Day Three was at my best estimation, dewy!!! Not too cold, not too wet, but just plain dewy. Not to worry however, because much of the day's itinerary hinged on indoor events which took in several "highly touted" museums, some specific DC only sightseeing and our first family NBA Game. A sketch of the day's itinerary is listed below.

Smithsonian Castle - First stop... Crystal City Metro Station to buy four $20 Fare cards. Not only is it economical, but so much safer/stress free than driving in DC. It was so cool to subway in with the family and be hidden from all the sites only to poke our heads up like gophers at the Smithsonian Metro station and stroll out on the Mall for a morning walk. We got our bearings and headed for the Smithsonian Castle for an introductory video and to gather info on the other Smithsonian attractions we would be visiting. In essence the castle introduces visitors to the multiple museums that are part of the Smithsonian experience in DC. We all enjoyed a brief 18 minute video which drew attention to some of the attractions we would be visiting over the next several days. Like the museum name states, the architecture looks and feels a lot like a castle. We especially enjoyed the West Wing's main room and the artifacts sampled there from the many Smithsonian collections.

National Museum of Natural History - Wow... cool elephant in the Rotunda!!! I'm guessing that visits to this Museum will go through the roof when "Night at the Museum II" hits the wire. We arrived just before opening and quickly entered through the majestic architecture of the mall entrance with the first floor exhibits and the second floor gems collection identified as highlights. In the Oceans Hall (room with the huge whale hanging from the ceiling) we enjoyed a great video about the unexplored depths of our oceans, the many artifacts on display as well as an educational exhibit which, through a huge globe of the world's oceans, explored oceans temperatures, movements and the effect they have on our lives. The Mammal exhibits recreated life-like scenes of mammals from around the globe and also had supporting video presentations. The dinosaur exhibits were well done, and we enjoyed the vertical "time line" which highlighted man's minute timeframe on earth. Upstairs, the Gem/Minerals exhibit is one of the best we'd seen in our travels, and of course the Hope diamond was a popular showcase. Well worth the visit!!!

National Museum of American History - Located immediately west of the Natural History Museum on Madison Ave., this vast complex houses an eclectic collection of artifacts and exhibits which reflect the development of American Culture. Some items I really enjoyed included the lower floor focus on Technology and Transportation displays in America on the Move and World War II and Civil War exhibits (the actual chairs Lee and Grant sat in at Appomatox) in the Price of Freedom exhibition. We also toured the "Star Spangled Banner" room and flipped in and out of several other exhibits. By the end we had hit museum overload... just so much for the eyes and ears. Another item of note for us was a display of a diner counter and seats, the original from the site of a Civil Rights sit in at the Greensboro Lunch Counter to protest "whites only" service. On the way out the kids had some dogs and watched a small portion of the St Paddy's day parade which snaked through the city centre for part of the morning.

White House - One of America's most famous landmarks. The website said visits were possible through our congress member (maybe Peter MacKay could have done it!) but we opted for the more realistic walk by and photo opportunity. After cutting through the St Paddy's Parade we walked around the ellipse towards a small group of people (it was fairly damp outside) stationed near the iron fencing. A security vehicle and personnel were posted in the area. The house came into view only when we were almost immediately in front in the area overlooking the garden fountain. The kids immediately recognized the site. I wondered if they knew what 24 Sussex looked like? We surveyed the view, snapped some pictures, talked about the Obama's and moved along after about five minutes or so.

Also located in the White House Park area was the Monument of William Tecumseh Sherman, famous Union General from the American Civil War perhaps best known for Sherman's March (a swath of destruction which leveled the route from Atlanta to Savannah, Georgia).

White House Visitor Centre - A short distance from the White House located on Pennsylvania Ave., we ducked into the area for a quick regrouping, and watched a real segment of "Americana" in video form which went through the history and tradition of the home of presidents.

Old Post Office Tower - While traveling over the past three March Breaks we've always taken opportunities to get a view "from above" of the cities being visited. Washington was no exception and, other than the Washington Monument, one of the best places in DC to experience viewing the city is the Old Post Office. For free you can take an elevator run by NPS which goes up Eleven floors to an observation deck in the tower which views all directions. DC has law enacted which limits building construction heights and has maintained the visual integrity of sights such as the Capitol, NHS Memorials, Washington Monument, and the Old Post Office (Heights of Buildings Act of 1910), leaving the city with a very "open feeling" as compared to Manhattan.

Wishing to take advantage of this we located the elevator on the ground floor, lined up, and quickly boarded the glass walled lift which viewed the shops/offices inside. That's when our luck fizzled. The elevator broke while we were on first floor!!! Wouldn't move. We took this as an omen and cut our losses for the time being and stuck to the terra firma. We did scarf up a snack in the food court and did some ever important "people watching". We left taking in some sightseeing, past the Ben Franklin Statue located in front, the J. Edgar Hoover (FBI) Building across the street, the Ford Theatre and International Spy Museum on our way to the National Portrait Gallery.

National Portrait Gallery / Smithsonian American Art Museum - While in Europe last March Break, Jane and I were "gob stopped" at the opportunities we had to enjoy European Art, from Renaissance to Modern. We wished to continue our exposure (as well as to introduce the kids) to the world of art. With the weather still not the greatest for outdoor monuments and the Mall, this turned out to be an excellent option. The Gallery / Museum didn't disappoint, and we strolled the rooms exploring paintings, photography and memorabilia. Of note for us were the Presidential portraits, the American Sports presentations, the folk art exhibits and "The American Experience" where I found one of my favorites (Edward Hopper). Beyond all that, the building is absolutely gorgeous, and we were astonished at the ceiling in the covered courtyard in the centre of the complex. Once again, the visit was totally free.

Friendship Arch in Chinatown - Immediately north of the Verizon Centre is the Chinatown Friendship Arch, spanning H St. just north of the Verizon Centre. Although there was some signage and several businesses in the area which reflected the Chinese influence, the area for the most part seemed gentrified to the point of the Arch being the major point of focus. Nothing like Canal St in NYC, that's for sure.

NBA - Wizards vs Sacramento Kings - Over the past several years we've been fortunate to experience an NFL Giants/Jets match-up, a NHL season home opener on Long Island between the Isles and Sabres, and an MLB summer evening at Rogers in which the Jays "clubbed" the Yankees. We opted to round out the the tradition by taking in the Wizards and an NBA game at the Verizon Center. Online we purchased some first row upper level seats and, after getting over the initial "vertigo" of the location, settled in to gaze at mascots, pre-game videos on the jumbo screen and the steadily filling seats below. The kids enjoyed some dogs and nachos, as well as an unusual "juggling" act during half-time. Although the Wizards are far from being real contenders, the game was actually a great match-up. The home team quickly surged into a lead which hung on until mid-fourth quarter. The Kings rallied to make it close and at the buzzer the home team pulled out a 1 point victory in regulation. The kids, and especially Jane, cheered on the Wizards with surprising vigor!!! Great evening out to cap a very full first day.

We hopped on the metro located just outside Verizon, and took the Yellow Line directly to Crystal City. With showers in the forecast, I was considering a day swap from the itinerary to have us spend more time indoors Monday, and target the memorials on the mall for Wednesday. Big day, and everyone hit the pillows hard.