Travel Tip: Look up a map before you head out

Feedsack dress on display

I got up early today and made it in to the city early! I spent time wandering around the gardens at the Smithsonian and the Smithsonian Institute. Overpriced coffee in hand, I walked down to the American History Museum. I've wanted to go for years, so I had high expectations.

ERA charm bracelet

"When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler!"

AHM absolutely met those expectations. It was great. The exhibits were interesting and many of them were interactive. Each part was presented more as a story to be shared than a didactic lecture. My favorite parts were the pop culture artifacts, like Elphaba's original costume, the first Kermit puppet, and the First Lady's dresses.

Me, Colby, Alex, and Kristina

After hitting up the Smithsonian area, Kristina and I met some friends who are interning in D.C. for lunch at Union Station. They have a large food court, but we didn't really look around. Instead, we were hooked right off the escalator by a man giving free samples of sandwiches. They were really good! And free gelato came with every sandwich purchase. The portions were generous and the prices were fairly low.

We spent about 2 hours in Union Station, then Kristina decided to go back to the hostel. I wasn't really ready to go back to Takoma yet, so I looked around for something to do. Then I saw the Postal Museum. I almost didn't go--I was just going to hop on the Metro and find something else to do-but I decided to check it out.

Some parts were kind of dull. I'm not really a stamp enthusiast, so I just looked at the stamp gallery briefly before deciding to move on. Then I stumbled onto the cool half of the museum! Half of the museum has clearly been designed with younger visitors (think kids) in mind. There are interactive games and puzzles for kids of all age groups. Not only did I think these activities were cool, but the children seemed to be taking advantage of them as well! The best part? I bought Edgar Rice Burroughs stamps!

 We rejoined to close the night with the use of a Groupon at Addis Ababa, an Ethiopian restaurant. We used Google Maps, mobile, to locate the restaurant. Even though we should have been about half a mile away from the metro station, I still managed to get turned around. Definitely should have planned the route before we left the hotel!

Once we got to Addis Ababa, the food was delicious! The sauces were served on fresh injera, which was a whole new type of grain experience for me! The food was perfectly spiced, particularly the lentil sambusa. The downsides? It was pricey. Even with a Groupon, it was pricey. The service was really good sometimes but abominably slow at others. Again, we were served huge portions. We brought the leftovers back to the hostel for future munching!

The hostel is still classified under "interesting experience." We've met more people, which has been really cool. Never at a loss for something to do here, even when you're just trying to have a quiet night in your room. It's nice that it's so open here, though. It gives it a more homelike feel!