Now History is Mine: National Museum of American History

Um... we have no idea why mommy has never taken us here before.  It is right up our alley -- we both LOVE trains (although mom is relieved that we are not obsessed with Thomas) and this place is full of them.  Mommy and I went last Friday while Kane was at school and I tore my way through the "America on the Move" exhibit shouting "choo choo!!!" non-stop.  And I loved the model Chicago "L" train -- we spent a lot of time on that.  It was the perfect place to go to spend a freezing cold day - we went right at 10 a.m. and there was hardly anyone there (note to self: do not go before 10 and expect to wait inside -- the security guards did not take pity on our freezing selves and made us wait out in the wind for 14 minutes until exactly 10 a.m.).  There was a ton of room for me to run around and I had a blast.

I was less enthralled with "The First Ladies" exhibit, but mom was pretty psyched to see Michelle Obama's inaugural gown.  It was a lot of bling, but I still preferred ramming my stroller into the wall while mom and the nice docent ignored me.  Plus the ORIGINAL Kermit (and several other muppets) is there -- he's looking less green, but in pretty decent shape.  The museum also has one of the best cafes on the mall (with a highly unusual, really decent salad bar) and we had a nice little snack.  And, as with almost all other D.C. museums, the American History museum is free.  We loved it so much we went back on Saturday with Kane, daddy, Aunt Carrie and Cousin Jack.  A little more crowded then, but still a good time.

Street parking on Constitution opens at 9:30 a.m. and it's not too hard to find a spot if you arrive close to that time.  Located on Constitution between 12th and 14th, the museum is also a short walk from the Federal Triangle, Metro Center, or Archives/Navy Memorial stops.

I scored a Lamb Chop stuffed animal in the gift store -- it's daddy's nickname for me.