Washington, DC (USA)

I had the day off from work, which meant that Mollie and I could spend some more time together.  When she got up (0930), we ate an early lunch and we packed up snacks for a day in DC.  We arrived at 1115 and parked near Union Station.  We first visited the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.  Mollie designed a stamp and started a new stamp collection there.  At around 1345, we rode the Metro to Gallery Place and toured the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery for the first time.  We marveled at the Presidential portraits at our second. We also saw some amazing scenic panoramas of mountains and lakes (many that I'd hiked near over the last few years).  By 1530, we took the Metro to Woodley Park and walked to the Smithsonian National Zoo.  We had a light snack that we'd brought and then went to see the four Giant Pandas.  Most of the other animal exhibits were closed but we enjoyed a few exhibits until the Zoo Lights began.  Mollie and I love this event and always make sure to arrive an hour early so we get to see the animals before most of the the exhibits close. The colorful lights were a big highlight, as usual... It was very crowded this year, so we didn't stay late. At 1730, we walked back to Metro and took the Red Line to Union Station.  We then enjoyed another one of our Daddy-Daughter traditions with dinner at Thunder Grill.  We were finished at 1915 and drove home.  We watched movies ("Raiders of the Lost Ark") at my apartment and went to bed at 2230