On Easter Monday, we ventured on a mission to Farragut North, a stop on the Red Line. Our adventure started when Brady tried to get arrested by the Transit Police for jumping the toll gate in the station. He wasn't trying to get a free ride, he just thought he moved too slowly and the gate closed. It turns out that his Metro ticket had been de-magnetized and didn't swipe properly. So...valuable lesson learned.... don't put your ticket in the same pocket as your cell! Once we made it out of the station, Brady got out his "magic phone" and brought up the navigation feature to help us figure out where we should begin.
We came to a shopping center (I use the term loosely) which had a couple of stores, some offices and the Las Vegas Visitor Center!!! Sadly for us though, it wasn't open so we couldn't plan our next getaway!
Next we came to the National Geographic Society. There are exhibits inside, but they all cost money so we decided to just walk around the outside and look at some of the photos. We learned all about volcanoes....and it didn't cost us a thing! In the Nat Geo courtyard there were beautiful azaleas blooming and a little family of ducks swimming around. This family is being protected by National Geographic so please don't get within 10 feet....or the Mama might abandon the babies! (or so the sign says).
Moving on from the courtyard we looked across the street to see the "Summer School". Wow - who knew they had a school specifically designated for kids who need to repeat Algebra? We had to check this out!
It turns out that it was the "SumNer School" named after Charles Sumner. He was a Senator and Abolitionist. He started the school as the first public school for black children after the Civil War. It's now a museum.
We went inside and looked around the street level exhibit at the artwork done by students in DC public schools. Some of it was amazing! There was a very nice lady security guard who told us there are exhibits on the 3 upper floors of the museum and that we just needed to sign in and then we would be free to explore upstairs. Brady Wolcott +1 signed the book and then she showed us to the elevator.
We rode to the second floor and looked around a bit. The museum contains mostly memorabilia from all of the DC public schools. It was interesting to see the different class pictures on display and what each school excelled in (sports, drama, music, etc). We spotted a door marked "stairs" and decided to take it up to the 3rd floor and get in shape on the way. Of course, once we went through the door, we noticed a sign on the inside that basically stated: "this door to remain locked, no entrance to the museum". TERRIFIC! Guess what? The sign was accurate - all the doors, to all the other floors, were locked. So we were trapped in the stairwell! (Y'think maybe that sign should've been on the other side of the door?) Thankfully, at the ground level, there was another door that exited to the back of the building outside. So....we made it out of the stairs! Brady suggested that we just go back inside - Joy refused! How embarrassing! Of course, the nice security lady might still be looking for Brady Wolcott +1 lost somewhere in the building!After that grand time, we came upon St. Matthews Cathedral. It was a very nice looking building on the outside, so we decided to check out the inside. The time was about 12:10pm. Wouldn't you know it....mass in progress(aka: no pictures)! We sat for a few minutes but when they started reciting and kneeling, it was time to go! It was very sad because the architecture and painting inside were absolutely gorgeous. We might have to sneak back in there on another mission.
Right by the church was the Embassy of Australia. There were also a couple of other ones too including the Embassy of the Philippines! We, of course, had to take a picture!
After attending Mass, we decided it was finally time for lunch. As always, Brady used his magic phone again to find us a neighborhood specialty. The "Best Sandwich Place" was nestled inside an office building right next to a now barren Borders Bookstore. The sandwiches were really good. Brady had smoked turkey w/ bacon and Joy ate chicken parmesan (with sun-dried tomatoes and bean sprouts) Chips and Coke rounded out the meal. It was all yummy!
Our final stop was a novelty store called Chocolate Moose. It contained all kinds of gifts, toys, cards, games and of course CHOCOLATE.
Brady's favorite was this eye-popping pig! We also bought an old favorite - Tiddly Winks. We're still enjoying the friendly family competition!
Hopefully we're back on track to complete more missions this summer so stay tuned for those adventures! Don't forget to share you adventures with us too!
Right by the church was the Embassy of Australia. There were also a couple of other ones too including the Embassy of the Philippines! We, of course, had to take a picture!
After attending Mass, we decided it was finally time for lunch. As always, Brady used his magic phone again to find us a neighborhood specialty. The "Best Sandwich Place" was nestled inside an office building right next to a now barren Borders Bookstore. The sandwiches were really good. Brady had smoked turkey w/ bacon and Joy ate chicken parmesan (with sun-dried tomatoes and bean sprouts) Chips and Coke rounded out the meal. It was all yummy!
Our final stop was a novelty store called Chocolate Moose. It contained all kinds of gifts, toys, cards, games and of course CHOCOLATE. 
Brady's favorite was this eye-popping pig! We also bought an old favorite - Tiddly Winks. We're still enjoying the friendly family competition!
Hopefully we're back on track to complete more missions this summer so stay tuned for those adventures! Don't forget to share you adventures with us too!
