Thursday, April 7, 2022

DC/NYC, we've seen it all.

Olivia and I finally got to go on the DC/NYC trip we were supposed to go on in 2020, which kept being rescheduled because of the pandemic. Honestly, the whole month before the trip, I really thought about just not going.  

I don't know what my problem was, it was probably just a lot of anxiety and generally not feeling well. In the end though, both of us went and I'm glad we did. We literally saw and did all of the things in both cities and I'm glad I had that time with Olivia. 

I wasn't prepared to walk 12+ hours every day, even though they clearly said we would be. I think it's one thing to be told something like that and actually doing it are two very different things. I honestly don't know how I made it every day, but by the time we got home my legs were in rough shape and I really hurt
I do wish we could have spent another day in Washington, D.C. though. I do really want to go back because while we got to see everything, I would really like to go back and spend a little more time at a few of the places, specifically the Korean War Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. We saw both of them, but it was night, and also sleeting, we were all completely miserable and frozen, so I definitely didn't get to really take it all in like I should have. 
I'm also bummed that we didn't get to go into any of the federal buildings, which I totally understand why we couldn't, but damn... I really hope someday we can do that again because I just want to really experience the awe of all of them. 
I am so grateful that my kids are all great travelers, because Olivia is all about learning about the things we're looking at, and she is generally excited to see and do things. I really appreciate that about her. 
I think Liv would agree, but maybe my favorite thing to see in DC was George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. It's an absolutely beautiful estate, and I wish we could have had another hour at least to see things, but we made it through the home, some of the grounds and outbuildings, and George Washington's tomb. We also got to experience ridiculously rude students from a different school and that was pretty crappy. 
I have to talk about our tour guide super quick, her name was Liz and she works with EF Tours (the company our trip was through), and she was phenomenal. I literally would go anywhere Liz wanted to take me. She knew everything about everything, she knew her way around everywhere, and it was just amazing to watch her expertly get us around with ease. I'm so glad we had someone so fun because I learned a ton, and I hope the kids on the trip really appreciated that, too. 
We did see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and were lucky enough to watch a wreath ceremony and it was just super moving and I am so glad we were able to see that. I also saw Ruth and Marty. 
After a half day in DC, we rode a bus to NYC and went to the Empire State Building on our first night. Honestly, the view was beautiful, we saw a sunset and we could not have been there at a better time. I will say though, I didn't love it, and it kind of reminded me of the St. Louis Arch. It's cool, I can say I saw it, but it isn't anything I'd tell you that you need to see/do. 
We also saw Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, and I'll be honest, we liked the Statue of Liberty a lot more. I really thought Ellis Island was going to be my favorite but I think not being able to see all areas of it was the key. I also wanted to know more about Ellis Island specifically, but the museum was a lot of information about immigration in general, not just Ellis Island, so it wasn't really anything we didn't already know. 
We were super grateful for the great weather though, it was a little over 70 and I was all about the sunshine because DC was freezing the entire time. 
New York City was.... a lot. 
I knew it was going to be a lot, I already kind of prepared myself for it, but honestly, NYC is a level of stimulation you literally cannot prepare for. 
I almost had a full breakdown in Times Square. Plopping a person with cognitive issues, memory loss, and issues with too much stimulation in the middle of Times Square and telling that person to have fun for two hours, that is really just... too much. I kind of panicked and I didn't really go anywhere off of the block we were meeting at because I was absolutely terrified I would get lost and I had no idea what I would do. I won't even talk about being dropped in China Town because that was even scarier. Thank god for McDonald's, that's how I would sum that up. 
Oh, and we saw a Broadway show! We saw Paradise Square, which was so good! Olivia and I both really enjoyed it, plus we learned a whole lot about a time in history that we just never learned about. 
We also saw the courthouse used for Law & Order episodes, and I loved it so much. Ha! 

The trip was good overall. There were some bumps, there were some real high points, I also had blisters which ended up incredibly infected. I had no idea that could even happen, and I went the entire week thinking my feet were just sore but no, I was walking miles and miles on infected blisters. Shout out to my doctor who called in antibiotics for me to start as soon as I got home. I won't even talk about the awfulness that was our trip home, I can sum it up by saying LaGuardia is just the worst and I will avoid that place at all costs for the rest of my life. 

I already have wanderlust and want to go somewhere else. I'm considering a summer road trip for us, but that's kind of up in the air right now. Maybe if I plan it, the universe will make it happen.... 

1 comment:

Shooting Stars Mag said...

My feet would be insane. And while I love NYC, it really is a lot and it overwhelms me all the time. yay for being able to see a Broadway show. I've never been to DC so it would be fun to visit someday!

Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net