Dash to DC (1/3-5/2018)

Wednesday, January 3, 2018
We tempted fate by driving to metropolitan Washington, DC on an early January day when a snow storm was predicted! It was cold but sunny when we arrived in Gaithersburg, MD.

Erich's Christmas tree

We picked up Dylan and Pete after their school day was done.

Thursday, January 4, 2018
It had snowed during the night, but not very much. It was cold and windy, and it was more of the wind chill that closed the schools in Montgomery County today! So we had Dylan and Pete all day! What a bonus!
We drove into Washington, DC to visit the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

Statue of Liberty made of Legos

A heat-sensitive board with Dylan's hand print

Afterwards we went to Farmers & Distillers, by restaurateurs Mike Vucurevich and Dan Simons (and the more than 47,000 farmers that make up North Dakota Farmers Union), which is in the same family as Farmers Fishers Bakers that Erich manages. Farmers & Distillers is inspired by George Washington, as a Founding Farmer, and its menu is influenced by its location near Chinatown.

Young Washington (2015) by Nate Loda

As he would look today...

Part of the mural Georgie Distills (2016) by Kiki Carrillo

Dylan eyes his Washington's Club Sandwich

Pete was lucky to get his Pepperoni pizza sans pizza sauce

I had a Historical Neighborhood Favorite, the
Chicken-fried Steak and Distillers Donut!

A view of the new National Museum of
African-American History & Culture

Lead designer David Adjaye and lead architect Philip Freelon won an international competition in 2009 to build the newest of the Smithsonian museums. The exterior was inspired by the three-tiered crowns used in Yoruban art from West Africa. The entire building is wrapped in an ornamental bronze-colored metal lattice, paying homage to the intricate ironwork crafted by enslaved African Americans. It is the first museum on the mall designed for sustainability, a LEED Gold project.
Although admission is free, one must reserve a timed-ticket to enter.

Friday, January 5, 2018
We drove straight back to Shaker Heights today.