The day began early, like most days so far, as we contacted our friend Shayna to get directions to the place she is staying at. Driving to a nice town in Maryland, north of D.C. we parked the car and met some of Shayna's family members. From here we drove to a public transportation station and took the D.C. equivalent of BART into the city. It was astonishing to see how similar the two systems were. Not having to worry about parking we got into the city pretty early and hit up the Smithsonian quick. If you don't know already, the great thing about the Smithsonian is that admission is free. At the History of National Sciences Museums we walked through every exhibit, and I mean EVERY exhibit, taking loads of pictures between the two of us. Dinosaurs, whales, minerals, cavemen accompanied us down the halls. This place was loaded with creatively displayed dioramas, informational stories, and knowledgeable docents. There was so much to see around every corner with giant squid, insects, planets, and skeletons coming as us. Our little noggins were full to the brim and so were our memory cards as we exited the building four hours later. It was time well spent, but at the same time very draining.
Our feet were tired but still capable as we walked down the street in search of lunch. What we would get for food was much more than anything we expected. This may have been the highlight of D.C., thanks you soooo much Shayna for this great experience. The restaurant in question is Oyamel. If you have heard of it, good for you, you should be jealous. If you haven't, look that up and then you can start being jealous. With Shayna's hookups this would be one of the best places we have eaten at on the whole trip. During lunch hour there was a crazy rush of business men and women in suits as the three of us California bums looking all scraggly walked in.We were introduced and said our hi's to all the workers before sitting down. Menu's were presented, but never needed as Shayna had a great idea of what we had to try . The food just kept coming one after the next, with each dish better than the last. It doesn't sound possible, but this heavenly treat was an amazing experience. Just to list what was given we couldn't believe the flavors that were produced, from the homemade chips and salsa, table made guacamole, chorizo and pepper queso, tuna ceviche, steak tar tar, beef tongue taco, carnitas taco, veal and lamb taco, a weird corn and rice fungus specialty, mole and cheese fries, a rum infused cake with dulce de lechee and whipped cream with pineapple, and last a coffee ice cream with lime chunks on top of a mexican fudge with buttery thin cinnamon cookie crumbles. Yeah all that, and it was damn good.
This was one of those few instances where you don't eat because you're hungry, but you eat because it tastes good. It was glorious as we sat there in contemplation for long periods of time just savoring the flavors that sprung up through each dish. Afterwards we even were given a tour of the kitchen area. It was such a great experience. We were certainly full, but unbelievably content as we stepped back outside. Almost on a food high we made our way to the American History Museum. Stepping in, the walls were lined with iconic inventions, props, and signs. There were automobiles, trains, planes, and boats documenting their history and evolution. There were specific exhibits that focused on various points of history for the United States; Revolutionary War, Civil War, Civil Rights, Vietnam, etc. There were rooms dedicated to presidents, first ladies, pop culture, and art. With so much to see we still ended up on every floor in every room, with pictures of it all.
Next Shayna wanted to show us Georgetown. Jumping on a bus we got off with small little shops all lining the streets. Walking to and fro we stopped to look into a couple. It was decided we would go to the famous DC cupcakes, but before we did so I had to stop and get some milk. It had been quite a while since I had any, and if you know anything about me you know I need my milk fix. Stopping in at a cornerstone I grabbed a quart of milk unsure if I would share at all. We waited in line for a while before stepping in and witnessing a large display with platters of many types of cupcakes. With a cupcake box in one hand, now half a quart of milk in the other we all made our way town to the river's edge. Here we sat on a park bench looking out over the river as the sunset with a view of Virginia and it's cityscape before us. Emptying the boxes and cartons out it all soon disappeared. Walking around Georgetown a bit more we ended up getting back on a bus and made our way to our subway station.
We would drive back to Shayna's family's house where they were gracious enough to let us shower after a nice sweaty day. With a little down time we talked and then said our goodbyes, back to our Walmart. It was then we became fed up with such humid and sweaty nights that we devised a plan. We went into Walmart where we both bought two small battery powered personal fans. We had been driving with the air conditioning on full blast to keep the car nice and cold. We were shivering at first but it soon evened out. The fans were a nice touch that really helped cool things off. Ever since, the A/c and fans have come in handy making nights much more tolerable. So tolerable in fact a simple blanket does the trick at night in the back seat.
Another night in the books getting out of the car we still had some unfinished business in D.C. We drove to a closer subway station where we had a few items on our list. Getting out a bit early we walked around the city streets around all the monuments. We just happened to come across the White House as we made our way back to the museums. We then checked out the farmers market sponsored by the house of agriculture where we got icees that helped cool us off. Next we would check out the Air and Space Museum. Hallways filled with different aircrafts of each field throughout time, once again we would see all that it had to offer. NASA, the Wright Brothers, Airliners, and pilots decorated the various exhibits. We spent a lot of time in this museum and were real hungry when we got out. Looking for something quick and easy we stopped in a Gordon Bierchs for some fries and burgers. Afterwards we headed to the Capitol Building and Washington Monument. Form there we would get in line at the National Archives. This was something I had missed out on my 8th grade trip so I was ecstatic to see the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and, Bill of Rights. There were other old documents of importance that bordered the display case as we waited in line again and then shuffled a long to get a view. Unfortunately the Magna Carta was being restored elsewhere, oh well. The last exhibit we visited in the archives documented our governments history and involvement with food.
Leaving the archives our last stop in D.C. was the Korean War Memorial. From here we would take a long walk back to our station, and then a long train ride to our car. Getting to our car the next stop was Philadelphia. We drove through Baltimore without stopping. It had been a long couple of days and we just wanted to get to Philly so we could sleep, before getting up again the next morning to see the sights. As you can guess we stayed again in a Walmart parking lot that night with a cold car and fans directly over us. Nights were getting easier without any trouble from security guards and now a system to keep us cool during the night.
Next you'll get our long and adventurous day in Philadelphia. Still having fun, and hoping you all are too.
-The Delegates from California
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