Mike and I went back east this year for our anniversary celebration. We had always wanted to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater (Pennsylvania), so we focused on that for our trip. While we were out there, we got to see lots of other cool places, too. We were gone from Saturday, July 31st till Thursday, August 5th.
Saturday, we flew through Memphis to Pittsburgh, PA. We stayed in Pittsburgh that night after having a very (we're told) Pittsburgh-ish meal at Primanti Brothers. Mike had a really good pizza, and I had a sandwich on Italian bread with killbasi, cheese, fries and coleslaw ON it!!! It was WAY yummy!
Sunday we took the bus into Pittsburgh downtown. We explored the city all day. We visited the Andy Warhol museum, took the "Just Ducky Tour" (on a land/water "boat"), had lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe, rode up the Monongahela Incline, and rode the "T" (subway) and buses all around town. When the day was winding down, we rented a car and drove to Uniontown, where we checked into our hotel and had dinner at a Bob Evans.
Monday we got up early and headed out to Fallingwater!!! We took the 2-hour In-Depth Tour. It was incredible!! The house was amazing, the grounds were beautiful, and the experience was well worth the trip. We ate lunch at the Fallingwater Cafe, then headed out.
(note: as we pulled out of the parking lot, we got a text from Emily, who--with her family--was staying with our kids. It said: "Do you care if Jer is water surfing down the grass hill in back?" YIKES!!! :9)
Next, we continued on to Gettysburg, where we were able to take a 3 hour auto tour. It was fantastic. We had a CD that we listened to and a book to study along the way through the historical sites there, and we finished just as the sun set. What an experience! After we were done, we drove late into the night to stay in Columbia, MD.
Tuesday was spent in Washington, DC. We drove in and first visited Arlington. We saw the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the eternal flame, etc. It was beautiful and very thought-provoking. Next, we drove to Mt. Vernon and took the tour there. I loved sitting on the back porch overlooking the river with Mike after the tour was over. It's such a peaceful place. That evening, we went to Capitol Hill. We walked along more than half of the Mall, saw many of the monuments, and then returned to Columbia to stay another night.
Wednesday was our 2nd and final day in DC. This time, we parked at the metro parking in Silver Spring and rode the train into the city. We spent time at the Smithsonian--first at the Air and Space Museum, then the American History Museum and the Museum of Natural History. After our day's adventures, we returned to our car, which we dropped off at the airport. Dale and Olesya picked us up, and we went to dinner in Reston, VA. We had such a fun visit. I'm so glad they drove all the way in to see us that night! We stayed near the airport, so we could fly out the next morning.
We flew home Thursday, and we even got a 1st class upgrade to boot! What a very, very Happy Anniversary!!
