Washington DC Day 5 & Headed Home

Woke up bright & early, packed all the gear & loaded up so we could hit Dunkin Donuts for coffee and breakfast! I’m so excited to be on our way home. I love traveling, but one of my favorite parts is coming home, always has been.

Anyhoo – we had a bit of an adventure this morning trying to escape DC, so let me tell you all about it. LOL. We took New York Ave back into the city this morning so we could go to DD, and we also wanted to check out a few other places, not stop, but just do a drive by so BF could see other places he might like to go on our next trip. So we get into DC just fine, then for the life of us we couldn’t escape!!! There was some type of marathon going on that had half of the city on shut down. And the half that wasn’t closed so people could run in a circle, was closed due to construction!! We must have circled one block like 8 times trying to find a road that would lead us out. Hell we were sitting at one stop light (trying to figure out where we were) and I’m pointing to the street sign because I couldn’t read it, there’s a cop laying back in his car seat looking like a thug, rolls the window down a crack, lifts his head a bit and shouts “You can’t turn here”. Pissed us off so bad, we were not in the turning lane, did not have our signal on, nothing to suggest that we were trying to turn the wrong way on a ONE WAY street, we were just trying to figure out where the fuck we were so we could get on the road back home.

Now I realize I’m from the south & people down here are a little different than most, friendlier you might say, but when you see someone who is apparently lost and have the streets are closed and you just so happen to be a cop – perhaps it would be beneficial for you to get up off your lazy, good for nothing ass and ASSIST them.

So any ways, (even without his non-help) I was finally able to navigate us out of the city and back on 95 headed home. We blasted the radio and talked the entire way home. It was a wonderful vacation!

Washington DC Day 4

I’m a big fan of taking a vacation day to do absolutely nothing & that is exactly what we did this morning. The Green Metro was down for track maintenance and New York Ave was closed due to construction so we hung out at the campsite playing cards and talking all morning. It was a good chance for us to connect with each other and just simply be together.

Faye called around 1p to ask if we wanted to hang out for a bit and we said sure. They came over to the campground and we went out to lunch. Totally amazing little hole in the wall place that had OMG yummy food. Then we went to the superstore of thrift markets and found some amazing deals on clothes. I picked up a dress, 2 skirts, and a shirt and for James a pair of jeans, and a jean jacket all for under $20. And for those of you who know me – I am a PSP, plus size princess, so finding anything to fit at a thrift store is amazing.

Then we returned to the campground to play cards & visit some more. All in all this was the most relaxing vacation day I think I’ve had. Lol.

Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$43 lunch (Reggie beat me to last night’s check so I was bound and determined to get lunch)
$17 thrift store

Washington DC Day 3

Well today we decided to do the traditional monument tour. Got up early and took the metro to Arlington National Cemetery. Did the grand tour, we saw the caisson in use (funeral on the grounds), John & Jackie’s eternal flame, all the pomp and circumstance of the clickety clack guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the double wreath ceremony and the sight of a preteen crapping his britches. Explanation, while at the Tomb, we noticed a couple of teen type boys joking & pushing each other, then one stepped over the barrier, the guard went from parade march to gun at the ready shouting step back instantly. The poor child could not move for a few moments as his bowels opened up and he soiled his shorts.

After we left Arlington, we took a tour bus across the George Washington to do the monument tour. Got dropped off a the new MLK monstrosity, then hoofed it over to the Korean wall and the soldiers trapped forever in battle (this monument always gives me the willies a little), over to the Lincoln Memorial (where it started to rain and we had a good laugh at everyone dashing for cover), then down to the Vietnam Wall (we were able to assist a gentleman who was trying to take a picture of his friends name – they shipped out the same day), leisurely stroll to the Washington Monument, and then some how we ended up on the street in front of the White House (we were trying to locate the CVS lol) and James got yelled at by a Police Officer.




Now here’s the background for that, as stated we were trying to locate a CVS because I needed a blister pad for my foot and the directions that we were given didn’t say anything about walking in front of the White House, but we ended up there any way. Upon seeing an officer standing in the middle of the street, James asked him if he could give us directions, the officer looked over at James and dismissed him. James thinking maybe the cop didn’t hear him, took a step closer and repeated his request. The cop exploded (I honestly can not think of a better word for it) hand on gun belt, unsnapping the latch thing and yelling “Step back, I have authorization to shoot”. James did not step off the sidewalk, he didn’t raise his voice, and he didn’t threaten the officer in any way, simply asked for assistance, he stepped back and the cop returned to statue mode. No fucking joke. We stood there for a few minutes having a conversation about said stupid tweedle and you could tell he wanted to say something, but since he was playing palace guard there was nothing he could do. Then we continued down the street in the hopes of finding the CVS.

And unfortunately the drama continues, somehow we ended up at a dead end, a smallish cul-de-sac made from fences and were like damn just what we need, a trip back by Office Stick in His Butt! We turned around and started back down the road and a very nice gentleman from a guard shack told us to go through a gate (evidently someone had position the fence the wrong way) & we’d come out on the main road, and that CVS was on the next corner.

*** Side Rant: I honestly think the police officers in DC are the worst on the face of the planet. We asked 2 different officers for directions (one to the CVS and one to get to 395) and they were the most uphelpful idiots I’ve ever met.***


So we found the CVS, got my foot patched up, and walked through the outdoor court of the Ronald Reagan Trade Center, where we found a small farmer’s market. I was massively impressed with the offerings and if we’d been on our way back to the campground then I would have totally bought a bunch of stuff lol. Next stop was the Museum of American History. James was blown away at seeing Archie Bunker’s chair. I honestly think that was the highlight of his trip.

Then we had to catch the Metro back to the campground to get ready for dinner cause we were meeting up with Faye & Reggie, two of my LARP friends at TGIF and I wanted a chance to get changed and freshened up a bit.

I must say I was totally impressed with TGIF (it was totally jumping) and the food was amazing!! Now I know it’s a chain restaurant, but we don’t have one in Fayetteville so it still counts towards my “eat somewhere new when on vacation” rule. I had an amazing time reconnecting with this wonderful couple and finding out what’s going on in their lives. We laughed and joked the whole meal.

Total Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$20 Metro Pass
$10 Bus Pass
$19.75 Lunch

Washington DC Day 2

So we got up early and decided on coffee/tea & breakfast danish, then drove up to the GreenBelt Metro station to take the train into DC. Had a very interesting conversation with another couple that was staying at the same campground.

First sight seeing stop of the day: The Smithsonian Air & Space Museum
When we were trying to decided if going out of town was a good idea I asked BF what he wanted to do, his response was go to The Smithsonian. I don’t think he realized that it was multiple museums nor how big they truly were, because he looked overwhelmed today while walking through the history of flight. We got to see the Wright Brothers plane and read all about the history of flight. Enjoyed walking through the space exhibit. And we even got to touch a piece of the moon. Talk about cool.

Second sight seeing stop: The Smithsonian Natural History Museum
We walked into the museum and immediately stopped and started. The large elephant in the middle of the entry is truly spectacular. We had decided to eat here today, so our first stop was the Café in the basement and I think we both looked overwhelmed with all the choices, the food was stellar and filling (even if a little pricy). I loved the fact that all the trash cans were set up for compost, recycle & landfill so that even the act of throwing away your trash was educational. Then we went up into the museum and enjoyed a couple of hours of walking around. We saw dinosaurs and the Hope diamond and meteors from outer space, rocks that looked fuzzy and mummies. We talked and held hands and just simply enjoyed being with each other.

When we were done with the Natural History exhibits, we went out the “back door” and headed north to see if we could find the International Spy Museum. We walked around, enjoying the weather and the bustle of the city.

International Spy Museum:
Had a very enjoyable time talking with the security guard here. Joan was a very caring woman who truly made our day by treating us kindly and actually talking with us. James says I can make friends every where I go.

From the moment you step into this building you realize it’s something different. From the floor with its flashing lights to the elevator strobish type lighting. You are escorted into a room and asked to assume an identity (make sure you memorize the deets), then its on to your briefing (short film on spies), then it’s off on your mission.

When you step into the actual museum there are a bank of monitors that you are supposed to go to and answer the questions that pop up. This will give you a mission to follow. There are exhibits on lock picking, eavesdropping, ciphers and codes, spotting cameras, you name it. The major thing you have to remember when coming into this museum take your time, wander around and learn something. My only “big” complaint was the lack of attendants in the museum itself.

Make sure you take the time to enjoy the store too, there are some wonderfully fun souvenirs. I did most of my presents to everyone shopping here, but that is sp



Total Cost of Today’s Adventure:
$18 Metro Pass
$24 Lunch
$43 International Spy Museum

Washington DC Day 1

Gotta love getting a vacation and planning a trip. I had to take some time off from work (long story) and decided that a vacation was what was needed. Convinced the BF that DC was the place to see, loaded the camping gear & grabbed some groceries & headed out on an adventure!

I grabbed NightShade and made sure he came along for the trip.

We took a leisurely drive up I95, stopping at JR’s to look around, and then Denny’s for a late breakfast early lunch. Made it to DC in really good time and with the help of MapQuest mobile found the Greenbelt Parkway campground. We picked out a really good site, set up camp, then had to move to another site because a Momma Bird had taken over the grill with her nest, set up camp a second time, and got some sandwiches for dinner. While sitting down to eat, we decided to go drive around DC so BF could see all the sites at night. So off and running we went. We got into DC without any problem, but looking at the sites was completely out of our realm because of all the buses trying to squish us. We did manage to see the Capital Building all lit up and BF thought that was cool. After an eternity of trying to circle around the area & fighting the buses for a lane, we gave up and headed back to the campsite & safety. LOL.

NightShade kept the tent safe for us. We played cards for a little bit, and then it was off to sleep.

Total Cost of today’s Adventure:
$48 Gas
$19 Lunch
$64 Campground