We departed Blake Middle School promptly at 6:30am, and there was smooth sailing on 495, the Mass Pike, and 84. We hit a bit of traffic on 91 heading into New Haven, and stopped for a pit stop outside Bridgeport, CT at about 9:00am. Many kids feared this was also our lunch break, as we had been on the road for two and a half hours, but I assured them that no, we would be stopping in New Jersey, and not for a few more hours. We hit a boatload of traffic on the Cross Bronx Expressway en route to the George Washington Bridge, but in the process were able to see some awesome vistas of the Manhattan skyline. Various buses stopped at a few different stops on the Jersey Turnpike, and we were touch and go a bit in Delaware and muddled our way through some Washington rush hour traffic, and a result, did not arrive in downtown Washington until 5:00-5:30pm. This did, unfortunately, result in us having to scratch our time at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Buses 1 and 2 ate at Vie de France, while buses 3, 4 and 5 ate at Harriet's Family Restaurant. I personally ate at Harriet's, and therefore can report that Harriet's was a lovely little no-frills restaurant, ideal for (and thus packed with) school groups, each on their quintessential eighth grade class trip (Thursday evening buses will swap - 1/2 at Harriet's, 3/4/5 at Vie de France). Dinner consisted of a buffet-style meal of salad, garlic bread, steam vegetables, chicken cacciatore, grilled salmon, spaghetti and meatballs, and a slice of delicious chocolate cake.
The ESPN Zone was across the street from Harriet's, and all students received a card with 40 points, which was good for use in the arcade, ranging from basketball shooting competitions (Mr. Gibbs had a particularly strong showing) to air hockey to virtual white water rafting! Most games were 4 to 8 points per round, on average, so students had a great time unwinding, relaxing, and catching up with friends from other buses.
Next, each bus met up with their respective Worldstrides Tourguide, who is assigned to a particular bus for the week - Charlotte, Jane, Karen, Cornelius or Roy. The tour guides are well-versed, knowledgeable, and very engaging! The tourguides prepped students as we headed to each monument in the evening after dinner and answered students' questions. It was a gorgeous night for monument viewing, as we headed to the FDR Memorial right as the sun was setting over the Tidal Basin and Potomac River. Students were prepped about proper monument conduct and expectations, and students moved through each of the four "rooms" at the FDR Memorial (representing each of FDR's four terms), viewing the quotes, statues, and waterfalls. Next, we walked around the Tidal Basin to the Jefferson Memorial, where students were asked to look for each of Jefferson's four "loves" - education, architecture, agriculture and ornithology. Students were greeted with a beautiful setting sun over the White House and Washington Monument, and we headed to our last stop of the night: the Iwo Jima/Marine Corps Memorial. We crossed the Potomac into Arlington, Virginia and students had a beautifully illuminated version of the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. Finally, we drove to the Legacy Hotel for checkin, most students arriving in their rooms between 10:30 and 11:00. Evening security is here, students are checked in, and a good night's rest is on tap for all tonight!
Wednesday's highlights include the Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Newseum, several monuments, Air & Space Museum, and the Twilight Tattoo. Sleep well...logging off at 12:29am!
