Washington, DC (USA)

[Mollie and I did some shopping via Metro today - I had heard about some opportunities near the station at Crystal City, so we decided to go there first - after we got off the train, we found there were several choices - the "mall" was underground and had lots of little specialty shops (with a few restaurant) - for just a few days before Christmas, the place was almost deserted... - we did locate some good stores, though: a military specialty store with really cool commemorative items, a store with Turkish items (we got some great things there) and a store that made personalized items (we bought key chains for the kids whose names never show up at a souvenir shop (especially, Mollie and Brenna) - after that, we wandered around on the opposite side of the mall and located additional places to re-visit (already closed), including an ATM for our bank... - got back on the train and headed into the City, bound for Union Station (to see some holiday decorations) - by switching trains a few more times this weekend, Mollie achieved a new status: "rider of all the different colored Metro lines" (she is justifiably proud!) - made it to Union Station and we immediately got to see a huge tree and some gigantic wreaths at the entrance - we explored the offerings inside and found many more specialty stores than I expected (it was also very busy) - we'd reached dinner by now, so we ate at the Thunder Grill (good) - after that, we explored a little more and had some gelato before heading home - our purchases will make good Christmas surprises!]