This was the last day of our trip and we knew we were only 7 hours from home. We stopped in Morton, Illinois to eat Steak 'N Shake and get gas before trekking all the way home.
By the time we returned home we had driven a total of 3,800 miles in my 2015 Nissan Sentra (CATWMAN) and spent about $8,700 to make this trip a reality. Great memories, but glad to be back home!
It was short lived holiday in D.C. and we checked out of the Riggs Hotel. The door man was really nice and told me that he'd think of us when he saw Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the news.
After we realized how close Arlington National Cemetery was we decided to stop by before heading to Indianapolis. After parking and spending time in the visitor center we headed to the grave of JFK, RFK, and Jackie O. We also went to see the ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. After taking a longer walk and watching airplanes land, we headed out of Virginia and towards Indiana.
We arrived to our hotel Comfort Inn & Suites in Brownsburg, Indiana pretty late at night but the college aged bros seemed unphased by our near 11pm check in. Good times.
Updated: May 12, 2024
Rise and shine in hot hot hot DC. We had breakfast from our hotel room via our cooler. We headed to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was really fascinating to see the lobby and to think of the film Night at the Museum. We enjoyed seeing the fossils and the jewels like the Hope Diamond. They even had a couple actual mummies on display. Can you imagine the notion of your decrepit body being on display for millions of people each year?
We went to a sandwich shop called the West Wing Cafe and spent about $40 on two sandwiches and drinks. DC is one of the most expensive cities we've visited. We then headed to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History. This place was hands down my favorite. My minor at Iowa was American Studies so many things I got the chance to see were things we studied.
Everything was jaw dropping - from the outfits that the first ladies wore during the inauguration, Lincoln's top hat from the night of his assassination, the literal battle ridden flag that Francis Scott Key looked at when we had the idea for the Star Spangled Banner, Dorothy's Ruby Slippers, C3PO & R2D2, Mister Roger's sweater, and the Woolworth lunch counter from the 1960 civil rights sit in. I could have spent all day in that one single museum taking it all in.
We decided that since our hotel was right next to the National Portrait Gallery we would stop and see the Obama's portraits. It was an impressive building with a lot of beautiful paintings.
We then decided to walk to Ella's Restaurant for pizza and beer. It was a nice dinner to celebrate out last night in DC. We redeemed our free drink vouchers at the hotel bar and toasted a lovely time.