I can’t think of a better birthday present than spending a couple of days at the nation’s capitol. Not only was the weather beautiful and not deathly humid, but it was the beginning of May so it was entirely uncrowded and we were able to get a steal of a deal on a hotel room and rental car. We had spent some time in DC together before, so for this trip we decided to focus on doing things that neither of us had seen.

We took a red eye to DC and by the time we landed it was early morning and the air was crisp. There is something to be said about the essence of DC, there is just a strong sense of power, pride and excitement that is in the air. It’s addictive and empowering. Such an energizing place. Right away we called our Senator’s office to see if there was any way we could sneak in get a tour of the capitol last minute, luckily there had been a cancelation and we were able to snag a spot, so after lunch we headed to the district. Big mistake number 1: we drove. We were running late so really, we had no choice. Parking is a nightmare in the district and we did know that ahead of time but honestly we were hoping to get lucky. We ended up parking at Union Square, which in case you didn’t know costs a pretty penny. The capitol tour is interesting, and it’s free so I would definitely recommend it if you have never been. Our first day consisted of the capitol tour, a drive and walk through Georgetown, and visiting the LDS temple. We closed our first day by walking along the Potomac, taking pictures and exploring the Franklin Roosevelt monument which is very unique and interesting.

Taking the metro is really just a part of the experience in DC. The second day we took the metro to Dupont Circle and hopped on the bus in search of the National Cathedral. It’s a place we both had never been and had heard great things about. The bus ride to the cathedral is great, you get to drive past Embassy Row. All of the embassies are unique and are really cool to see. I just have to pause to say that DC has one of the most amazing public transportation systems I have ever taken part of. It is just so user friendly and fool proof. Anyways, we got off the bus and walked a block to the National Cathedral and come to find out they are hosting a flower festival/ birthday party for the Cathedral. So first we grabbed some free birthday cake and browsed the booths wishing we had a way to take some of the flowers home for our backyard. After cake we walked in and were just blown away from the interior. One of the most gorgeous buildings in this country. It’s interesting to see all the unique features. You can take a free walking tour or even a gargoyle tour, which supposedly there is a Darth Vador gargoyle.

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