Valley Forge & Philadelphia

Valley Forge

Couldn't resist

Lucky enough to have Ben Franklin himself as our tour guide

George Washington's headquarters

Philadelphia

Independence Hall

The REAL reason we came to Philly

Gettysburg

I'm a little behind in posting about some of the places we've been, so I'll try to catch up this week! Two weeks ago we went to Gettysburg battlefield with my Washington Seminar group.  I'd been to Gettysburg before with my family and grandparents, but we only went to the Visitor's Center and the cemetery.  This time I got a tour of the whole battlefield and learned a lot of history (Our tour guide's family has lived in Gettysburg since the 1700s, so he knew his stuff.) The Battle of Gettysburg is one of the best documented battles in history, and they know what happened for pretty much every hour of the whole three days. I'm grateful for all the men that fought there.  They were very brave, on both sides, and I still can't imagine wearing full, long sleeve uniforms in that July heat.  I wish I could write up everything I learned, but that might get boring for those that don't find historical facts as interesting as me.  Overall summary- I loved it and would love to go again!

We climbed this! I think my legs were sore for three straight days (not a joke)

View from the top of the tower.  You can see Little Roundtop (the smaller hill on the left). This was the high ground and key to winning the battle.

Tom playing with guns

The battlefield view from the top of Little Roundtop

Notice his shiny nose? That's because it's good luck if your rub it.

Spring is in the air

I love warm weather!! It's the 100th Anniversary of the Cherry Blossom Festival and everything is gorgeous.  Going from the dirt and sagebrush of the desert to the trees and greenery of the East is a delightful change.  I had an awesome weekend looking at the cherry blossoms with Addie, Jamey, and  his sister Lexi and her family.  Beautiful weather (I even got sunburned!), beautiful people (except Jamey and his beard), and beautiful blossoms.  I wish I had taken some pictures of everyone. I will rely on Addie to post some because she's good at that. The weather has even been nice enough for me to go for a run outside! There is an awesome trail that runs right along the Potomac river and ends up at the Lincoln Memorial.  It is so scenic and amazing that I almost forgot during my run how much I hate to run. I'm warm and happy and looking forward to a fun weekend in Philadelphia!

Pretty blossoms and Lexi's pretty head

Cherry blossoms lining the Tidal Basin

DC food reviews

I'll confess that we've eaten at Cheesecake Factory, Chipotle, and 5 Guys.  However, here are a couple local places we've tried AND liked:

1. Ben's Chili Bowl. Cheap, quick, and tasty. We heard it was a must-eat for anyone who wants to experience Washington DC food culture. The only people that can eat here for free are the Obamas and Bill Cosby (it says so on their register)  Also, they only take cash.  We learned this AFTER ordering our famous Half-Smokes and getting to the register.  Luckily they had an ATM right behind us, for people like us.

See, Obama loves it

2. Julia's Empanadas. Very cheap, which I'm all about. I'd describe them as a gourmet Hot Pocket. I got a Jamaican curry and Tom had a Jamaican and Chorizo, then we got delicious little strawberry cream cheese desserts.  Tom liked them more than me, but I'd try them again with anyone that comes and visits us. Can I tempt anyone to come out here and see us if we offer you these babies?

3. Ella's Wood-fired Pizza. I give this one 4 stars! We went here yesterday after we toured the White House. It was average priced (for DC) and I enjoyed every bite.  Tom got a sausage and pepperoni calzone and I got a spicy sausage, pepper, & onion mini pizza. The crust was thin, which I'm usually not a huge fan of, but it worked here.  I'm not sure if this place is native to DC or not, but I'm still counting it!

Not my pizza, but mine definitely looked this good

Late night munchies

I really like food. Always have and always will.  As a toddler I used to wake up screaming in the middle of the night.  At first my parents had no idea what was wrong with me. (Ask my mom- it's one of her favorite stories to tell about me)  I wasn't sick, hadn't wet the bed (yet) and hadn't had a bad dream.  Then they learned.  I wanted FOOD.  Once they made this miraculous discovery it was a quick fix. They would tuck me in, kiss me good night, and leave a little baggie of tortilla chips by my bed.  Then when I woke up all I had to do was reach over and start munching.  Thanks Mom and Dad! I'm munching on my new favorite nighttime snacks as I write this, Fruit ends n pieces from Trader Joes and wasabi roasted seaweed, and thinking about tomorrow when we get to go tour the White House!