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07/02/2010: "Side Trip to DC"

Thursday July 1st:
Well, I did it again. The museum closed before I was done. We rented a car to go to DC since there didn't seem to be any other options. We decided on Thursday because for some reason on Wednesday the American History Museum closed at 5:00 and on Thursday they would be open until 7:30. I made arrangements with Enterprise to pick me up as soon as they were open. We had a car and were on our way to DC by 9:00. Traffic in the DC area is notoriously bad. Because of this I try to avoid driving there and find one of the Metro Stations and park there and ride in. We did this and headed directly to the Museum of American History getting there around 10:30. We started on the third floor and planned to work our way down. At 1:00 I had finished the east wing on third floor and took a lunch break on first floor. Then it was back up to third floor for the west wing. Cori spent a lot of time waiting for me in Julia Child's kitchen that is on display there We skipped most of second floor since it didn't have much that was interesting and by 7:30 when they told us we had to leave we were close to finishing the first floor. Maybe another day. From the museum we walked down the Mall to the Viet Nam Memorial and spent a little time there. Finally we decided to head back to the Metro Station. On the way back to the station we chose the wrong way around the Treasury Building, or so it looked. It ended up being the wrong way around the Treasury Department office complex. A long walk out of our way. We made it back to Annapolis around midnight and still had not had dinner. Needless to say I was tired and crabby, I couldn't even find a McDonald's. We ended up at the deli we had lunch in the previous day, getting in just before they closed.

Friday July 2nd:
We slept in for a little bit but had to have the car out of the parking lot before 10:00 or we would get a ticket. After a light breakfast of Diet Coke and brownies that Cori made the day before (Dale's breakfast), we dingied in, hit the showers and went for a drive. We crossed the Bay Bridge, $2.50 toll, and drove the length of Kent Island. Not a real long drive but a pretty one. We continued along the main highway and checked out a couple of the small towns that sounded interesting. Traffic was heavy on the highway going towards the coast, a lot of people are starting their Holiday early. We finally turned around and went back to Annapolis. We stopped at a shopping center to get some groceries and made our way to the marina. Bad news, the Friday night festivities had started and parking was at a premium. After three circles of the parking areas we got a parking spot but will have to be up and move it before 10:00 tomorrow when the meters go back into use.

We are planning on staying here through the 4th. There will be a parade, the Naval Academy Band will be playing in the park next to us and the fireworks will be over the river. They say that from the mooring field is the best viewing spot. We plan on starting back on Monday.