Daily Prompt – Race the Clock:  Here’s the title of your post: “An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse.” Set a timer for ten minutes, and write it. Go!

“Hey, Mom!  Whatcha’ doing this weekend?”

“Nothing special.  What’s up?”

“Well, you know that seminar in Washington, DC I’m speaking at?  I just found out that I have the suite they booked for me through the entire weekend and my last talk is Friday morning, so why don’t you hop on a plane and come play with me?”

Are you kidding?  I was packed, had my boarding pass printed out, my credit cards burning a hole in my pocket and was half-way to the airport before my daughter could say goodbye.

I had never been to Washington DC and I knew that with Heidi I would get to see and do everything I wanted.

United States Capitol Building

I arrived on Friday morning and as soon as I threw my suitcase on the bed in her beautiful hotel room, we were off!  First we hopped on the metro for Georgetown.  As we rode the escalator up to the street, her little nose began twitching as she sniffed the air.  “I smell Lush”.  Sure enough, there was a Lush store on the first block and we spent our first few minutes sight-seeing buying bath bombs and salts.  We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering around, stopped for drinks at cute outdoor cafes several times and staggered back to the hotel for an early bedtime.

Early Saturday morning we jumped on a tour bus and did all the touristy things:  Ford Theatre and the Lincoln Museum, Arlington Cemetery, raising the flag at Iwo Jima, saw all the monuments, Lincoln Center, etc. We ate and drank our way around the city.  Sunday was the Smithsonian.  I think we made it through only five of the museums, the capitol, the White House because at 5:30 p.m. we met our tour guide for an night-time walking tour of the memorial monuments.

Washington Memorial and Reflecting Pond

The monuments are spectacular during the day but at night they are magnificent.  The Viet Nam Wall, WWII, Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, and the Korean War Memorial.  By the time we finished the tour, my little 4 foot 10 inch daughter was walking behind me pushing my butt up the hills. We arrived back at the hotel too tired for dinner, had a vodka tonic and slept like babes.

Lincoln Memorial

Monday morning we rode the metro and took a bus out to Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate.  We took a walking tour through the house and grounds and were duly impressed imagining our country’s first president entertaining there.  Then back to the hotel to take a taxi to the airport and home.

Korean War Memorial

Time’s up!

(I only had 10 minutes to write this, but I’m taking a few more minutes to insert some pix.  So, sue me.)