For months or even years now, I had been wanting to visit D.C. Now of course like most of my fellow black friends, I wanted to go when President Obama was in office. What held me from going then was my desire to visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture and it not opening until August 2016 and my desire to see the cherry blossoms. I was supposed to go back in April but changed my mind. My cousin told me that she was tired of me going on trips without her. So though my idea of vacation typically does not include my family... I decided to make at least one exception to the rule. If things went bad then I'd deem that as the last family trip that I orchestrate or attend. To my surprise... things went very well.
My eldest living maternal uncle's middle child... whew... lives in Severn, MD with her fiance. They welcomed our group of 11 (7 from New Orleans and 4 from N.C.) into their lovely home and were able to accommodate all of us with room to accommodate more. I was lucky to achieve tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture to accommodate our entire group as well as last minute tours of the White House, U.S. Capitol and the home of Frederick Douglass.
We landed in Baltimore, MD on Thursday night at about 9:30p. Picked up our lovely van and headed for food. After one of my cousins got us lost, we contacted my cousin who lives there and she met us at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Day 1- Friday Sept 1
Breakfast- Starbucks and the Food Trucks outside of the White House. I had a beef bratswurst that was pretty good.
As we approached the NMAAHC, we could get pics of the Washington Monument.
12:15p-4pm National Museum of African American History and Culture
This museum in particular definitely lives up to all of the hype that I had heard. We started out in the basement at the 1400th century. The basement along took us 2 hours, and that was us beginning to rush a bit at the end to ensure that we made it out to see the other parts of the museum. The basement alone covers from about 1400 to some of present day. I must admit that the reality of exactly how many of my people were enslaved and forced here is truly devastating. Sure, we all have learned about slavery in some capacity. I went to a liberal arts HBCU that ensured that we took an African American studies course, but there is no way I could have ever learned most of the things that I saw in this portion of the museum. A common reaction to being mentally taken back to this dark place is to be upset with Caucasian America... but for me, my natural reaction is to always get upset at the current and upcoming generations for basically not giving a damn about what our ancestors had to endure in an effort for us to have whatever fraction of freedom that we have now. As I branched into the 1900s I truly had a profound sense pride in the accomplishments of my race.
It was interesting to see the church that I had lived right next to and walked to in Chicago, called Quinn Chapel A&M Church featured in the museum.
Angola State Penitentiary had an exhibit. I was pretty shocked that it had a complete section for it and a watch tower. Little did I know that our state penitentiary had been built on a plantation, hence why it is one of the most critical jails in the world.
I later ventured upstairs in the museum where there were floors dedicated to sports and music. My favorite of course was the one dedicated to music, movies and entertainment.
I left the NMAAHC feeling like I need to pay this place another visit... sooner, rather than later.
4:30 pm- Dinner at Georgia Brown's
Though this place gets rants and raves online... THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE. It was awful. My food was likely the best of what the entire group of 11 people ordered but it was mediocre at best. I wouldn't waste my time here if I were you.
6pm-7pm The National Mall
I finally got to see the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. It's just as incredible and empowering to see in person as it is on pictures.
As for the Lincoln Memorial... pretty cool to see but I'm not the biggest Lincoln fan so it was more exciting to see the view of the U.S. Monument that everyone sees in pictures from MLK's "I Had A Dream" speech. It quite breathtaking and nothing short of amazing.
Day 2- Saturday Sept 2
Breakfast @ my cousins
1pm Tour of the White House- So we all have probably seen picture, videos or some type of imaging of the inside of the White House before. I'm more drawn to the holiday specials on HGTV which reveal how they decorate the White House for Christmas. While none of us truly wanted to visit the White House while #45 is in office, we figured it was Bucket List worthy and we needed to visit. While your ticket says one time. You're allowed to be up to 20 minutes late. Of course you can bring nothing with you accept a cell phone seemingly. We went... I wasn't impressed... it poured down raining when we exited but I got pics in front of the White House so I left a happy woman.
About 3pm- Lunch at Oohhs and Aahhs
We were supposed to go to Ben's Chilli Bowl but with the rain... this place was perfect. This little gem was the highlight of our trip. We were able to obtain seating right away for our group on 13. Normally I don't like Soul Food restaurants because I've always felt that most just simply can't cook it like my mom, sister, grandma or me. Why order what I can cook better? Well... this place proved me wrong. They could cook some things similar to my family and others just differently but in a good way. All 13 of us were happy with what we ordered. Very happy with the service from Jay the manager. So happy with the greens, cornbread, mac and cheese, smothered turkey wings, yams, banana pudding, beef rib tips, peach cobbler, etc that we planned to come back on Monday cancelling our lunch plans at Old Ebbit Grill.
For the rest of the day we spent time at Arundel Mills Mall near my cousin's house.
Day 3- Sunday Sept 3
10:45am Tour of the home of Frederick Douglass.
Never had I ever imagined that the last home of Frederick Douglass or Cousin Freddie as I began to refer to him, was still standing and lavish. I just don't think my schooling included much info on him. Sure I had heard he was wealthy but I didn't know at what standard his wealth was. I was unaware that he owned 15 acres of land and a home with like 10 bedrooms. I was also pretty amazed that this home has been pretty well preserved. It's 70% original. I also learned a little known fact about Frederick Douglass. I had no idea that his second wife was a white woman. For the 1800s, that's pretty darn revolutionary. I assume that it's just not highlighted because, as I felt, it contradicts what he seemingly stood for and fought for. Needless to say, this wife is responsible for helping to preserve his legacy and his home.
12p Anacotia Cultural Museum
We visited this place just because it was on a list that I came across as a must visit. It highlights the Anacotia neighborhood where Frederick Douglass home is. The neighborhood was Latin American at one point. The museum highlights their civil rights struggle and some areas where African Americans came together with them
1pm Lunch at Capitol Hill Crabcakes
This place had a ton of reviews on Yelp so I decided to pay it a visit. My take... it was mediocre at best. Plentiful crab in the crab cakes but I'm sure that Bobby Hebert in New Orleans does a better crab cake. It was all about the experience though.
For the rest of the day we went to my cousin's as they cooked for us and we hung out. My sister wanted to go back to the mall so a group of us did that too.
Day 4- Monday Sept 4
11am Tour of the U.S. Capitol. So for weeks as I had submitted my request to tour the Capitol and the White House, I had been in direct contact with Congressman Steve Scalise's office since they called me after my request was submitted. Little did I know, they set my group up to have a tour that was more personalized than most people get. Quite honestly we weren't supposed to go through the visitor's center at all but since it was a federal holiday, we now had to. We had a tour guide who had been expecting our group of 13 named Kathleen. This tour was quite intriguing. It was nice to know the history of this building. Things that I never knew. We were bought down into the crypt where George Washington was supposed to be buried. I know know that a person must be deceased to have a statue in the building. I was honored to see the MLK and Rosa Parks are the only African Americans to be honored in the Capitol building.
1pm Lunch at Oohhs and Aahhs
Another excellent meal. I had the blackened fish, yams and mac and cheese this time. Service was awful and I had an altercation with the "manager" named Chase. Too much to type but if you go onto Yelp, my review is plain as day.
3pm Lincoln Memorial Gift Shop
We went to buy shot glasses and such. And by 5 pm we were on our way to the airport to head back home.
To sum it up... this trip went smoothly and was phenomenal. There's not very much if anything that I would change about it. It's pretty cool that my big cousins now want me to plan every trip from here on out, but I plan to decline. While I love organization, it can be extremely stressful.
My eldest living maternal uncle's middle child... whew... lives in Severn, MD with her fiance. They welcomed our group of 11 (7 from New Orleans and 4 from N.C.) into their lovely home and were able to accommodate all of us with room to accommodate more. I was lucky to achieve tickets to the National Museum of African American History and Culture to accommodate our entire group as well as last minute tours of the White House, U.S. Capitol and the home of Frederick Douglass.
We landed in Baltimore, MD on Thursday night at about 9:30p. Picked up our lovely van and headed for food. After one of my cousins got us lost, we contacted my cousin who lives there and she met us at Buffalo Wild Wings.
Day 1- Friday Sept 1
Breakfast- Starbucks and the Food Trucks outside of the White House. I had a beef bratswurst that was pretty good.
 |
| Food Trucks |
As we approached the NMAAHC, we could get pics of the Washington Monument.
12:15p-4pm National Museum of African American History and Culture
This museum in particular definitely lives up to all of the hype that I had heard. We started out in the basement at the 1400th century. The basement along took us 2 hours, and that was us beginning to rush a bit at the end to ensure that we made it out to see the other parts of the museum. The basement alone covers from about 1400 to some of present day. I must admit that the reality of exactly how many of my people were enslaved and forced here is truly devastating. Sure, we all have learned about slavery in some capacity. I went to a liberal arts HBCU that ensured that we took an African American studies course, but there is no way I could have ever learned most of the things that I saw in this portion of the museum. A common reaction to being mentally taken back to this dark place is to be upset with Caucasian America... but for me, my natural reaction is to always get upset at the current and upcoming generations for basically not giving a damn about what our ancestors had to endure in an effort for us to have whatever fraction of freedom that we have now. As I branched into the 1900s I truly had a profound sense pride in the accomplishments of my race.
 |
| Washington Monument |
 |
| NMAAHC |
It was interesting to see the church that I had lived right next to and walked to in Chicago, called Quinn Chapel A&M Church featured in the museum.
Angola State Penitentiary had an exhibit. I was pretty shocked that it had a complete section for it and a watch tower. Little did I know that our state penitentiary had been built on a plantation, hence why it is one of the most critical jails in the world.
I later ventured upstairs in the museum where there were floors dedicated to sports and music. My favorite of course was the one dedicated to music, movies and entertainment.
 |
| One of my favorite female groups, En Vogue. |
 |
| The sculture that inspired the shape of the museum. |
I left the NMAAHC feeling like I need to pay this place another visit... sooner, rather than later.
4:30 pm- Dinner at Georgia Brown's
Though this place gets rants and raves online... THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE. It was awful. My food was likely the best of what the entire group of 11 people ordered but it was mediocre at best. I wouldn't waste my time here if I were you.
6pm-7pm The National Mall
I finally got to see the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. It's just as incredible and empowering to see in person as it is on pictures.
As for the Lincoln Memorial... pretty cool to see but I'm not the biggest Lincoln fan so it was more exciting to see the view of the U.S. Monument that everyone sees in pictures from MLK's "I Had A Dream" speech. It quite breathtaking and nothing short of amazing.
Day 2- Saturday Sept 2
Breakfast @ my cousins
1pm Tour of the White House- So we all have probably seen picture, videos or some type of imaging of the inside of the White House before. I'm more drawn to the holiday specials on HGTV which reveal how they decorate the White House for Christmas. While none of us truly wanted to visit the White House while #45 is in office, we figured it was Bucket List worthy and we needed to visit. While your ticket says one time. You're allowed to be up to 20 minutes late. Of course you can bring nothing with you accept a cell phone seemingly. We went... I wasn't impressed... it poured down raining when we exited but I got pics in front of the White House so I left a happy woman.
About 3pm- Lunch at Oohhs and Aahhs
We were supposed to go to Ben's Chilli Bowl but with the rain... this place was perfect. This little gem was the highlight of our trip. We were able to obtain seating right away for our group on 13. Normally I don't like Soul Food restaurants because I've always felt that most just simply can't cook it like my mom, sister, grandma or me. Why order what I can cook better? Well... this place proved me wrong. They could cook some things similar to my family and others just differently but in a good way. All 13 of us were happy with what we ordered. Very happy with the service from Jay the manager. So happy with the greens, cornbread, mac and cheese, smothered turkey wings, yams, banana pudding, beef rib tips, peach cobbler, etc that we planned to come back on Monday cancelling our lunch plans at Old Ebbit Grill.
For the rest of the day we spent time at Arundel Mills Mall near my cousin's house.
Day 3- Sunday Sept 3
10:45am Tour of the home of Frederick Douglass.
Never had I ever imagined that the last home of Frederick Douglass or Cousin Freddie as I began to refer to him, was still standing and lavish. I just don't think my schooling included much info on him. Sure I had heard he was wealthy but I didn't know at what standard his wealth was. I was unaware that he owned 15 acres of land and a home with like 10 bedrooms. I was also pretty amazed that this home has been pretty well preserved. It's 70% original. I also learned a little known fact about Frederick Douglass. I had no idea that his second wife was a white woman. For the 1800s, that's pretty darn revolutionary. I assume that it's just not highlighted because, as I felt, it contradicts what he seemingly stood for and fought for. Needless to say, this wife is responsible for helping to preserve his legacy and his home.
12p Anacotia Cultural Museum
We visited this place just because it was on a list that I came across as a must visit. It highlights the Anacotia neighborhood where Frederick Douglass home is. The neighborhood was Latin American at one point. The museum highlights their civil rights struggle and some areas where African Americans came together with them
1pm Lunch at Capitol Hill Crabcakes
This place had a ton of reviews on Yelp so I decided to pay it a visit. My take... it was mediocre at best. Plentiful crab in the crab cakes but I'm sure that Bobby Hebert in New Orleans does a better crab cake. It was all about the experience though.
For the rest of the day we went to my cousin's as they cooked for us and we hung out. My sister wanted to go back to the mall so a group of us did that too.
Day 4- Monday Sept 4
11am Tour of the U.S. Capitol. So for weeks as I had submitted my request to tour the Capitol and the White House, I had been in direct contact with Congressman Steve Scalise's office since they called me after my request was submitted. Little did I know, they set my group up to have a tour that was more personalized than most people get. Quite honestly we weren't supposed to go through the visitor's center at all but since it was a federal holiday, we now had to. We had a tour guide who had been expecting our group of 13 named Kathleen. This tour was quite intriguing. It was nice to know the history of this building. Things that I never knew. We were bought down into the crypt where George Washington was supposed to be buried. I know know that a person must be deceased to have a statue in the building. I was honored to see the MLK and Rosa Parks are the only African Americans to be honored in the Capitol building.
1pm Lunch at Oohhs and Aahhs
Another excellent meal. I had the blackened fish, yams and mac and cheese this time. Service was awful and I had an altercation with the "manager" named Chase. Too much to type but if you go onto Yelp, my review is plain as day.
3pm Lincoln Memorial Gift Shop
We went to buy shot glasses and such. And by 5 pm we were on our way to the airport to head back home.
To sum it up... this trip went smoothly and was phenomenal. There's not very much if anything that I would change about it. It's pretty cool that my big cousins now want me to plan every trip from here on out, but I plan to decline. While I love organization, it can be extremely stressful.
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