Washington DC 2015...

Early on Saturday morning, Mom and I along with Amanda and her boyfriend, Keenan, headed by train to Washington DC. It was an extra early start as we were all up around 5:00am. I made sure to leave extra food and water for the kitties. They weren't entirely happy about the extra early activity. The train would be leaving Philadelphia around 7:00am and we would arrive at 9:00am. After arrival, the first order of business was breakfast. Mom and I opted for McDonalds while Keenan and Amanda opted for something a bit more healthy.

Then, we got tickets for one of the tour bus lines and rode to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. On the way, we notice some police activity and the bus had to make a slight detour. The highlights of the museum were, of course, the space capsules and a replica of the Hubble Space Telescope. There were a couple of missiles which were fairly impressive and a rather underwhelming trip through a replica of Skylab.

After the Air and Space Museum, we decided to have a walk down the street to see what the other buildings down the street had to offer. We opted to skip the Museum of Modern Art. We did pass through the Sculpture Garden and the flower garden behind Smithsonian Castle, but, after a while the heat started to get to us, so, we got back on the tour bus and headed over to the Lincoln Memorial. On the way, we passed the Washington Monument. Mom took the elevator to the upper level of the Lincoln Memorial while the rest of us took the stairs. Keenan noted that the stairs in front of our local art museum are both wider and more numerous. Mom and I found a nice shady spot on one side on the monument to sit and relax while Amanda and Keenan explored the monument.

Later we walked across the street to a park and sat down for lunch. Mom and I packed hoagies and bottles of water for the trip. We stopped by a local concession stand and picked up some extra water and a couple of sodas. Keenan picked up some chicken nuggets as he's very particular about what he eats.

Following lunch, we got back on the tour bus for a quick trip to Arlington Cemetery and that back into the city for a visit to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Keenan had never been to any of the wax museums, so, he was a bit leery about how realistic the wax sculptures could be. Keenan was shocked and fascinated by the eerie realism of the wax sculptures. He took selfies with almost every one of the wax sculptures.

Afterwards, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe for an early dinner. As we walked down the street, we passed by the infamous, Ford's Theater. Once we were seated, Keenan and Amanda had alcoholic beverages while Mom and I had a mango flavored fruit drinks. We ordered a sampler of different appetizers and Keenan picked at some of the items. I stuck to the onion rings while Mom and Amanda were more adventurous. For dinner, I had a burger with bacon and cheese, Mom had a pulled pork sandwich, Amanda had fajitas and Keenan had a salad. After dinner, we picked up some souvenir cups which were included in the cost of our meals and Amanda and Keenan had a couple of parting shots.

After dinner, the oppressive heat was really taking its toll on me, so, I stopped taking pictures. We got back on the tour bus and headed over the the White House. Keenan had a nice conversation with the Secret Service on duty while Mom and I sat on a bench. We saw extra security show up and then a group of people in suits came walking along the path behind the White House -- we speculated that they were probably some sore of Congressional delegation, but, we didn't recognize anyone in the group.

By this time it was about 6:00pm, so, we decided to get back on the tour bus for the trip back to the train station. We got back to the station at about 6:20pm and took the opportunity to do a bit of exploring. Keenan and Amanda went off in one direction. Mom and I went over to the gate area to reserve some seats, then I headed out to see what I could find. Pepsi is apparently in very short supply at the station as were books. But, I did manage to spy an FYE. Sadly, I didn't go inside. Mom found a book at a local news stand and I got some munchies for the trip home.

The train arrived at around 7:00pm and we were all home by about 10:00pm. Toto was a bit surprised by our late arrival. He was ready to hide in his usual hiding spot until he realized that the strange people arriving unexpectedly in the middle of the night were, in fact, people he knew. The kitties got fresh food and water and had an opportunity to inspect all the bags.

All things considered, it was a very good trip.