A tour of the Capitol Building was arranged with our Senator Patty Murray’s office. It was a great tour with only 5 of us compared to other tours if you just show up, the groups were around 20+ in size. We looked into a White House tour (Fred wanted to wear his RESIST shirt) but it was booked into August. So if you want to see the White House book ahead!
Most of the museums are free and very large. It seems everything here is larger than you would think it is. Looking to avoid crowds, we toured the National Gallery of Art, the Botanical Garden, and spent some time just “taking it in” at the Grant Memorial with its views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument.
Scooters are the mode of choice for getting around. So fun, and a great way to get a cool breeze on a hot day. At rush hour though, it’s a challenge to find one. Several times, we would see one on the app map, then as soon as we get within a few feet, somebody else would walk up to it and grab it. Or worse, we might win the dash, only to find the scooter out of battery or “reserved” by some other person.
We enjoyed a terrific Mexican lunch with Fred’s friend from grad school and his partner, and the next day a fun Ethiopian dinner with Fred’s good friend from high school and his wife. There is a wave of retirement happening among these folks, and its fun to swap plans as well as recapture old memories.
Fred taking a moment to lobby in the Senator’ office.
The view from the Grant Memorial.