I hadn’t been to Washington DC since I was a kid, so when I saw a cheap flight over a long weekend I had to take advantage of it! I wanted to continue on from my original post about travel journaling and give you a look inside my journal from this trip. 

Sight – Flags

It was Memorial Day weekend and, while we had to leave on Monday and miss the parade, we still saw a lot of special displays that were set for the weekend. There was a flag set up in front of each headstone at Arlington Cemetery. The headstones seem to stretch out forever over 624 acres of land. Being there was a very humbling experience.  

After watching the sunset on the back of the Lincoln Memorial we walked around the Mall and saw this display of flags. Each had a tag with the picture and information of a soldier. You can’t even tell how many flags there were in this picture because it was dark out. 

Taste – Crab Cakes

We waited in line for about 20 mins at Market Lunch, located in the Eastern Market, to order our food. Don’t worry, you need that much time to decide what you are going to order. It’s a very popular place, known for their Blueberry Buckwheat pancakes and the Brick Sandwich(only available on weekends and know as a hangover cure). Even though breakfast is the most popular, they are also known for their seafood. Being so close to Maryland I was on a mission to get a crab cake!

The gentleman taking our order was amazing. He may have been the owner as he was very knowledgeable when we asked if the pancakes were gluten free. To the annoyance of the people behind us he let us know that he had created a great gluten free pancake in the past but it didn’t sell well enough. He then let us know how he made it and what flour to use, lol. He continued to help my friend through what items she could eat; it was awesome. It seemed like he really cared about the customers as he took orders, taking the time to chat with everyone.  When I ordered a crab cake sandwich he said, with coleslaw and tomato right? Like that was the only way to order it, so I said of course! It was delicious. I have to go back and try the pancakes. Remember to bring cash as they are a cash-only facility.

Hearing – Helicopters and Planes

When you fly into DC the planes fly right over the mall and you can get a great view, so have your camera ready.

That also means that when you are in the Mall you will hear and see the planes flying over.  It seems like there is also a helicopter flying around pretty much all the time. We kept an eye out for Marine One hoping to see the President returning to the White House but no luck.

Smell – The Metro

Not gonna lie, there we some funky smells in the Metro. Between track construction, getting lost and running around the city I felt like we spent a lot of time there. Some of the trains we got in were quite old and a bit stinky! It was still a great way to get around the city and we had lots of laughs from it.

Touch – Marble Staircase 

The Library of Congress was my favorite place we visited. I mean, what doesn’t that building have?! Sculptures, marble staircases, stained glass, mosaics, tiled floors, old library books, painted ceilings… the list goes on. So many beautiful things to look at. Make sure you save some time during your trip to visit The Library of Congress!

I feel like we did so much in such a short time while we were in D.C. It was exhausting. and we still didn’t get everything done that we wanted!

What’s your favorite place to visit in D.C?
Melissa P.

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