First off, I want to apologize for being so MIA for the month of July! I honestly have been unbelievably busy, but I’m so looking forward to being back in the routine of the blog. This past week, I visited my Aunt and Uncle in Georgetown with my family and Jake, and got to see so much of D.C. Unbelievably, I had never been to Washington D.C before, so I found so much of it to be absolutely mind blowing – especially for a history buff, like myself.
One thing that really shook me to my core was being able to see the Lincoln Memorial. In movies and television, you know how huge it is, but to stand directly below it and understand it’s meaning was a really wonderful moment for me. I loved taking my time walking the mall and up the steps to stand under Lincoln! I actually ended up going back a couple of nights later to take it in all over again. Even though I will probably never live there (way too hot…Sorry, DC-ers!), I can completely understand the desire to. It’s a city filled with an abundance of history, and it’s really easy for me to picture our founding fathers, among other historic persons, living there.
My shorts are J.Crew and so unbelievably comfy to wear walking around all day – speckled pink tee is also by J.Crew! My bag is Toino Abel from Portugal. Also, my sneakers are the J.Crew and New Balance collection and so comfortable, I wear them all the time! The leather Apple Watch band is off of Etsy. Jake is wearing his new and all time favorite sneakers – his All Birds! He says they are the best shoes he has ever own.
*Sadly, I lost my Coach Prescription sunglasses on this trip. There’s always bumps in the road while traveling, am I right? Oh well – will have to buy a new pair and suck it up! They were my favorite so I think I will definitely buy the exact same pair!
My Aunt and Uncle got us tickets months ago to the National Museum of African American History and Culture, which was extremely emotional. I highly recommend touring the museum and dedicating an entire day to it. There is so much to see, and it’s important to take your time with it. I read as much as I could and was riveted by the stories, documents and artifacts they shared. The museum worked chronologically through time – you started in 1400’s Africa and ended in present day. It’s both moving and sickening to see how much has changed and how much has not. Be emotionally prepared, but I could not recommend it more.
We also toured the United States Capitol, which was amazing. One thing I loved seeing in person was the portrait by John Trumbull of the Signing of the Declaration of Independence. It’s funny, because the portrait is pretty inaccurate… it depicts 42 of the signers of the Declaration of Independence all gathered to sign as one group. However, this makes zero sense, as they all gathered in small groups over a period of time to sign the Declaration, as it was impossible to gather them all together at once during this time period. Regardless, it was rather cool to see, and something I could absolutely look at over and over again. To think about John Adams even looking at it in person is insane! Even cooler, there were news crews at the Capitol (a lot going on in the nation at the moment, you know…) and we saw CNN interviewing John Lewis, civil rights leader and politician. At that point, I became much more interested in the news crew rather than the famous statues in the room (so sorry Hamilton, you know I love you!) Funnily enough, John Lewis was given an honorary degree at my graduation from NYU in 2016. I kept joking that my family just keeps running into him!
Top is the Vintage Eyelet Top by J.Crew, but sadly sold out. 🙁 However sandals are Jack Rogers (make sure to order custom ones to get this exact blue and white combo!) and jeans are my absolute new favorite by Gap (They look about a shade darker in this photo…) I just bought them on sale and I have already worn them so many times, I cannot stop reaching for them in my closet! Again, bag is Toino Abel.
If there’s anything I recommend seeing as soon as possible it’s the Newseum – the entire museum is dedicated to news and freedom of the press. We are big into the news in my family, and I really value journalists. There’s so much we would not know without the writers of our nation, and we are lucky to live in a country that allows freedom of the press.* The museum offers an abundance of information. We were able to see, and touch, a section of the Berlin Wall. I mean, to me, that’s incredible in itself. However, they had an entire exhibit dedicated to the FBI, in which they included information and artifacts from the Lindberg kidnapping, the Boston Marathon Bombing, and more. Again, emotional, but also highlighting the importance of the FBI and how the press relates to it. I also loved the memorial they included for journalists who have died on the job, including those from the Capital Gazette shooting more recently. They also had an entire section dedicated to 9/11 and the involvement of the press…which was, arguably, one of the most emotional sections of the exhibit. They had artifacts from the day, and a large antenna in the center of the room from one of the towers. I was only in second grade at the time of 9/11, so it was, for lack of a better word, interesting to watch the news from that day as an adult. I can empathize with how adults in my life must have been feeling on that day.
We also were able to see newspapers, from the earlier news booklets in the 1400’s to present day. They included newspapers from all of the most important events both nationally and internationally. They have Benjamin Franklins first published newspaper from when he was 23 years old, the crowing of Queen Victoria, the Hamilton/Burr duel, the Salem Witch Trials, America’s first newspaper. Of course, present day ones are just as interesting and moving: President Obama’s inauguration, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Sandy Hook, Snowden, Paris Terrorist Attacks, Gay Marriage becoming legal…and so on. I can’t tell you how many drawers of newspapers I opened but I had to have spent an hour in that exhibit alone! They also had an entire section of the museum in which they change out the newspapers every single day – one from each state (local ones!) as well as international papers from that very day. It was so cool to see, side by side, what each state was covering on a local and national level!
The saddest part is: the Newseum is closing in December. GO, see it now! But, if you know why (or how to save it!!) please tell me and find a way. Arguably one of the best museums I have been to. I spent an entire day there!
*although we do not have the highest ranking for free press…did you know that?
We also were able to walk through the supreme court, which was very cool to see. I particularly loved that the curtain was open for a lecture, so we actually were able to stand just outside the room and see the room itself. Overall, I feel I was just in awe of how close I was to history when walking around D.C!
Do you love Washington D.C? What are your favorite parts?
