Back to D.C. - Friday, August 8, 2008

Today we headed back to the Washington, D.C. area. Thank goodness for frequent flyer miles! We were here in May for a business trip of the Biologist's, but just didn't have quite enough time to do everything we wanted. This trip was just for fun... although the Marine may not have had quite as much fun as the Biologist.

Upon arriving at Dulles airport, we picked up our rental car and off we went. Our first stop was the Huntington Metro Station. No, we didn't go there to catch the subway, you silly people. We had an elevator to catch! You got it... a Public Funicular! Woo hoo. We were sure someone would grab this one before we could get back to the area, but we lucked out. It was ours... all ours, bwaa ha ha.


Next we headed to the Washington Navy Yard to visit the Navy Art Gallery. Doesn't everyone go to the Navy Art Gallery when they're in D.C.? They don't?! We'll they should. They have some fantastic original drawings from the Antarctic Operation Deep Freeze expeditions stored there. A great way to see a fantastic Antarctic Point of Interest without getting frostbite!

After leaving the Navy Yard, it turns out we were just down the road from the Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Stadium. Who could resist making a quick stop to view the location of a FIFA World Cup Venue? Okay, so the Marine probably could have resisted, but not with the Biologist in the car!

Next we made a short stop downtown to check out a few sites we didn't have time to fully appreciate in May, then off to find a Ghost Bike. A very sobering memorial to the loss of a beautiful young woman and a reminder of the need to stay alert to cyclists sharing the road.


Next we made a short side trip to Baltimore. Yes, it really was a side trip! We actually had to go there so the Marine could eat at the Blue Moon Cafe, a cafe featured on his favorite show "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives." Really. Was it the Biologist's fault that the cafe was only open for breakfast and lunch and we arrived in time for dinner? I don't think so. The Marine should have checked that out before we took our little side trip. Fortunately he didn't and we were able to find a Railroad Roundhouse that hadn't been claimed and we also took the opportunity to visit one of the very rare Shot Towers in the U.S.

By the time we finally found a place to eat and made it back to D.C. to check into our hotel, it was time to get some sleep in preparation for a busy Saturday.