What we did over Christmas break--San Diego chapter

We were mad travelling fools over the winter break. After Tucson, we returned to San Diego to celebrate Christmas with the family.

We usually reserve the day after Christmas to celebrate my niece Hannah's birthday (happy belated birthday, Hannah!). But since Hannah and her family weren't in town this year, we opted for the zoo instead.

The plan was to meet up with Scott and Mary's friend Donna at the zoo. Donna and her husband Josh were bringing their two daughters. They also brought Josh's sister, her son, and a couple other little nephews. That's right, we ended up at the zoo the day after Christmas with NINE kids! (They outnumbered us adults -- there were only 7 of us.)

I would best describe my day as an elaborate text scavenger hunt. My brother Scott seized the first opportunity he had to ditch us. He followed part of the group to the orangutan exhibit, and was nice enough to text me and tell me to meet him there. Of course, try herding 6 kids quickly through the zoo -- it's virtually impossible. We didn't even make it past the flamingos. They ooohed and ahhed at the pink birds, but as soon as they marvelled over the ducks, I moved them along.

"No fawning over ducks," I told them. "Save that for the tigers!"

It's been a long time since I've been to the zoo, and I ended up lost on some crazy path. We did come across this great photo op, however:

By the time I reached the end of the path, Scott had texted me three more times. I was two feet from the orangutan exhibit when he texted that he was now at the pandas.

So it was off to the pandas. Then the next text came in.

"Pandas too crowded. Going to the elephants."

Before I could even relay the message, the next text came in.

"Panda line moving fast. GET HERE QUICK!"

So it was off to the pandas after all. We had to shepherd the kids through an aviary and down three flights of stairs, all of which provided endless distractions. We got to the pandas just as Scott and Josh were at the front.

I'd like to say the pandas were beautiful and amazing. They were pretty, but they were also sleeping lazily in the trees above, facing away from us. I couldn't believe I'd rushed around the whole zoo to get a rare glimpse of a panda butt.

It was unusually cold for San Diego, so Mary and I stopped to get some hot coffee. The operative word here is "stop," something Scott refused to do. He grabbed all the kids but Mark and ran off. I knew I'd get a destination text momentarily.

"Take walkway up to elephant exhibit," it read.

Unfortunately, we took the wrong walkway and ended up back at the aviary. We had to re-trace our path down the three flights of stairs, this time holding two cups of hot coffee each. Mark was mad his cousins were off having fun without him. But I was having a good time laughing with my sister-in-law about my crazy brother.

We finally found the right walkway and ended up by the lions. I was a little nervous about a graphic picture of a lion with his tail raised that warned "Lions can spray 7-10 feet."

"Gross!" I told Mark. "It's bad enough when Frankie sprays. Can you imagine getting sprayed by a big ol' lion?"

We quickly moved away from that exhibit.

We finally found Scott and family by the elephants. He assured us that the lions were in their little cave, and we should go see them.

They were very cool to look at. But I felt really bad for them -- people were packed up against the glass, snapping endless pictures of them. The cave was dark, so with every picture, a flash popped, and the poor lions seized a little from the sudden light. It was like watching the paparazzi attack; it didn't seem very "king of the jungle" at all.

The kids were begging to go on the skyfari ride, so that's where we headed next. I have a very healthy fear of heights, and a son with a sick sense of humor, so the last place I wanted to be was in a tiny car in the air with him swinging it around. I reluctantly agreed to go provided I could also take my niece Nathalie (who wouldn't swing). Mark promised not to make any jarring movements only because Nathalie begged him not to; apparently, my motherly fears held no weight with him.

But I had the last laugh. As soon as the skyfari car rocked into the air, Mark turned to mush. He gripped onto the bar in the middle with all his might. I broke into a cold sweat, which didn't help much when Nathalie, then Mark, started freaking out.

"I'm scared!" Nathalie shouted.

"We're gonna die!" Mark shouted.

"I know!" I almost shouted.

Then I remembered I was the adult and was supposed to be the calming influence. They were not helping any, let me tell you. I finally calmed them down, and by the time we reached the other side of the zoo, Mark was half-heartedly threatening to rock the car again.

By then, we'd had enough. I was thankful I'd bought annual passes, because the zoo was so crowded, and frankly, I was tired of chasing after Scott all day long. I promised Mark we'd return soon.

All the craziness didn't deter the kids, though. They still had a blast, and even posed for a very good picture:


I wonder if the zookeepers even realized four little monkeys had escaped...

Hello from the top of the world!

OK, maybe not really the top of the world, but definitely the top of Washington -- the Washington Monument, that is!

Our luck was a LOT better today. We got our groove back. We took that groove back to the Mall, which today, was completely empty, save for the construction guys breaking down all the tents and moving all the portapotties. There were virtually no tourists in sight.

Today's agenda included a trip to the top of the Washington Monument, something I never did while I actually lived in D.C. My mom was kind of nervous about going up, but she plucked up her courage and did it. (Good job, Mom!)

I wasn't nervous at all, until we got into the elevator, and the ranger told us the Monument is made of freestanding marble blocks simply stacked atop each other, and nothing else. No wires, no bars, nothing holding it in place except gravity and a little mortar (and the mortar works more like caulk than like cement). Then he warned us not to lean on the blocks once we got up top, and then I really felt nervous! I'm a native Californian, so my first thought regarding a tower of freestanding blocks was, "Wow, that would fall really quickly in an earthquake!"

The view from the top was spectacular! Definitely the best in the city. We looked one way, and saw Arlington Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, and the Reflecting Pool. Looked another and saw the White House and Commerce Department. Turned again and saw the Capitol, the Mall, and all the Smithsonians. And then, with a final turn, we saw the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial. It was amazing -- we went to all the windows and views twice.



By the time we descended, it was lunch time. We took the Metro to Dupont Circle, and stumbled upon a little itty bitty restaurant claiming it had the best crabcake sandwiches in Washington. Well, I couldn't pass that by! We had a fabulous waitress who was so kind and sweet, and insisted we all try the seafood soup. Who were we to disagree?

We jumped back on the Metro for our final D.C. outing -- a trip to the National Zoo. It's in a beautiful park, and like all the other Smithsonian Museums, it's free. (I love that!)



We sauntered down the path, stopping to admire a cheetah. We got a little nervous when we realized that it was sitting across a small field from us, but could easily jump over the fence and across the frozen pond to get us if it really wanted to. Luckily for us, he was content to lie in the sun and soak up some rays.

Next up were the pandas. We saw two of them lazing in their habitats, and a third one pounding on the gate to his inside enclosure. Nobody ever let him in, but it didn't dissuade him -- he walked away a bit, then returned to pound some more.

The next stop was the Panda shop, where you could buy anything you've ever wanted with a panda on it. They even had some journals and stationary which proudly proclaimed they were made from recycled panda poop. I drew the line at that -- I'll be coming home panda poop-free.

Mark lost all interest in the live animals once he'd convinced his Grandma to buy him a stuffed one. I tried dragging him down the hill to look at more animals, but he didn't really care. I settled for the elephant house, which also had a hippo, a pygmy hippo and a couple capybaras.

And then it was back to the Metro, for our last ride. Our Inaugural 2009 trip drew to a close, and I felt it with every step on and away from the Metro. Over dinner, we discussed all our activities, and what we all liked best. The swearing-in ceremony was first (a given), but after that, Mom's favorites were the funeral procession (because it was so moving), and Mark's was the Lincoln Memorial. Mine was hard to choose -- I had such a blast at them all! I think I liked the Washington Monument, but mostly, I just liked returning to the city I called home a long time ago. It was fun to see all the sites that had once been part of my daily life, and fun showing them all to Mark. I took him to my favorite restaurant and showed him my old Metro stop and apartment. I told him all the stories and anecdotes I could remember, like the time Kelley and I sat in the middle of the frozen Reflecting Pool and some guy skied by us and said hi.

I got to show him a part of me that existed a long time ago, and I got to share my love of this beautiful city. (I also shared it with my mom, who lived through it with me the first time.) And I got to give Mark a piece of his own history, something wonderful that he can carry in his heart, and share fondly whenever someone asks, "Where were you when the first African-American President was sworn in?" His answer will probably be that he was staring at the back of some guy's jacket trying not to get crushed, but hey, he was here, and even if he doesn't remember it forever, my mom and I will. And really, what could be a better vacation than that?