To the very tippy top!

Almost from our first day in the District, Claire regularly asked if we could please go to the top of the Washington Monument. If I'm remembering correctly, it wasn't open for visitors right when we got to town? Anyway, we didn't get around to looking into it until December. And when we did, we had to spend several days stalking the website to grab tickets. It was a team effort, but we managed to snag some tickets for *almost* the first slot of the day.

The day of our tour was COLD and SLEETY and WET. We also couldn't take the stroller, so Brynn was strapped to me, Brad carried Lily on his shoulders for quite a bit of our commute, and poor Claire just had to hustle. We left our house in time, but one of our trains was slightly delayed, so we had to run to get there by our entry time.

OOF. We were exhausted by the time we arrived.

The Washington Monument is run by the National Parks Service, and tickets are a couple dollars (maybe a dollar? Can't remember, but it's not much.) per person. You have a timed entry, but once you're inside, you can stay for as long as you want. Or rather, I should say, as long as your bladder and hunger hold. There are no bathrooms for public use, and you can't have food inside. This (obviously) meant the clock was ticking on The Boswell Visit before we even got up to the top.

Waiting on the elevator. And also drying off/cooling off from our run.

Best middle girl. Also: that vest she has on in this picture was technically Brynn's at the time. Claire had a vest in her wardrobe that she loved to wear, and I didn't have one in Lily's size with us in DC, which vexed her greatly. On a whim, I had her try on this furry, sparkly one of Brynn's, which fit her fairly well. DONE. She was happy and quiet about it...and Brynn had no idea. #momwin

The girls were thrilled about the visit from the beginning of the elevator ride, which is quite long and high. The top of the monument is laid out cardinally, allowing a 360 degree view of the District, which is laid out SO WELL. Well done, Pierre L'enfant. You probably know this, but in case you need a refresher: L'enfant is the engineer responsible for designing the layout of the District (he also has a metro stop and plaza named after him). So, from the top, you see the White House from one window, the Lincoln Memorial from another, the Jefferson Memorial from another, and the Capitol from another (plus other things, of course).

The White House is *about* in the middle of this picture, at the top of that grassy circular area.

The Lincoln Memorial is at the end of the reflecting pool there in the middle.

Here's what it used to look like with buildings in the spot where the WWII Memorial is now.

The Jefferson Memorial is kind of in the middle of this shot, kind of where the water dips in just a smidge.

Maybe you can see it better here, near the bottom right corner.

The Capitol is at the end of this side of the Mall, shrouded in mystery and fog. It really was such a gross day.

Family shot! Brynn decided not to cooperate. Can you see her footie pajamas sticking out from under her fleece over-suit? She also had socks on under her jammies. Whatever it takes to keep everyone warm whilst tramping about.

Lily loved this exhibit because the plaque there on the table encourages touching. She loves to touch.

On the elevator ride back down, they darken the inside of the elevator and light up the inside walls of the monument. There are stones for every state, as well as organizations that contributed to the building of the monument. 

It's really neat...but hard to photograph.

I asked Claire what she thought about our visit, and she said it was her favorite thing we did...so all the hustling and freezing were totally worth it. We filled out a field trip report about it when we got home, and it was, perhaps, the best one she did the whole semester. I recommend a visit to the top, if you get a chance. It's a neat experience and one I would do again.

And now...to trek back home and dry off.