Educational Trip #3 - U.S. History - East Coast

For this trip, we flew to the East Coast to study U.S. History. Jake was going into
5th grade and the curriuculum was U.S. History. This trip was especially exciting for me because I worked as an intern and then as a staffer in Washington, D.C. on a presidential campaign when I graduated from college. I couldn't wait to take the kids to my old stomping grounds in D.C.

Our itineray was as follows: D.C. - 5 days, train to Philadelphia - 3 days, train to New York City - 4 days, train to Boston - 4 days, rental car to Cape Cod to stay with relatives.

This trip was great for our kids' ages - 8 and 10. I wouldn't recommend it as a US History trip any younger.

First Stop: Washington, D.C.

Flew into Ronald Reagan airport. Good choice as it is the closest to town. A short trip on the Metro (no hour long shuttle ride from Dulles). The Metro is D.C. is fabulous and I mean fabulous! Clean, safe, easy to figure out. We set up tours months ahead of time and had tickets to the White House, Office of Bureau of Engraving (where they make money). and a Capitol Tour. If you want to a tour of the White House you need to do it AT LEAST 6 months in advance. I recommend even earlier if you know the dates you are going to be there. The rest of the tours aren't as difficult to get, but it's best to do them as far in advance as possible. The best way to set up these tours is to go through your local Congressional person's office. You can find out who this is on-line. This is a link to my congressional person, Lois Capp's site, but it has all the websites you need to set up tours you'd like. http://capps.house.gov/services/visiting-washington-dc.shtml

Places we went in D.C.:

White House Tour - it's now a self-guided tour. Not as good as the guided tours I remember when I lived there, but at least you can see the main rooms. I suggest reading up beforehand so you have a better idea of the history of the rooms before you get there. There are little signs posted. Also, and this is important. When we went, because of tight security, you were not allowed to bring anything in with you, no purses, umbrellas, backpacks, nothing, but you must bring your id (in your pocket). There are no lockers to lock anything up. Some friends of ours brought backpacks and purses and the dad had to wait outside and miss the tour to watch the items, so check if this is still the case.

Bureau of Engraving Tour - at the U.S. Treasury Department. The kids loved it. You learn and see how money is made. You actually see the printing presses running.

National Arhives - Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and Magna Carta. Really cool and really crowded. Get tickets on-line ahead of time to beat waiting in the long lines.

Library of Congress - We didn't do a tour, but walked around on our own. They had a great display of Thomas Jefferson's personal library.

U.S. Capitol Tour. We arranged this tour ahead of time through our Congresswoman's office. The intern showed us the Capitol Rotunda and the Senate Chambers.

Georgetown - The metro doesn't go to Georgetown, but there's a bus that runs just to Georgetown that you can catch on one of the major streets.

Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, Korean Memorial, and WWII Memorial - are all in the same area. It was VERY Hot when we were there, so if it's a hot summer day, do these in the morning or late in the day and bring water and a one of those hand-held small fans that spray water. Our kids were miserable and after the Lincoln Memorial we had to drag them in the heat and didn't spend much time at the other memorials that day.

Washington Memorial - A must see. Again, long lines for this one in the summer months. Get tickets on-line before you go to avoid the lines. The tour takes you up an elevator to the top of the Monument. There a small windows with a great view of all the city sites.

Smithsonian Museums - Air and Space, Natural History. Free and wonderful and amazing. We all loved them.

We stayed at the Comfort Inn on New York Street. It was about a ten minute walk to the White House and about 4 long blocks to the Metro Station (10-15 minute walk)and was fine for the price. The rooms were really small. We didn't eat anywhere memorable, just inexpensive cafes.

2nd Stop Philadelphia - Took the train from D.C. to Philadelphia. It took about 1 1/2 hours and if you're from California, the trains actually run on time on the East Coast and are very efficient. It was definitely the way to go for us instead of renting a car because 1. Driving in big cities in confusing and a hassle and the parking fees are astronomical, 2. Our kids are much happier on a train. They can get up and walk around, go to the snack car, look out the window, etc. and happy kids make a happy mommy! I loved the train.

Being in Philsdelphia is a like being in living history. It was so cool. We went to Independence Hall for a tour and saw where they signed the Declaration of Independence. We also learned that actually, the original Declaration of Independence is there! and nobody is crowding around to see it. It's not the fancy one with all the signatures which actually came later, but the one of the real original ones - so look for it when you're there.

Vistor's Center - Great place to start. Has good movies with the history of Philadelphia and all the information you need for a good stay.

Liberty Bell - Fun to see it up close and learn about its history. The docents there are very helpful and eager to answer any questions. In fact, there are more docents in Philadelphia than anywhere I've ever been. It's great.

Benjamin Franklin's House - The house is actually not there anymore, but there's a whole musuem dedicated to old Ben. If you go at the right time, you can even meet him in the courtyard area and he'll amuse you with his stories.

Betsy Ross's House - Very cool. Take the tour and learn about Betsy. She was quite the rebel and made cannon balls in the basement of her house - bet you didn't know that. You will even meet Betsy on your way out.

Horse Drawn Carriage Ride - fun way to end the day with a tour of the town by horse carriage.

Thomas Jefferson's House - see where T.J. wrote the Declaration of Independence

We stayed at the Best Western in the heart of Philadelphia. It was great and decorated in the period. A quick walk to everything (like 2 minutes to Independence Hall). We took the Metro from the train station a few stops to get to the historical center of town. Word of warning: the Metro in Philly is NOT like the Metro in D.C. I wouldn't take it at night and would hesitate to even take it again during the day. We survived though.

Where to eat. They sell Philly Steak sandwhiches everywhere and they're definitely worth trying.

Stop #3 New York City

Took the train from Philly. Again, it was wonderful and fast. Hotels are very expensive in NYC, so I searched and searched for a budget hotel in the city near the train station and finally found the Red Roof Inn for $200 a night (other cheapest were $300/night). I was a little worried, but was pleasantly surprised and almost hate to give away my little secret. The location and property were GREAT. It was within walking distance of the train and on the edge of Korea town, but right around the corner from the Empire State Building and lots of great restaurants and almost right across the street from the Metro. The Metro is good in NYC. Not as good as D.C., but safe and clean at all times of the day.

Highlights of NYC:

Empire State Building - get tickets in advance to avoid the super long lines.

Statue of Liberty - again, tickets in advance on -line will save you hours of waiting. It was a heat wave in NYC, and very hot. We had tickets to go in the Pedastal, but there was about an hour long line, so we ended up not going. I would get in line for that as soon as you get there. There's food on the island.

Ground Zero - Small memorial musesum is very moving and worth the money. Be ready to cry.

Open to Bus Tour - big hit with the kids. Goes to various tourists sites and you can hop on off as you like.

John Lennon's House and Strawberry Fields part of Central Park across from his house - Strawberry Fields is a beautiful place to spend a half hour or so, very peaceful.

Boston
Highlights of Boston:
Walking tour of the Freedom Trail - Duck Tour - amphibious car/boat goes on the road and into the lake. - Cambridge and Harvard - Paul Revere's House - Old North Church -
Old South Meeting House.
Boston is easy to get around and a beautiful city. The L(Metro)is safe and easy to use. We stayed at the Midtown Hotel. The prices were reasonable and the location was perfect (right next to a L stop).

Plimoth Plantation - outside of Boston about 40 miles. It
ss a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that reconstructs the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony,some of whom later became known as Pilgrims. Alongside the settlement is a re-creation of a Wampanoag home site, where modern Native People from a variety of nations explain and demonstrate how the Wampanoag's ancestors lived and interacted with the settlers. Nearby in Plimouth, MA, you can visit the Mayflower 2 and see Plymouth rock. The piece that remains is really small and almost makes you laugh since most likely you're expecting to see a big chunk of rock.


Cape Cod - I'm running out of room, so I'll be brief. We rented a car to go to the Cape (about 1 1/2 hour drive. Don't drive on a Friday or Sunday due to the traffic). It was a great side trip and we loved it. There are lakes and the ocean and it was a great place to unwind and just relax. We stayed with family, so I don't have any hotel recommendations, but there were a lot of cute weekly rentals. We took a drive to P town and loved, loved it there. Really pretty beaches and great clam chowder.