1st Day: Heading To Washington DC And Natural History Museum

3/21/19 Thursday at 0000H: Had to fly out from Los Angeles at around midnight via United Airlines and will have a 1-hour layover at Charlotte, NC the following day. It was a safe flight and was uneventful. The flight was long and I was very very tired of sitting for long hours. Was really really exhausted because I have not slept yet that day plus I came from work the previous day.

I arrived at Washington DC Dulles International Airport the following day at around 1000H and it was storming hard and extremely cold in the city. Winter was still obviously apparent and the rain was really pouring hard. I called for an UBER to pick me up because I don’t know yet if there is a Metro from the airport going to the city. The ride was over $30 and I have to succumb to it for the taxi even cost double.

The UBER driver drove me from the airport to my AirBnB apartment near the Noma District. I didn’t know that Dulles International Airport was very far from the city. It took me like almost an hour to be dropped off at the apartment from the airport. No wonder why the UBER charge was exorbitantly expensive. And I heard from my host that there is no Metro in going to the airport. He said I can get the Gray Line but I have to get off until the last station then take a ten minute bus ride going to Dulles International Airport. It’s kinda complicated for me considering it was my first day in the city. I need to study and memorize the directions. Good thing there was an UBER ride to the rescue.

Like I said it was raining hard in the city but I had plans to do and I have to stick to it, rain or shine. When I arrived at the apartment it was already 1300H so I just dropped off my luggage and then left to browse the city. Since it was raining outside I decided to take some activities indoors so I headed to the notable Smithsonian Natural History Museum. I called for an UBER to drop me off there.

When I arrived there the queue was not that long so I went in cautiously. There was no entrance fee either because it was free to the public. The building was a 3-storey building, so basically the ground, 1st and 2nd floor were open to exhibits. The 3rd floor was closed and cordoned and was only intended for the employees, maybe it is where the offices were located.

The ground floor was the entrance and where the information, the cafeteria, and locker rooms were located. And there is a stair going to the first floor where I was lead to a room for the exhibits of animals that lives in the water. The ceiling was adorned with a hanging replica of a blue whale and there where rooms that presents exhibits about the creatures that can be found in tge ocean.

I roamed around the left wing and enjoyed the exhibits about the sea creatures and also some exhibits about how to protect the ocean beds and some pictures of the famous ocean explorers.

I also went to the right wing which showcased the origin of mankind and I enjoyed browsing at the exhibits from the ancient times to modern times. As if I was back in the old times. There were also a lot of children who toured around for an educational tour and the whole room was really packed with tourists and children. Maybe because of the bad weather and all the tourists and students stayed indoors instead.

The edifice was a circular building and I have to circle the whole floor to see some of the featured exhibit rooms. In the center of the building was the reception area where a big mammoth elephant was standing on a stage looking like a real one. The animal was massive and gigantic and had gained a lot of fans as well. In all the animals in the building, I guess this is the most photographed one. Lol.

I continued ambling to the next exhibit room and there was an exhibit of real like replica of different mammals that can be found on earth. From primates to giraffes and lions, etc. And there were rooms of different animal bones from birds to sea cretures, etc. And there were also bones of dinosaurs, etc. There were a lot of assorted animal exhibits in that room and was also packed with visitors.

There were also rooms for earth's precious jewels, and rooms for butterflies and birds, as well as different rocks and strange minerals, and rocks from space like meteors, etc. There were different assortment of presentations and it was magically fascinating. There were exhibits also of ancient Egyptian royalties and mummies, etc. Myriad of presenttions which were interesting, awesome, surprising, educational, spell-binding, impossible, expensive, unexplainable, etc.

I culminated my visit at the museum after feasting my eyes for 2 solid hours because I was already very tired and I needed to go home and take a much needed rest because I have to go to Bad Saint Restaurant later for my dinner, because I booked a prior reservation there. I left the museum at 1530H. It was a very fulfilling day for me despite I was extremely tired from the flight and plus the finicky weather was not cooperating either and it was wet all over the city. Haist..... Albeit it was a very successful day for me.