JDBDCT

My parents, and Landon came to visit us this summer!! It was quite an eventful trip! It was the first time they have been here, and the first time I've been "sight seeing" in DC. We had a massive list including, must to see's, must visits, and of course must eats. We accomplished a lot! Thanks to our tour guide....... John. My family teased him, saying he should start up a touring company (Hence the title of this post, JDBDCT, John Douglass Bowers DC Tours).

He was quite the tour guide. He and his trusty little i-phone, guided us safely around Washington DC. Pretty sure we walked about 1 million miles during the week. We walked and walked and walked. We couldn't help but laugh when we came to a crosswalk and the sign said 60... seconds left to cross, "come on guys, we have 60 seconds to cross the street", John would say. " We can't do it, 60 seconds.... we can't walk that fast", we would say as we were dragging our feet down the sidewalk. Ha ha we were sooo exhausted from walking, but John kept guiding us!!

We went to Captain White's Fish Market. It is this giant fish market, full of every fresh fish/seafood creature you can think of. Also full of interesting seafood smells........

We ordered a big 10 pound box of crab and ate it right at the market. We were all a mess, crab, spices and lemon all over our hands and clothes, but it was absolutely worth it.

Our pile of crab shells.

I love this, Landon is lovin' it, and my dad is working hard on cracking a shell in the background.

The fountains at the National Archives. Which, is one of my favorite places here. The Declaration of Independance, The Constitution, and The BIll of Rights, are all preserved here. It was incredible to see them.

I needed some hangers, so Landon grabbed all of these for me. from our apartment recycle bin.

The Eastern Market. Fresh produce, beautiful flowers, wonderful aroma's filling the air, street music, and a lot of delicious food, our favorite place. We sat on the curb and ate our Cuban sandwiches. Thanks to Landon, we found the Cuban sandwich. I can't even begin to describe it. AMAZING!!! John and I think about them all week long, and can't wait for Saturdays to roll around so we can get one. Shredded pork wrapped in thinly sliced smoked ham, swiss chees, special mayo sauce, pickles and a wonderful bun. Heavenly!!!

Ford's Theater.

Washington Monument at night.

The Lincoln Monument. I absolutely love this place. We went at night, which was magical. The lights, the color, the company, the significance, it was wonderful.

WWII Memorial.

This was an incredible memorial. I have always seen this wall and imagined what it would be like to see it. It was absolutely overwhelming to see the size, feel the names, and think about all the people who were impacted.

China Town.

The Supreme Court Building.

The two cutest tourists ever!

Supreme Court Building.

Looking out at the National Mall.

I love this picture!!We went on a private tour inside the U.S. Capitol. It was fascinating. We learned so much. I thought it was so cool to be walking around in the underground tunnels. Just being there is an amazing experience itself.

My Dad inside the Capitol, with his favorite... Ronald Reagan.

The rotunda. Once inside the rotunda, you feel like a little ant. The building is so huge and beautiful. The many menaings behind everything painted inside, and built in, are so fascinating.
It is really neat to think about everything that has gone on there. Standing inside, where so many historical events have taken place, a very neat feeling.

Ben's Chili Bowl. Truly a Washington Landmark. You have got to check out the HISTORY.

Opened in 1958, location of many events during the civil rights movement, touching stories, many inspirational visitors such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ella Fitzgerald, Duke ELlington, Nat King Cole, former Presidents, and many more.

Once again, Landon discovered this awesome place for us.

A while back, he saw Ben's Chili Bowl as a featured special on Anthony Bourdain's show, No Reservation. He made sure that we checked it out.

The White House.

View from the top of the Washington Monument.

Landon woke up super early one morning, walked to the Monument and got us all tickets to go to the top of the Washington Monument. It was a bit scary for me. The elevator ride up was making me sooooo nervous, but it was definitely worth the scare.

Arlington Cemetary. Where the eternal flame was lit by Jacqueline at the funeral of President Kennedy. She requested the flame be lit, and never die. It still burns today.

Jacqueline Kennedy. I admire her for many reasons. Her elegance, strength, and especially her style. I could never get bored of looking at pictures of Jackie in her perfectly pieced outfits!!!

The gardens at the home of George Washington.

The back yard of George Washington's home.

He owned 10 miles of land on the Potomic River. I can't even imagine how beautiful that must have been.

The beautiful Potomoc River, and my beautiful Mother.

We loved the tour of George Washington's home at Mt. Vernon. Being inside the home, where he spent so much time, and where so many monumental decisions were made, gave me the chills. It was so neat.

My Dad got us tickets to the Washington National's baseball game. This stadium has to baseballs most beautiful location. It sits right on the Potomic River, and on the other side you can see the city of DC, the Washington Monument and other historical sights.

Of course we had to see Stephen Strasburg play! I swear 90% of the people there were wearing #37 Strasburg Jerseys, pretty awesome. It was fun to see him play.

We had such a great time this week. I honestly can't count the number of times that we laughed and I mean laughed hard!!! We were constantly going, and exploring. We are so fortunate to all be able to walk like we did, and get to see so many historical monuments. I will never forget this week, and the many memories that we made. I am so grateful they were able to come visit us. It made my whole summer!!! Thank you!!