Our sweet little Eve ended up getting emergency back surgery the Monday before Thanksgiving. I am happy to fast forward you through some worrisome weeks when she was recovering the ability to use her back legs and report that she is doing amazing! Of course, she will always be a bit more restricted in terms of being allowed to go up and down stairs and jump on and off of furniture, but she is able to walk/run/hop/bark at other dogs and perform her morning stretch routine that always looks so satisfying.
Now that things have settled I want to catch you up our recent travels around Washington, DC, San Antonio, TX, and Williamsburg, VA.
Let's start with DC. Okay, DC is not exactly traveling for us. We live approximately 7 miles outside of the city in Northern Virginia, but if you don't live around here then it could be for you!!
(Full disclosure, I took this picture a few years ago from the top of the Washington Monument, which is currently closed to the public for repairs as a result of the earthquake in the summer of 2011. However, you can still visit the Mall, and all of its museum and monument attractions. Pictured are the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.)
My Dad came to visit us for Thanksgiving. We took advantage of the Smithsonian Museums on the Mall, which are free and open every day of the year other than Christmas. On other visits we've taken my Dad to the Air and Space Museum (both the DC and Virginia locations, if you are into planes and space shuttles the drive out to the Virginia location is worth it - just a warning you have to pay $15 for parking), and the Natural History Museum, so this year we went to the American History Museum. The American History Museum is great because it's really got a little bit of something for everyone. There is the flag that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, an exhibit on American in war, and one of my favorites an exhibit on the first ladies featuring dresses worn at formal state events. Pretty cool.
We also went to Mt. Vernon, the estate of George Washington.
This is not free to the public and is a slightly steep price at $17 per adult, but it is worth it and ranks as one of my all time favorite spots in Northern Virginia. The estate overlooks the Potomac river and Paul and I have attended a wine tasting event where we've been able to sit on Washington's lawn and sip wine and eat cheese and dessert.
Look at that view from the back porch! It's fun to think about enjoying Washington's view of his back yard.
It was a little chilly for picnicing in November, but walking around the grounds and touring the house is always enjoyable. Also, a few years ago they built an impressive museum and educational center with interesting interactive displays and a few 3D movies (this is good for a respite from heat or cold, depending on the season). Mt. Vernon is located in Alexandria, VA - about 15 miles outside of DC.
If you are considering visiting DC, and are planning to rent a car to drive to places like Mt. Vernon, the Air and Space Museum in VA, or anywhere else I would highly recommend staying in Old Town Alexandria, VA. It is close to the yellow Metro line which will easily transport you to downtown DC, and Reagan National Airport (if you are flying) and the parking and hotel prices (even for the more upscale places like the Monaco) are lower in Alexandria than they would be in DC. Plus Old Town is located right along the water with centralized shopping and restaurants to make night life a little more low key, but just as entertaining as DC. If its your first time to DC and you plan on keeping things focused within the city limits then certainly it makes more sense to stay downtown. I wouldn't bother renting a car, but DC some sites are kind of spread out, so I would make good use of the metro. However, now we are getting into a whole other set of travel tips, which I will save for later.
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