Our vacation to Philly & DC

I have finally gotten around to recapping our vacation that we took last month through Philly & DC! Our group of friends had been saying for years that we wanted to go on vacation together, and we finally made it happen this year. We decided on a roadtrip that started in Philly, continued to DC, and ended in Baltimore. 

Vacation started with this one trying to stow away in our luggage... 

We left bright and early at 5:30 AM on July 5th. The trip down was an easy one (we didn't hit traffic until we reached the city), and we got to Philly around 1:30. Our hotel offered a shuttle service so we decided to take a ride into the city to explore. 

  We saw SO much. Philly is a great day trip or one-night destination. We got to see the Liberty Bell (I was shocked at how small it is!), Betsy Ross' house, the Rocky statue, and we experienced Reading Terminal Market. 

We couldn't visit Philly without trying out some cheesesteaks. Our group split up, half of us ordering at Geno's and the other half ordering at Pat's. They are two competing cheesesteak places that are across the street from each other. The verdict: We liked the cheesesteak from Geno's and the fries from Pat's. 

I'd have to say my favorite place, though, was Eastern State Penitentiary. We did a self-guided audio tour and I loved it. I had the best time there, taking cool photographs and exploring the cell blocks.

Al Capone's cell when he was incarcerated at Eastern State! Such a drastic difference from the other cells.

All our of Uber/ Lyft drivers were telling us that even though the tourists go to Geno's and Pat's, the best cheesesteak is actually from Jim's- that's where all the locals go. So, before we left the city we grabbed our third cheesesteak from Jim's. They were right, by the way. After waiting an hour in line, it was decided that Jim's cheesesteaks are FANTASTIC and much better than Geno's and Pat's. However, it's safe to say that I won't be eating any more cheesesteaks for a very long time. 

We headed to DC after a day and a half exploring Philly. We hit CRAZY rainstorms and didn't get into the city until almost 8:00. The drive was definitely a bit nerve-wracking, to say the least! 

The next morning we hit the ground running. We tried to go to the Library of Congress but didn't take into account that it was Sunday and closed! We cut our losses and decided to move on to our next destination, the Botanical Gardens. On the way, we walked passed the Capitol Building. 

The Botanical Gardens were BEAUTIFUL. I was in awe the whole time exploring. I definitely wasn't prepared for how humid some of the gardens are, just an FYI! We got to see a Venus Fly Trap and all the amazing exhibitions of different ecosystems (is that the right word?) from around the world, like the Tropics, the Mediterranean, Hawaii, and the Desert. 

After that, it was time for the Air and Space Museum! I still can't get over the fact that all the Smithsonians are free (and how huge they are). 

After dinner we decided to check out the monuments at night. I HIGHLY recommend this- they are so beautiful lit up and its not as crowded (or hot) at that time of day. The only con is that its hard to take photos at night when you only have your phone. My phone actually died so I couldn't get any cool good quality pictures of the Washington Monument. It was too dark to take photos of the Vietnam and Korean monuments by the time we got to them, but they were beautiful- and humbling. It was so nice to see people being respectful, for once, exploring the monuments in silence and lighting candles for those who lost their lives. 

The next day, we finally made it to the Library of Congress. This was probably my favorite part of our trip. It was BEAUTIFUL and I swear I had goosebumps the entire time we were there. 

I was surprised to see that Library had so many cool exhibits, including a history of Feminism (when it was actually done right!) and Thomas Jefferson's personal library. There was also a history of baseball exhibit, too. 

It was down pouring by the time we were done but luckily one of our friends had heard that we could walk to our next destination via a tunnel that ended up in the Capitol building. It saved us a lot of time and we were dry for the majority of our walk. By the time we got out of the Capitol building the bad rain had stopped.

Next up was the Holocaust Museum. I could have been in there for HOURS. It is a beautiful memorial for those that suffered during that time period and had so many important artifacts, videos, photos, and information about that terrible time in our history. 

We got to see the Washington Monument in the daytime (it's so huge!) and then walked to the White House. That was definitely neat to see. 

We were BEAT after the long day so we went back to the hotel to freshen up and relax before heading out again. Our friend wanted to hit up the Peeps store (which I was MORE than happy about!), so we headed to National Harbor in Maryland. It ended up being in a really cute shopping district that had a carnival and little beach! We ended up buying souvenirs and eating dinner there.

The next day, we took a self-guided audio tour of Ford's Theatre! We even got to go in the house that Lincoln died in after being shot by John Wilkes Booth, which was across the street from the theatre. That was definitely a really cool experience. 

Because it was so close, we hit up Madam Touseaud's Wax Museum. This was our second time going to one, our first time being in Vegas. It was OK- Vegas was better. DC wasn't worth the money in my opinion considering how small it is, but it was nice to spend some time out of the heat. 

We ate lunch at the adorable Ollie's Trollies. It's a cute little burger joint that has antique and vintage toys on display. I had the best burger there. 

Our next destination was the American History Museum. Whenever I get the chance to go here, I have a one-track mind: Dorothy's ruby slippers! 

This time I also loved getting to see Julia Child's kitchen...

...and Val enjoyed the Hall of General Motors (check out that car lift!). I've gotta admit, though... we were so exhausted that we sped through a lot of the museum. 

We still had so much time to spare, so we hit up Arlington Cemetery. This was another highlight of the trip. We got to see the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guards. Arlington was sobering, beautiful, heartbreaking. Definitely an experience to remember. 

The next morning, we headed to the National Zoo. We enjoyed our time there, but I don't think I would visit again unless we brought our future babies here. It's still a fun place to go, though, and we saw some cool animals. 

We left DC after that to head to Baltimore for the night. Our plan was to go to the National Aquarium in the morning. Unfortunately, we cut our trip short when we received news that my hubby's grandmother passed away. But, our friends got to go and they really enjoyed it. 

We made the 7 hour trek home and before nighttime, we were reunited with our sweet puppy- who was glued to our hips for the rest of the evening.  

We had a great time on vacation. I don't think either of us have been that tired... well, ever... but it was a ton of fun! Unfortunately, leaving early and getting the news that a family member passed away was definitely a sad way to end our trip, but our time spent in DC with our friends is a memory that we will always think back fondly on! There is a definite possibility of going back to visit in our future, because let's face it- you'll never see it all. We already can't wait to go back. 

Linking up with Lindsay.