DC like a Tourist - Part 1

Living so close to DC, it is easy to become complacent about the history and culture that surrounds us -- history and culture that visitors in the hundreds of thousands come to see each year. Let it not be said that I am complacent about anything, so a couple years ago I convinced DH (didn't I say he is the gift that keeps on giving?) to spend 5 days downtown doing DC like tourists. We had so much fun!

We stayed downtown at the Dupont Circle Hotel (nice with gorgeous bathrooms - heated floors! - but tiny rooms). We went to National Museum of the American Indian (a fave), Crime and Punishment Museum (another fave), Natural History Museum, did a Monuments by Moonlight Tour, generally bummed around town, ate at the Old Post Office Building (not worth the hype), hung out at Union Station and saw a ton of monuments. We'll be heading downtown for a similar trip in late August, so I look forward to sharing some new finds with you in a future blog post.

Here are some pictures of our last DC like a tourist trip:

A gem at the Natural History Museum

 The Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum

Our room at the Dupont Hotel

at the Natural History Museum - this display fascinated me

A Washington DC sunset is a sight to behold

Scenes of Summer

As the last days of summer beckon I thought I'd share some shots that to me are quintessential summer.  If you haven't done too many of the things that mean summer to you, better get hopping!

Nighttime Entertainment at Divi Carina Bay

The Thursday night barbecue at Divi Carina Bay was so much fun!  From the Quadrille dancing to Scratch Band music to the steel pan performer to the mucko jumbie dancer, it was a night of relaxation and getting out of our comfort zone.  The music even enticed my DH to get up and dance!  What a night!

Gorgeous Turtle Beach and Buck Island

DH agreed to take a trip out to Turtle Beach under extreme sufferance. I kept reminding him that everyone on TripAdvisor said that a boat trip to Buck Island is a must-do but he wasn't swayed. Boat trips are always hit or miss with us because I suffer from major vertigo issues but having been reassured by other TA reviewers that as long as I went on Big Beard's 1/2 day catamaran I should be OK, I decided to take a chance.

We booked our trip for a Monday and crossed our fingers that it would not rain and it would not be windy and they would have enough people for the trip. The trip needed 6 people to go and it was us and 5 others. It was almost like a private boat trip. Since we're not snorkelers I wasn't too sure what we would do, but Captain John and Karl (his first mate) split the trip so that the snorkelers could do their thing and non-snorkelers like us still got 1.5 hours at Turtle Beach.

I loved Turtle Beach! Imagine the coolest sand, a nice breeze and blue water and that's Turtle Beach. We could certainly see why Turtle Beach has been rated so highly by travel magazines. It is so serene, and clean and unspoilt and has tons of butterflies and birds. It's a great place to picnic and just chill.
As an aside, based on comments made by the snorkelers and how they looked (exhausted) the common complaint was that because they had to keep moving around to see different things, and because the current was strong, it exhausted them. We were glad that we stuck inside the boat and didn't venture out on that part of the trip. Next time, I think Turtle Beach is a must-do once again. We'll probably skip the snorkeling time and try to arrange half a day only on Turtle Beach.

Approaching Turtle Island and Turtle Beach

Gorgeous views in St Croix

Botanical Gardens St Croix

I loved the St Croix Botanical Garden! For $8 per person it's a lovely bit of sightseeing. I'm big into interesting buildings, plants and fruits (that other people grow since I have purple thumbs), so I was in heaven. DH not so much. There is a self-guided tour that takes about an hour if you dwaddle, 1/2 hour if it's extremely hot and you hurry like on the day we visited. 

My favorite vegetable - the breadfruit!

This flower is the national flower of Trinidad

where it's known as the Balisier or heliconia