DC Trip Update: Day 5

On Day 5, we said goodbye to Washington DC and moved on to Philadelphia.  In our one day of touring around this historic city, we saw many places that are very significant historically.

We met our Philadelphia tour guide, who was dressed in traditional 18th century clothing.

We stopped by Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were made.

We stopped by a print shop as it would have looked in Benjamin Franklin's time.

We got a surprise stop at a museum where we saw some 18th century clothing and their way of life.

We had a quick stop at Betsy Ross's house, the original maker of the American flag.

We went to the Constitution Center and had fun with the hall of statues honoring every member of the Constitutional Convention.

We saw the Liberty Bell and posed for a picture.

We stopped at Benjamin Franklin's grave and did the traditional "flipping of coin" to leave with Ben.

Our last stop was the Philadelphia Museum of Art, better known as the "Rocky Steps."

Even the parents ran up the steps like the Italian Stallion.

Next, we head off to New York City!!!

DC Trip Update: Day 4

For our last day in Washington DC, we started the day by travelling a little outside of town and ended the day with a moving tribute to a recent tragedy.

Our first stop of the day was a bit outside of the capital.  It was Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.

We posed for a picture before watching an introductory video to Washington and his amazing home.

In the Mount Vernon Learning Center, students were able to take the Presidential Oath of Office next to a wax statue of Washington doing the same thing.

Once back in town, we stopped at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

A short walk along the waterfront brought us to the FDR Memorial, honoring our longest-tenured president.

We sat and learned about President Roosevelt in front of a wheelchaired statue of the president.

The students got in line at the soup kitchen in observance of the Great Depression.

The future trying to live up to FDR's inspiring words.

A further walk down the waterfront brought us to the Jefferson Memorial.

The group sat on the steps and learned about the significance of our 3rd President, whose statue overlooks the White House.

We were able to make one last stop at a Smithsonian Museum.  This time, the spot was the Air & Space Museum, where we saw the Wright Brothers first airplane, the spaceship from the first moon landing, and everything in between.

Before dinner, we saw the awe-inspiring US Air Force Memorial, overlooking the Pentagon.

Our final stop of the night was the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial.  A bench has been placed for each person who died here that day, indicating whether they were on the plane or in the building.

The students were asked to find a bench, sit, and pray for that person and their family they left behind.

Goodbye DC!  On to Philadelphia!

DC Trip Update: Day 3

On Monday, we had something follow us around town for the first time since we have been here ... the SUN!!!  It was a day of sights that filled us all with awe and wonder.  Here are the highlights.

We started our day walking past Ford's Theater where President Lincoln was assassinated.

We then stopped by the National Naval Memorial, where all the students posed with the sailor statue.

Next, we went inside the National Archives, where we were able to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and one of only four copies left of the Magna Carta.

We were able to fit in a short stop at the National Zoo to see the giant pandas!

Our next stop was the National Cathedral, where we were awed by the grandeur of the building that fuses classical architecture with modern American history.

After that, we stopped by Capitol Hill, where we walked the grounds of our nation's government.

Next came the Library of Congress, where we saw a Gutenberg Bible and Thomas Jefferson's book collection.

As we stopped by the Supreme Court, we started to realize that American history is being made daily.

We were able to make a short stop at the Law Enforcement Memorial where names of fallen police officers are listed honored.

Our last stop of the night was at the massive Kennedy Center, where we saw the Hall of Nations, the Hall of States, and incredible views overlooking the Potomac.

Before we left the Kennedy Center, we had a short quiz to see how well we know the city layout.  Each student represents a place we have visited.

Only one more day in DC!

DC Trip Update: Day 2

We had a full day of sightseeing on Sunday!  Many of the things we saw really made history come alive.  The best of the day?  It didn't rain on us!!!  Here are some of the highlights.

Our day started with a trip to Arlington National Cemetery, where we saw the graves of thousands that have served our country, including JFK and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Our next stop was at the Holocaust Museum, which was a moving walk through such a tragic event in history.

We stopped at the Washington Monument, where we went to the top of the 555 foot tower to see the amazing panoramic view of Washington DC.

To avoid potential rain (which never came), we shuffled our schedule and saw some of the Smithsonian Museums in the afternoon.  We all started at the Museum of Natural History and were able to split into small groups and see any of the museums we wanted to.

After dinner, we saw some memorials all lit up at night.  The first stop was the World War II Memorial, where each state has a pillar to represent their contributions to the war.

We then went back to the Lincoln Memorial to see our 16th President all lit up at night.

Across the street from Lincoln is one of the more fun monuments.  All the kids enjoyed climbing into Einstein's lap and give him the traditional nose rub.

Our last stop before we returned to the hotel was the Marine Memorial, depicting the iconic photo from Iwo Jima.