Some final thoughts on DC.....

I now wish that we had a metro in Andalusia. I would love to not have to drive anywhere.

However, I would need a nerve pill to ride with my children on a regular basis. It is truly a miracle that they both came back with all of their limbs. Not from the trains, but from the "escalades" as Haden called them. We had to ride up and down at least 2 escalators each time we entered or exited the metro. They loved to race to the escalades, race up or down, put pennies on rail and follow it until the end. It made me a nervous wreck. (I know thats hard to believe).

Whitman had the metro system down. He knew what color train to get on, how many stops we had, which way to go. He was definitely at home in the city.

Each train was identified by a color. We rode the blue, yellow, or red train most of the time. Haden referred to them as the "blue dot" "red dot" and "yellow dot" trains. If you are familiar with the bus system in Andalusia City Schools, this makes sense. He also had the info memorized that was played at each stop. "doors opening, please step to the center of the train to allow customers to board. Step back doors closing" and "This is the Blue line train....Largo (its destination.)

Finally, I think that DC would be a great city to live in for a while. It is very busy and crowded. I couldn't see having a family there (I guess unless you are the President).

I am also glad that we were able to do the things we did with the kids at their ages. Whitman is very inquisitive and really enjoyed all the things we did. Haden will have some memories of this trip. He will probably always remember calling the turkey at Mount Vernon. Not very historic, but a very neat memory. Who knows when we will get back to Washington. I am so glad that the boys have this experience to remember.