American History Tour (week 452)

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves but the past two weeks of our Summer trip to the East Coast were filled with baseball stadiums, American history, monuments to people who were assassinated, and stories of war. Although it may sound dark, the history of America is really exciting for both 5 and 8 year-old boys!

In New York City we got to visit Uncle Mark, Aunt Leah and Nina in Harlem, Yankeee Stadium, Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Long Island Rail Road, and the New York subway system.

In Washington D.C., we finally got to visit my Godparents Zak and Kate, Jack, Anna, and Ryan at their new house, National Stadium, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, Chinatown, Vietnam Memorial, Korea, Dr. King Memorial, and the White House (from the outside).  

On the way back to Long Island in our little rental car, we also got to stop in Gettysburg to see the museum, memorial movie, battlefield, and the huge Diorama of Pickets Charge, which is interactive and has lots of explosions, smoke, and yelling (all things that 5 and 8 year-old boys love).  We also got to stop off at the World of Ice Cream as we made our way back across the states listening to "Brains On" and driving through thunderstorms.

Once back in Long Island, we finished our trip by watching "the Men Who Build America" and discussing Vanderbilt, Carnegie, Rockefeller and Edison.  Daddy and I even visited Sagamore Hill to learn about Teddy Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt mansion near Huntington.  

We also hit the water again on the little yellow boat to do some fishing, and then went out east to visit our good friends Olivia and Katie at their beach house in Catchogue.  On the boat again, we got a tour of Shelter Island, Green Port and all the beautiful areas out near the Hamptons.

This was really the first time that we had time as a family to really visit American History and we were surprisingly very interested (particularly in the assassinations and war part).  It was a big revelation to our parents that our trips could now evolve into something more educational and enriching beyond just eating, sleeping, and swimming. Next year, we are already talking about heading north for Boston.  Most baseball stadiums and battle fields!