Not our Lincoln, but Abe Lincoln’s days were spent in Washington D.C. We visited our nation’s capital on a relatively cool for July (lower 90s) day. No sunblock was required but a hot baby Lincoln let us know his discomforts several times throughout the day.
Lincoln and Calder share a birthday
This was our first time using public transportation with a baby. We chose to use our Ergo carrier so we wouldn’t have to carry around a stroller everywhere and because we know Lincoln will sleep on our back. Some places did not allow strollers, so we were were glad to have the carrier, especially on the steps to the Lincoln Memorial and down the steps into Ford’s Theater. Other places didn’t want you to have back packs. The National Art Museum required you turn the carrier to the front (which Lincoln did not approve of) or take their loud, rattley, outdated wood strollers throughout the galleries. We chose the second option but had to adjust Lincoln often in the seat which felt less safe than a Wal-Mart shopping cart.
We loved visiting the Smithsonian Museums. Having visited D.C. a number of times to attend conventions I always looked longingly at the Smithsonian buildings wondering what was inside. This time, the capital was our oyster and we could see anything we wanted. I assume D.C. is a popular destination due to the fact that there are so many museums and such absolutely free. We didn’t spend a dime (except $14 for the entire family to ride the Metro to and from our host location).
Ford’s Theater was incredibly interesting. It is only two blocks down from the Natural History Museum and totally worth the walk. You need to go to the ticket booth and pick up your free ticket before getting in line. I assume this is only to control the amount of people in the small area they have available for a museum. The museum below the theater is very nicely done. It provided information on plots of kidnap Lincoln that failed as well as info on the plot as well as the other conspirators in the assassination. The actual gun was on display as well as a play-by-play of Lincoln’s and Booth’s day. The theater itself is still used – in fact, we saw a Presidential Salute on TV the night before Independence Day from the theater. The actual time spent in the theater is limited. Unfortunately you can’t go into the actual booth or or even get a great glimpse inside, but you can see how Booth was so easily able to escape and so forth. Across from the theater there is the house in which Lincoln spent his last remaining nine hours. We ended up skipping it when we saw the line and Lincoln expressed his feelings about the heat.
After a refresher at a nearby sandwich shop where we could cool down and replenish our water bottles, we started out on the long journey to the Lincoln Memorial which seems to be the furthest attraction within a walkable distance. The path is shaded with trees but the heat still sticks to you. About 40 minutes in to our walk we were willing to pay almost anything for a lift on a double decker tour buses or the segways passing by on tour, cleverly branded “Segs in the City.” We eventually made it with a sleeping Lincoln to be greeted by moody families all soaking in their own sweat. “Just take the damn picture” was overheard several times. We trooped up the steps to see Lincoln in all his glory. Behold!!! We had made it to the Mecca of all Lincoln lovers.
Adventures with Lincoln 