Washington, DC - Mini-Spring Break, Pt 2

We live in the 'burbs of Washington, DC...and rarely visit.  It's not that I don't love the city - cause I do.  It's not that there's nothing to do - cause there's possibly too much to do! I think it has more to do with when you live and work in the area - and have to deal regularly with the traffic - you just don't even want to fool with it on the weekends.  

And I don't like crowds.
Or driving in DC.  

Or riding on the Metro very much.

Or people in general.

Unfortunately, all those factor in to why we don't visit DC very often.  It's really a shame because I love it when I'm there.  It's the incredible history that gets me every time...which seems to be quickly sifting through our fingers. Julianna was very young the last time we took her into the city.  She wanted to go and see the Hope Diamond at the Museum of Natural History, so off we went to brave the Nation's Capitol.
On the Metro

The Hope Diamond
(Not best photo quality, but the room is dim and it turns on it's pedestal ..and their are throngs of people waiting to snap their picture.)

Julianna was underwhelmed by the diamond, I'm afraid.  She said she couldn't see it very well (and she refused to be picked up by Dad to get a better view) and it was the wrong shade of blue.  Girls!  Sheesh!

 The Doll's House!
National Museum of American History

If you make it down to DC, go see The Star Spangled Banner exhibit at the National Museum of American History.  Ah-mazing!  You can't take pictures of it, but they wouldn't have done it justice if you could.  It must be experienced in person.