Washington, DC - Revisited

About 6 years ago, I, along with my friend, Aster, saw Washington, DC for the first time. We visited the Archives of the USA, US Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial and the White House. This time, I came with Rich, Alwyn, Rene, and Faye. Boy and Noel didn't join us because the former was sick and the latter didn't like walking ;oP
We reached DC around noon. We parked near the US Department of Interior. We began our walk. I made sure that I brought my water bottle with me. I also hope that my K-Swiss shoes won't fail me.

We saw some souvenir stands where magnets, t-shirts, caps, etc. are being sold to tourists/visitors. Didn't buy anything yet 'cause I'm pretty sure I'll visit DC again once my evil twin sister & family pay me a visit. Later on, I saw a US flag towel that I couldn't refuse to buy (10 bucks).
We noticed a lot of beautiful tulips especially near a Red Cross building. They look fake at first.

It's funny that Rich makes 2 versions of his photo: first, a normal one and then he borrows my shades and takes another shot.
First stop was the White House. They now extended the gap between the fence and the area where peeps could take photos. Stricter security perhaps. There's a small monument I didn't notice before--Zero Milestone. It was meant to be the initial milestone from which all distances of places were to be calculated.
Next, we went to National Museum of Natural History. This is where I enjoyed the most. I saw bones of dinosaurs like T-Rex, Triceratops, and other creatures that lived millions of years ago. A huge African elephant situated on the ground floor is stealing the thunder from our Jurassic friends.
The second floor was filled with gems, including the infamous Hope Diamond (rumored to be cursed). I think the ladies would definitely enjoy this area. Colors everywhere!!!
It's already 2 o'clock so we decided to have lunch. Rene suggested to eat at the Air and Space Museum. At the food court, they only have Boston Market and McDonald's. I went for the more common. I had a quarter pounder plus 10-pc nuggets, fries and Dr. Pepper. While our tummies are being filled up, our eyes are also having a feast with the beautiful peeps in the crowd.
At 3:30, we resumed our museum tour and picture taking.
Then it was time to check out the US Capitol. We walked outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the peeps. Some were sleeping on the grass. Some were playing football or throwing frisbees at one another. Some were sitting on the benches with their loved ones. Some were walking with their dogs. Some were jogging with their iPods. Some were in a field trip with their classmates.
We checked out the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. We went into this room featuring the holocaust in the eyes of a kid named Daniel. We watched a short intro video on his childhood, his family, and how the holocaust affected his life. There are rooms showing Daniel's kitchen, bedroom, the Ghetto, the death camp, and lastly, an area where the visitors could mail their messages to Daniel. Of course, I created a letter stating, "Thanks for sharing your story with us. We'll pray for you. - Knottydon 042107"
Afterwards, we walked back towards the Washington Monument. We had a private joke on this one but I'll keep it to myself ;oP If you check out all our photos, you'd notice that this is our favorite background.
Before we reached the Lincoln Memorial, we stopped by the National World War II Memorial. We found Philippine Sea & Leyte and that calls for another picture taking.
Last stop was the Lincoln Memorial. It's nice to see the big sculpture of Abe Lincoln again. During my first visit, I didn't notice Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" mark on the tile. Found out later that this is where he delivered that famous speech.
We rested a bit before heading back to our parked van. We saw a guy carrying "Free Hugs" sign. I asked Faye to give him a hug which she refused to do. I bought a patch bearing "USA". I'm excited to place it on one of my jeans or jackets.

To top the day off, we decided to have dinner at Longhorn. Faye and I shared the Longhorn steak, complete with a house salad, mashed potato, and bread. I called JP to ask for his advice on red wine. He said, "Turning Leaf" for my Merlot.

While eating, a different waitress delivered my wine. After a few minoots, our waitress appeared at our table holding another glass of wine. I told her that another waitress already gave me my wine. Instead of bringing the second wine back, she gave it to me for free ;oP Rene suggested to give her an extra tip for that.

The steak was pretty tender. Love it. Plus, the wine was good. Ah, the joy of eating great food. What would've made the evening complete is if there's a jukebox in one corner and we could go dancing ;oP
I promise myself to have a nice warm bath before beddy time.