D.C. Favorites

Aside from the true purpose of our visit to Washington D.C., we also had most of the afternoon and all evening on Thursday as well as all of Friday to do whatever we pleased.
We could have stayed for several weeks and not have had time to see all of the historic sites, museums and attractions on our "list."
With so little time in the city, we chose to concentrate on the Smithsonian, the Holocaust Museum, and a little sightseeing in between.
Here are some of our favorite moments:

 The weather was beautiful, which made the walk to the Holocaust Museum from the American History Museum quite pleasant. The Washington Monument was in sight the entire way.

 The dinosaurs at the Museum of Natural History were amazing! I had high expectations going in, and they were met.

 The exhibit starring the Hope Diamond (which I didn't get a good picture of) was stunning - this crown and an emerald necklace caught my eye.

 My developing blisters required a rest Thursday afternoon after descending from Capitol Hill, so I gave my feet a break while Aaron perused the Air and Space Museum.

We had a fantastic breakfast at a French bistro Friday morning, and after a light lunch were ready for a good dinner. We chose Hank's Oyster Bar (also a restaurant) which served FABULOUS seafood. Since the special was oysters, Aaron made the brave decision to give them a go. He ordered a sampler of 2, was told it was best to chew them rather than swallow (yuck!), and down the hatchet they went! While he enjoyed them, the fried oysters he ordered for dinner were the highlight, hands down.

Our favorite exhibit in the Mall? X-rays taken of a variety of species of fish and aquatic organisms. The medical students/nerds in us were fascinated and spent time pointing out the similarities and differences between fish skeletons and those of humans. Good times, indeed.

We weren't allowed to take pictures at the Holocaust Museum, so I don't have anything to share besides the recommendation that you not miss it if given the opportunity to visit. We spent the majority of our time in the special exhibit over Nazi propaganda, which was superb, but did not have the time to make it all of the way through the permanent portion. I'm eager to go back, hopefully more emotionally prepared, with adequate time to reflect and take it all in. 

Thanks for a great time, Washington D.C.! We hope to see you again soon!