After a very early start, the alarms went off at 6am, we jumped in a cab and headed for Penn Station. We prepped ourselves with some breakfast ready for the journey ahead. We were then at the front of the line waiting for our train…

Finally we jumped on and had heaps of space to spread out, the iPads were plugged in and ready to go! Bel is really excellent at playing Battleship and beat John each time (easily)!

The VERY large conductor came by and asked for our tickets. Bel managed to get the wrong one stamped and then gave him the wrong one again. He felt it necessary to give a little shit, and we weren’t going to mess with him!

Still on the train. Just past Newark with 8 stops to go and some three hours and a half hours…to arrive at Union Station, Washington DC right on time at 11.45am.

After dropping our bags at The Fairfax Hotel at Dupont Circle, we headed straight to the Air and Space Museum. Some amazing stuff here …(info and pics to come) with an amazing volunteer guide Bob Fish, who had previously been in the military and was now well into his 70′s maybe even 80′s. He could talk about every single significant air or space milestone like it was yesterday and he was there!

We were there until closing and then headed out to take some photos of the Washington Monument, before we walked past Capitol Hill and through to Union Station again to pick up the Night Tour of Washington on the double decker bus – bloody freezing! The tour was supposed to finish back at the Station but we were able to tip (ie bribe) our driver to takes back to Dupont Circle.

It’s 11 o’clock now and we are cold, tired and hungry, so we headed out for some beers and pizza and made it back to the hotel at around 12.30am. Officially checking in now, as the room wasn’t ready earlier, we were greeted at reception by the rudest woman ever! She gave James her bag and wouldn’t give them to John or Bel and dismissed us, refusing to talk or acknowledge us. We headed up to the room to find that it wasn’t ready at all and the bed for James had not been made up. That was enough for Bel who headed back down to reception and demanded our bags, then wanted the bed made. After 10 mins the bags were finally found and thrown at us, Bel then asked how long it would be till the bed was made up, bearing in mind it is now almost 1am. She advised that there were several other rooms in front and it would be a while! After ‘politely’ reminding her that we had received a phone call in the afternoon advising that the room was ready, she requested that the bed be made NOW.

Within minutes, housekeeping arrived – an old Asian man that could hardly speak English or walk, let alone make bed! With that James took over and we were all tucked and and asleep within in minutes…finally!!

Posted from Woodbridge, New Jersey, United States.