APGov DC Trip 24 Day 4

We decided to start our last day with one more walk up Capitol Hill to try to visit the Supreme Court again. 

We got in line at 815, and this time it worked - we got in! The security process took about an hour and after some more waiting, we got to hear the case, Nvidia v. Ohman. The subject matter of the case was a bit dry (required specificity of document descriptions...) but it was fascinating to see the Court in action. 

After, we went back to hotel to grab our bags and check out. We took the Metro to DCA to check our bags, then went back to the Pentagon for a tour. This was a very entertaining visit led by junior officers from several branches that taught us about various facts about the building, highlighted by a visit to a memorial for victims of the 9/11 attack there. 

After grabbing a late lunch in Crystal City, we went to the airport for for our flight home. 

We bused back to the Cape and were home before 10! What a fabulous trip with a wonderful group of fellow adventurers!

APGov DC Trip 24 Day 3

We started the day by trying to get into the Supreme Court for oral arguments. We walked up Capitol Hill, got in line around 830, and soon after they handed out some tickets but not enough for us to get in. 

We waited a bit longer - it became clear that the only chance was to get in for the second case and that would take a few hours. So we went next door to the Library of Congress where there were some great exhibits. 

We then walked down to the White House for our noon tour. After a long security line we got to walk through the executive mansion. 

Next we took a bus back to the Capitol for lunch at the Senate Cafeteria, and then a Capitol tour with Monomoy alum Grace Fernandez, including a visit to the Senate chamber. 

Following the tour, Grace arranged for us to have a sit down with her boss, Sen. Markey, who regaled us with stories of growing up as the son of a milkman in Malden. 

We then finished the day with a men's basketball game at George Washington University - the Revs won! 

After one more Metro ride we got back for one more night at the Holiday Inn.

APGov DC Trip 24 Day 2

Happy Veterans Day! We left the hotel at 830 to head to Arlington National Cemetery. This year, we were early enough to get into the ceremony at the Memorial Amphitheater. 

It was bright and warm and after some entertainment from the Marine Corps band, Pres. Biden arrived and gave a typically personal address for the occasion, remember his son Beau's service. 

After waiting for the motorcade to clear, we got to watch as the veterans service organizations who organize the annual ceremony laid wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. 

We next headed over to the Kennedy graves where we read some speeches carved into the memorials and contemplated their legacies. 

We walked over to the Marine Corps Memorial where some high school bands were playing for the occasion. 

After a walk to Rosslyn and a Metro ride, we got a late lunch at some food trucks, then some went back to the hotel for a bit while a few of us spent time in the American History Museum. We decided to do our walking monument tour before dinner and started with the Washington Monument. 

Next was the World War II Memorial. 

From there we walked to the MLK Memorial. 

Next to that was the FDR Memorial. 

And then to the Korea, Vietnam and Lincoln Memorials. 

Then we look a (long) walk to dinner at Busboys and Poets (we walked instead of taking the Metro because we wanted to see the White House at night, but with construction started for the Inaugural, we couldn't really see it). After an excellent dinner, we finally took the Metro back to the hotel and crashed with our pedometers registering a day of 29,000 steps and 19 miles of walking. 

APGov DC Trip 24 Day 1

MRHSAPGovDC24 started with a 4am departure from school in order to catch a 7am JetBlue flight from Logan to DCA.

The flight was smooth and on time. We got our bags and figured out the SmartTrip app in our AppleWallets to get on the Metro, arriving at L'Enfant Plaza station (exit A) and taking the short walk to Holiday Inn Capitol Hill. 

After dropping our bags (and a quick change), we got to the Air and Space Museum right at 10 and enjoyed the exhibits (some of it still under renovation). 

From there we walked down the the NMAAHC - African American History and Culture Museum. We spent a couple hours immersed in the history exhibit, walking through 400 years of uneven progress. 

After lunch at the Sweet Home Cafe, we took in the culture exhibits on the upper floors. We then walked down to the National Archives to inspect our founding documents before heading back to the hotel to check in. 

After a quick nap, we walked down to the Wharf for dinner - getting a little damp in the only rain we would see on the trip. Back to the hotel for an early bed for some tired travelers.