The first thing the kids saw when we exited Smithsonian metro station was the Washington Monument. A discussion ensued...how tall is it? why do they have flags flying in the rain? if you drop a penny from the top, the velocity would be enough to kill a person (Sam's comment, of course.) I quipped, "okay, so give me a penny and you stand below and we'll test it out. LOL. Then the inevitable question, can we go up to the top, Mom?
We were in luck. It was offseason and a rainy day, so we were able to get tickets (which happened to be free), and fifteen minutes later we were on our way.
Here they are peering out of one of the windows near the top of the monument. They were looking at the White House. These windows are about 50 feet below the point of the monument.
What we learned: The monument is 555 feet 5 1/8 inches tall. It was the tallest building in the world when it was built, but that distinction lasted only 4 months. The monument was built similar to the ancient Egyptian pyramids. The shape of the monument is called an obelisk. It is still the tallest structure in DC and the tallest structure in the world that is built of stacked stones. Although it looks like there is mortar between the stones, there isn't. There is simply caulk added to seal the structure. Two different quarries were used when the monument was built, and there is a visible difference in the color of the stones where the change was made. It takes 70 seconds to get to the top of the monument in the elevator. On the way back down, the elevator slows and window panes in the elevator become clear so that you can see the engraved stones that are on the inside of the monument.
This quote is in the entry where you wait for the elevator.
Did we ever make it to the Holocaust Museum? Yes, but we only looked at one exhibit--Daniel's Story. It is a special exhibit created for children that explains the Holocaust in a way that children can understand with interactive aspects to each display. It is based on the diary of a child, Daniel, who survived the Holocaust. It shows what his home, family and life were like before the Nazi's entered their town, how the Jews were treated by the Nazi's before the Jewish inhabitants of their town were sent to the ghetto, and finally, what the concentration camp was like...all in Daniel's words from his diary entries. William was very moved by the story. Brenna was particularly affected by the fact that Daniel's mother and sister were "murdered" (her words) by the Nazis. It didn't upset the kids, but even Will was able to grasp the severity of how the Jews were treated during the Holocaust. It gave us a fabulous opportunity for discussion. Then at the end of the exhibit, you exit through a room where kids can sit down and write/draw about their feelings in postcards to Daniel. It was done VERY well. I highly recommend it.
After that, we called Daddy to find out where the nearest McDonald's was located--just one stop away by metro. The kids were thrilled. So, we went for a late lunch and hopped back on the metro for a quick visit with daddy. The visit to the Morrison Clark Inn took the mystery out of daddy's new job, and the kids bubbled over with excitement when they told him about their day. Then, we were off to the metro to go back home. What a fabulous day!
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