We finally made it. I had forgotten how horrible the traffic is when you approach D.C. A million times worse than New York. And we were lucky. Cars traveling west on New York Avenue were stopped for miles because the police decided it would be a wise idea to have a checkpoint (I have no idea what they were checking for). Really? A checkpoint on one of the most trafficked thoroughfares around the capital? All I know is that I’m glad it didn’t affect us. I had already had enough driving into the city, with the husband trying to provide directions from his free iPhone app. Only problem is that he’d tell me that I needed to turn at the precise moment I needed to be turning. Not helpful when the highway has four lanes, the exit is off the right lane and I’m speeding along in the left lane.
Made it to the hotel near Dupont Circle and the girls are happy as clams. Not because of the pool, not because of the free happy hour (ok, that’s really an adult thing), not because of the free breakfast, not because of the free Internet. They’re ecstatic because the bed has a great cylinder-shaped pillow that they can use to chase each other around the room. Kids are so easy to please.
We walked to our first choice for dinner tonight, Pizza Paradiso on P Street, but there was an hour wait. And people were eating outside in windy 50-degree weather. Needless to say, we had to find another option. We ended up at a good Thai across the street. No, the girls were not adventurous (although they both tasted the sauce on my dish). They ate steamed chicken and rice, which was fine for Sophie but not for Chloe. Too bland. Can’t win with the 9-year old. Either too spicy or too boring. Oh well. At least she remained relatively calm.
Tomorrow we will explore the National Zoo. None of us has ever seen a real panda, so it should be a treat.
Sophie is dying to see Obama at the White House. I haven’t burst her bubble yet, but I will eventually have to confess to her that we were not lucky enough to get tickets for the tour. We’ll have to settle for a photo outside of the gates, and she’ll continue to admire Obama from afar.