Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC - Day 1

Hello, and thanks for popping in Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  I'm going to share something I'm thinking about and invite you to link up and do the same.  Today I'm sharing our adventures from our trip to Washington, DC to see the cherry blossoms!

Every spring I see people talking about the blooming cherry blossoms in Washington, DC and think to myself that someday I want to see them.  That someday came this year when Eric and I met our son and daughter-in-law in Washington, DC when the blossoms were at their peak!

Eric and I flew in on Friday morning and had the day to explore.  Our son and daughter-in-law were flying in later in the day and we were planning to have dinner together.  We had gotten a deal through Southwest on the hotel and were staying at The Ritz.  Did you know you can book hotels through Southwest and get miles?  We've done it a few times and it's been great!  

The Ritz was a short Uber ride from the airport and they had our room ready when we arrived. 

  

A little bit about the hotel - we had a great stay!  They offer you champagne upon arrival and each afternoon they have cookies in the lobby.  The cookie is based on a different president's favorite!  Our room did not have a great view of any monuments, so if you're looking for that this is not your place.  But the service was fantastic and the staff could not have been nicer.  And I loved getting all those Southwest points!  As a matter of fact, we got enough points for a free airline ticket.  Cha Ching!  

I had reached out to our state representative and her office arranged a guided tour of the Capitol.  We met her intern in the afternoon at her office and took the underground tunnel to the Capitol.  The tunnels are lined with student artwork from each state.  We spotted our home state and I had to snap a picture!

We roamed the halls and enjoyed hearing little tidbits and stories behind some of the statues.  This wasn't our first trip to the Capitol, but it was still no less captivating.  Regardless of your political views, visiting the Capitol is quite the experience.  The architecture is stunning and the history exudes a sense of significance.  

When we're visiting places like this, I always love looking up.  Sometimes the ceilings are the most beautiful!

After our tour, we headed back to the hotel to meet Ian and Kayla.  We were going to Joe's Seafood and Steakhouse.  We had done enough walking for the day to really work up an appetite!  

We tried the stone crab and steak.  It was wonderful!  Over dinner, we talked about our plans for the weekend and where we were going to go over the next few days.  Stay tuned for details from the rest of the trip!

Now it's your turn - what are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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