bunch of exhibits about the spy world, and they also have an interactive activity where you assume the role of a spy and act out a mission.  That sounded cool, until they described it as unsuitable for children under 12 (followed by tears from Amanda) and also something that contained motion simulators (would have invoked tears from Debbie had she tried it).  So we opted to just do the exhibits, which turned out fine.  When you enter they ask you to review a bunch of aliases, with background info, and the goal is to remember your alias for later in the museum where there were kiosks to test you.  Suffice it to say that I would not be a good spy and would have blown my cover after someone asked me about 3 questions.  The rest of the family would make excellent spies, which made me a little nervous.  We spent a good amount of time in the Spy Museum, and I think most of us found it interesting (I will let you decide based on what I have already written today who wasn't all that interested).  We wrapped up the Spy Museum with some purchases at the gift shop, and by then it was around 4:30. 

Master of Disguises

"Hey, I'm a Spy!  Put me in solitary where I can get some sleep!"

 We conferred with Patient Zero to see if he could walk someplace else or go to another museum and he said no.  So we walked back to the hotel to get the car with the idea of driving to or by some monuments then heading to Georgetown for dinner.  We were able to drive by the Washington Monument, but there was no place to park and it was starting to rain, so the photo op will have to wait for another day.  From there I started headed towards Georgetown by driving through George Washington University to see if I could spot where I lived when I interned here in 1987 for Sen. Mitchell.  I think I found the general area, but I wasn't sure and no one else in the car really cared, so I headed towards Georgetown.

The first stop in Georgetown was Georgetown Cupcake, the store that is the focus of a show on TLC.  We expected the place to be mobbed, but it wasn't and I was able to find a spot right next door.  Ethan stayed in the car while the rest of us went in to see what we wanted.  Debbie was thrilled to see that they had a gluten free chocolate cupcake so she got one of those (and a regular chocolate ganache one, just in case).  Brian and I opted for the chocolate coconut, while Amanda went for cookies and cream.  We got a chocolate one for Ethan, should he ever recover. 

This sign resulted in a happy customer

Happy customer #2

We decided to save them for dessert and then went to figure out where to eat.  I texted the Tuckers, my go-to source for all that is DC, and were given a few recommendations in Georgetown.  One of them, Clyde's, was only two blocks away, so we decided to go there.  This Tucker recommendation was a big step above the one in Bethesda, as Debbie and I shared crab cakes and a pasta dish, Brian had two appetizers (French onion soup and wings), Amanda had a burger for a change, and Ethan ordered soup.  I say ordered soup, as he had about 2 spoonfuls before he put his head on the table to rest.

After dinner we headed back to the hotel so the local Hazmat team could check out Ethan, while Debbie did some laundry and we tried to get some work done (although as I type this we are having problems with the printer, which will likely get fixed much later this evening making what could have been an early night a late one).  Oh, and we also ate the cupcakes.  While tasty, I am not sure they were so outstanding that they justify a whole TV show.  They were basically regular cupcakes with gobs of flavored frosting.

MMMMMMMMMMMMM

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Not really sure what we will do tomorrow.  A lot of it will depend on how Ethan feels (he just woke up and has a 101 temp, ugh).  The goal will be to hit a few more museums (Newseum, Air & Space maybe) and hopefully get to the monuments and memorials.

Day 8 - He Be Illin'

 I guess as payback for spending 3 days on the beach, today (Tuesday) was yet another busy day.  The day started with us sleeping in a little in Richmond, partially to see if the extra rest helped Ethan feel better.  More on this later. 

After a quick stop to pick up a new SD card for the camera (we used up our original 4 GB card and don't really want to risk deleting the photos even though I believe they are copied to the laptop), we were on our way.  First stop - our annual pilgrimage to the American Girl Store, this time in Tyson's Corner, VA.  The boys were once again overcome with excitement, while Amanda could not have cared less.  OK, maybe I have that backwards.


Two hours after leaving Richmond we arrived at the store and Amanda and Debbie went in to see if they could get Amanda's doll's hair re-done.  Because as you all know, her doll has been complaining for months about her outdated hair style.  Luckily they were able to get right in, while the boys and I hung out at the outside tables of the American Girl Cafe. 



A new 'do for Jess

Two pretty girls

 After the new do was done, and we realized that meeting up with Uncle Eddie wasn't going to work out, we headed for lunch at Uncle Julio's Rio Grande Restaurant (no relation to Uncle Eddie) in Bethesda, MD.  This was on the recommendation of the Tucker clan, who raved about this place putting Pancho's to shame.  The meal was good, although either we didn't get the right things or the hype couldn't live up to the expectations, so while this didn't compare to Matt's dud-like experience at Lee's Hoagies last year, it wasn't quite the Earth-shattering meal of all time.  But no harm done, as we did enjoy it overall.

Fiesta time!

Shoot me now

After lunch (at this point it was nearly 4:00), we headed to Arlington National Cemetery.  The GPS took us through the streets of DC, so it took us a little while to get there.  We arrived shortly after 4:30 and headed in.  We got the map of the place from the info booth lady, who told us we could either walk the grounds or take a shuttle to and from some of the major landmarks (JFK grave, Tomb of the Unknown).  After deciding that walking would not be a great choice, we headed for the shuttle.  However, as we got to the shuttle the operator told us that we needed to buy tickets.  Might have been nice for the "info lady" to give me this piece of "info" when she told me about the shuttle.  So I ran to the main entrance to get the tickets, waited in line as a few morons, I mean other people, took a long time to pay, then ran back, only to find that the shuttle leaves every 20 minutes on the dot and we missed it.

The next shuttle left 20 minutes later (like I said, clockwork), and off to JFK's grave we rode.  Ethan wasn't in the mood to walk the 100 yards or so from where the shuttle sat (for exactly 8 minutes before it was going to leave) so we went in two shifts. 

JFK's Grave

I told them that maybe they shouldn't smile for
this picture.  So these are their "serious faces"

The first shuttle left before we were done, so we waited about 5 minutes for the next shuttle to arrive, then 8 minutes (did I mention they are quite anal about their schedule?) for them to take us to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  We got there right before the change was going to take place, so we hustled (mostly) to watch the ceremony.
 

After they were done, Ethan and I went to the bathroom while the rest of the group hung back a few extra minutes.  Ethan and I left the restroom a few minutes later and saw that the shuttle was there and likely leaving shortly.  But Debbie, Brian and Amanda weren't there yet so I called them.  The operator really wanted to leave, but that would have meant waiting another 20 minutes for the next one.  Debbie, Brian and Amanda appeared and ran (again, mostly) to the shuttle, which then took us back to the front.

Before heading to the hotel, we drove by the Iwo Jima monument to snap some pictures, then were finally off to the hotel. 

Iwo Jima Memorial

We arrived at the hotel a little after 7:00, I checked in, convinced the guy out front to let me load the cart myself to save us all time and headed up to our room.  Since we are at an Embassy Suites they have the Manager's Reception until 7:30, so Brian, Amanda and I ran down for a few snacks and drinks.  Since the group was tired and didn't really feel like venturing out, we ordered room service (which may have been the first, or maybe second, time we have ever done that on a trip).

Ethan ended up spending the day feeling lousy.  The only times he seemed to feel better was when we suggested that he should take some Tylenol.  You see, Ethan is likely the world's worst medicine taker.  He still has nightmares about the 45 minutes it took him to take some children's Advil when we were at Disney and he was little.  Say the words "we'll get you some medicine" and he pepped up.  When we got to the hotel room, we felt his head again and he did feel warm. Debbie ventured out to a nearby CVS where she talked to a very nice pharmacist who helped her decide what to do.  The decision was to get Tylenol tablets and a pill crusher and put them in some sort of fruity drink that would mask the medicine.  Debbie then found a smoothie drink and headed back to the room, where she used all of her might to mash up these pills for her little (or not so little) boy.  Evidently the combination of mashed up pills and smoothie was tolerable enough that Ethan actually drank it all, and his fever is already down a little.  We REALLY hope he gets all better soon, since DC is such a busy place where there will be lots of walking.

Anyway, regardless of how he feels, he is going to have to suck it up tomorrow morning, because at 9:45 a.m. the Volk Family is headed to the White House for a tour, thanks to Drew's cousin's daughter (not to be confused with Mike Wallace's barber - this is just a check to see if Derek is reading this).  We will have to play the rest of the day by ear depending on how he feels.  Off to get the kids to bed and do some work.

Day 7 - One Less College Application to Worry About

Monday was quite a busy day.  After checking out of the hotel we headed to Duke for our first official college tour.  We arrived at the admissions office at around 9:45 for our 10:00 tour, and the first stop was a large room with a ton of other people that were also going on the tour.  In the office they had a ton of pamphlets on all things Duke, so I picked up a few that seemed relevant.  One of them was titled "Jewish Life at Duke" and it detailed all of the reasons a Jewish student would want to attend Duke.  While a nice piece of info, Debbie and I found it a little odd that they would make such an overt point to try and convince Jewish people to come to Duke.  There were no info sheets on any other religion.  However, it became much clearer shortly after the tour started when one of the first things our tour guide pointed out was the main landmark on campus - the Chapel.  That, plus the fact that the liberal arts school is called Trinity, made it all clear. 

So as to not influence Ethan's impressions of the school, early on Debbie whispered to me that she really didn't think this would be a great school for Ethan.  But at one point during the tour, when it appeared Ethan wasn't really paying attention to anything the tour guide was saying, Debbie asked Ethan if he was listening.  He said he was paying attention, but then said to her "but there's no way I'm going to school here."  When Debbie asked why he said "because the main building is called the Chapel and the school is called Trinity."  Guess all of those years of Hebrew school and going to temple rubbed off.  It's not like Ethan is expecting to go Yeshiva or anything, but I guess he actually wants a place with a little more Jewish life.

The school itself is quite pretty, but also seems massive.  You have to take a bus from East Campus, where all of the freshmen live, to West Campus.  After the walking tour they sequestered us in a room for what we thought was a brief presentation by some admissions officers.  Six hours later (OK, it wasn't 6 hours, but felt like it), we escaped at the first opportunity and headed to the book store for some Duke stuff.  Ethan already has Duke shirts, so he passed, but Brian got one and Amanda got a keychain (her trip collection item) and we were off (once we trekked through the jungle that is the Duke campus and found our car).

We drove to Cameron Indoor to see if we could get in, but we could not get to the court, so we took pictures by the sign and left. 

Cameron Indoor Stadium (in case you can't read the sign)

From Duke we headed 15 minutes away to the UNC area for lunch and to hit their book store.  Debbie checked out the Road Food book and there was a typical southern restaurant in the book located in Chapel Hill called Mama Dip's.  They specialize in all things southern, and most of us took full advantage.  Ethan had some sort of beef stew thing (that kind of looked more Jewish, which I guess he was in the mood for after the tour), Brian had smothered pork chops, I went for the house specialty of fried chicken, Debbie veered way off the gluten free wagon and also went for the fried chicken and Amanda went for the chicken tenders.  After all plates were clean, and heartburn coming for me, we shared a pound cake dessert and I headed to the front to pay.  While paying I asked if Mama Dip was in the restaurant, and if she was would she take a picture with us.  Turns out she was in the kitchen and the cashier went in to see if Mama Dip would pose with us.  Instead of coming out, the cashier told us we should all follow her into the kitchen, which we did.  Inside we found Mama Dip sitting down (she uses a walker now so it was obviously easier for us to go to her) and making apple cobbler.  We thanked her for a delicious meal and took our picture and headed out.

With Mama Dip (you guess which one she is)

After a few UNC purchases we headed to the Dean Dome to see if we would have any luck there.  Bingo.  The doors were open and we just walked in and went into the arena.  We took some pictures and watched someone (no clue who) nailing 3-pointer after 3-pointer and then left the building. 

Dean E. Smith Center (a.k.a. The Dean Dome)

Now it was time to head to Richmond, VA.  The only reason to stop in Richmond was because a person I went to high school with (Ken Joyce, 2 years older) that I played some baseball with (if you call sitting on the bench while Ken played, playing with) is now the batting coach for the AA Richmond Squirrels.  I had contacted him via Facebook a while back to see if the team was in town during our trip and they were, and Ken was so nice and said he would leave tickets for us, which he did.  We went directly to the stadium from UNC and arrived at the ballpark at around 6:15 for a 7:00 game.  I picked up our tickets at the will call booth and headed in.  We found our seats and I went down to the Squirrels dugout to see if I could find Ken and thank him.  He came out right at the time I got down there, so I got his attention and thanked him and chatted for a few minutes.  He said if he could he would find a time for all of us to come down before the game.  Sure enough, right when I got back with food, he signaled that we should all come down.  So we put the food down and headed down towards the dugout.

Ken then opened the gate and we went onto the field for a minute then he gave us a quick tour of the stadium.  We went into the dugout then behind the scenes to his "office" - the batting cages.  In the batting cages I asked him for the one tip he would give the boys, and his coaching instincts took over and he gave the boys a 5 minute hitting lesson.  The key - separation.  As soon as the pitcher separates the ball from his glove, the hitter should load up and get ready to swing.  For the baseball fans reading this, Ken had Mike Trout in the Arizona Fall League recently, and Trout was having trouble with his timing.  Ken gave him the separation clue, and now Trout is an MVP and Rookie of the Year candidate.

"Separation"

The game was a typical minor league game, with fun events every half inning, which keeps Amanda interested.  Unfortunately, Ethan wasn't feeling well, so he really didn't enjoy the evening too much.  The game was moving along pretty well, so we were going to try and stay the whole game so we could thank Ken on the way out.  But in the top of the 8th a storm rolled in pretty fast and everyone headed for cover.  We tried to retrace our steps from Ken's tour to see if we could get ourselves back down underneath to find him, when all of sudden he appeared where we were.  He gave the kids baseballs and we posed for some pictures with him, thanked him yet again and headed out.

Thanks to Ken Joyce for a great evening.  Go Squirrels!

We got to the hotel, our first Embassy Suites of the trip (only Embassys the rest of the way), set up both air beds so all of the kids could have their own beds and started to catch up on what was clearly a VERY busy day at More Than Paper.  That's why the blog is being written Tuesday morning instead of last night.  Just too late and too tired last night.

Today's plan, once we get motivated, is to head to the DC area.  First stop, the annual pilgrimage to an American Girl store.  This one is in the Tyson's Corner part of VA, not far from DC.  Then we will check in with Debbie's Uncle Eddie to see if he has a few minutes for us to stop by his office.  After that, depending on the time and the mood in the car, we may try and stop at Arlington National Cemetery, then head into DC for what will be a busy few days.