Freeloading

Very few things in life are free, least of all in large cities. This weekend, my family (yes, all three children) and my parents spent two days in Washington D.C.. We were blessed with mild weather and cooperative children. But what surprised me even more than sunshine on a February day was how inexpensive entertainment in our nation's capital can be, namely in our museums. If you didn't already know, everything associated with the Smithsonian Institute is free. Everything. Maddox was enthralled with a live performance at the American Indian Museum, loved the giant squid at the Museum of Natural History and got so tuckered out that she slept right through the beauty of the Botanical Gardens. My parents and I were haunted by the imagery in the Holocaust Museum and we all enjoyed the monuments and sculpture gardens. In total, more than twenty museums and monuments and even the National Zoo all boast free admission. And in this day and age when everyone is trying to pinch a penny, what could be better?




Checking out the T-Rex in the American Museum of Natural History.




My parents at the Botanical Gardens.





Sweet Maddy had enough sightseeing!