I'm back

We recently did some travelling out to the east coast... so if you have sent me an e-mail or called & I haven't replied, it's because I was out of town.  If I've missed your call or e-mail, don't think I'm ignoring you!  Send me another message & I will reply. 

New York City is so much fun.  I loved seeing all the skyscrapers & people.  It is mind boggling to think you could fit everyone from the whole state of Iowa in NYC and not even fill it up.  Just amazing.  It's just like you see it on TV- sirens, cars honking, and so many people.  We visited the Statue of Liberty while we were there. 

Washington DC is a little more subdued... less traffic & people.  We put on many miles walking to all the different monuments. 

Lots & lots of security around the capitol building.  Like guys with M-16 machine guns.  Yikes.  We saw one woman try to get past security- she was headed downtown in handcuffs last we saw.   We did get a tour of the capitol & also got tickets in to the House of Representatives gallery. 
A tour guide said that 10,000 people visit the capitol every day.

We saw the White House, but didn't get a tour inside.  Only a few people get tickets for that, and you have to get them through your rep or senator & then only about 20% of the applications are approved. 

My advice if you're headed out that direction- get up early & get a head start on all the crowds!  We woke up at 6 AM to get to the Statue of Liberty, and were still not the first ones there, even though tickets start selling around 8:30 AM.  There is quite a bit of traffic, but it's not impossible- just don't leave home without your GPS.