Air and Space (on the Mall) and the Mall

We've been to the Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport (actually, the boys have been twice), but we had never been to the one on the Mall yet.  Today, B dropped us off at the museum and then went to study at the GMU campus in Arlington.

Notes on the pictures: We sat in on a little demonstration about the first flight and the Wright brothers.  Princess Sparkley raised her hand and answered a question (Q: When was the first flight? A: 1903) and she also volunteered which is the picture of her blowing paper out from her lip.  Buddy also raised his hand and answered a question!  (Q: ?.  A: Elevator)  Little Guy brought his tiny chocolate lab "Chocolate" on this trip with us.  You can see Chocolate in some of the pictures, including the one where he is between a pretend cat and Little Guy.  The picture of Buddy looking at a TV screen was probably my favorite part.  It showed a map of the US (when I took the picture, the map is flat so the "airplanes" or dots are up in the sky).  The map showed a typical flight day in the US.  Then it would break down airlines (UPS, FedEx, United Airlines, etc.) by color and show all the flights as white dots, and the specific airline flights in a color.  It was pretty cool.  They also showed the sky go from filled with airplanes, to no airplanes at all within 3 hours of the September 11 attacks.

Then we walked out on the Mall toward the Tidal Basin to check on the cherry blossom buds.  I like taking a picture of the kids with the Capitol in the background and another with the Washington Monument in the background each time we go (if I remember).  This time, a man was nice enough to offer to take a picture of me with the kids and then made us switch places with him so we could get one with the Capitol in the background as well.  The kids have their arms out in some of the pictures because we've just left the Air and Space Museum and they are being airplanes.  PS was not so sure about this.

Checking on the cherry blossom buds.

I strategically placed cherry tree branches to block out the crane next to the Jefferson Memorial.  I hope this construction is over with before we move so I can get a picture of the Jefferson Memorial without it being under construction.

Then meeting B and showing him the George Mason Memorial.

Fun things I learned: There is a McDonald's in the Air and Space Museum and a McDonald's kiosk on the outdoor patio of the museum.  For months I've been complaining about where to buy cheap food on the Mall.  I hate always having to pack sandwiches and bring a backpack, etc. but I also don't want to buy museum cafe priced food.  A few weeks ago we discovered a bunch of McDonald's near the Metro Center stop and I was thrilled.  Now I know about one on the Mall.  BUT, I didn't get close enough to see if had normal McD's prices (and a $1) or not.

And... they have started work on the Martin Luther King Memorial.  It's around the Tidal Basin, past the FDR Memorial, closer to the Lincoln Memorial.  Pretty cool that our kids will be able to remember when this wasn't here and when it was being built because someday, it'll be like all the rest of the memorials on the Mall that seem like national monuments that have always been here.