28 May 14
Wednesday morning, we got the anchor up about 10:00 and moved over to the Capital Yacht Club, where we will stay for a week to tour Washington. We spent the afternoon cleaning up the boat and getting ready for Ashley’s arrival; it is amazing how much (essential) stuff we have stored in the stern cabin, that needs to be stored elsewhere for Ashley to have a place to sleep. We had dinner with Aaron (Becky’s son) and Anna, his wife, at Bistro D’Oc, across the street from Ford’s Theatre; it was great touching base with these two career diplomats who have just returned after 8 years abroad in Switzerland, India and Cameroon.
29 May 14
Thursday dawned clear and cool. After an early morning pump-out, we toured the Smithsonian (Natural History and American History buildings) all day until it was time to meet our daughter Ashley, who is coming for a visit. I met her at the L’Enfant Metro station at about 17:00, followed by dinner aboard and an early night.
30 May 14
We all hit the tourist trail early today, visiting the National Gallery, which had excellent exhibitions featuring Degas, Cassatt and Wyeth, followed by a viewing of the IMAX film on D-Day at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. Ashley’s high school buddy, Liz, who now lives in DC, stopped round the boat about 17:00, then the two girls went out for dinner and girl fun. Terri and I went to Jazz at the Sculpture Garden, which tonight featured blues; very nice. We had a late, light meal at Thai Chili and then took the bus home to the boat.
31 May 14
Saturday was “monument” day, so we set out on foot to visit the Jefferson Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Vietnam War Memorial, followed by a swing past the White House and a quick rest stop at the Black Finn Saloon, where we enjoyed a nice beer and glass of wine and an engaging conversation with a Canadian foursome. Then, a visit to the National Geographic Museum, which had excellent exhibitions on “Peruvian Gold” and “The Age of Explorers”. We had dinner at Rasika, an excellent Indian Restaurant that just happened to be near the National Geographic Museum. We took the Metro home. Long day, we walked about 9 miles.
1 Jun 14
After yesterday’s long walk, we decided to get on the bikes today; Ashley took advantage of the Capital Bikes (bikeshare). We rode over to the Washington Monument, but could not get in (it just re-opened a couple of weeks ago, after sustaining damage from an earthquake a couple of years ago). Then, we rode to the WWII Memorial, after which, Ashley went to spend more time with her friend Liz. Terri and I toured Ford Theater, which was fascinating, had a light lunch at “Pret a Manger”, then bought tickets to a Noel Coward show for Tuesday night. We then rode over to Dupont Circle and met Ashley for a light Italian dinner at “Sette Osteria”. We all rode back to the boat together afterward.
2 Jun 14
I got up early to be at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing 7:30 to get tickets for a tour. I was about the 8th person in line, so had the pick of the tours. We entered at 9:30 and then went through the adjacent Holocaust Museum. The BEP was interesting and relatively brief. The Holocaust Museum was very well done and organized, but obviously the subject matter was absolutely horrific. It went on and on, relentlessly. It is a “must see”, but Terri and I could only take it for a couple of hours (I had nightmares about it all night). Our (former) congressman, John Culberson, finally did some good and got us tickets to the Capitol tour; our guide was very good and it was a fascinating tour, but we did not get to see either the Senate or House chambers. Afterward, we had to rush back to the boat to get Ashley’s case and see her to the Metro station, to catch her flight back to Houston. We had a great visit with her and will miss her bubbly personality and energy. Terri and I were so worn out after the last few days that we just had a sandwich on board and went to bed early.
3 Jun 14
Having been up late waiting for news of Ashley’s safe arrival back home and having no touristic plans for today, we slept in a bit. Then, it was laundry, boat chores (I got the sheave at the forward end of the boom changed) and runs to the liquor and grocery stores. We went to the Lansburgh Theatre in the evening to see Noel Coward’s “Private Lives”, which was very amusing. Quick dinner at Merzi, Indian “inspired” place sort of like Chipotle; it was inexpensive and not too bad.