Day 2: Jan. 19: Dancing the night away

By Shannon Jacobson


We had an early breakfast in the hotel. We sat with members of the Florida group from Palm Bay. We also shared a hotel floor and the bus that drove us into the city every day with them. Once we ended our breakfast, we headed into DC. Our first stop was the Korean War memorial, and then the Vietnam War memorial.
We walked past the Lincoln Memorial, which was still blocked off because of the concert the day before. Then, we went on to visit the Smithsonian museums. One group was with Mrs. Lannin and the other was with Mrs. Minton, Jessica Minton's mother. Mrs. Lannin's group headed to the Museum of Natural History while our group went to the Museum of Art.
At the art museum, we were amazed by the architecture. As soon as we walked in, all around us were large marble pillars. In the center was an enormous fountain with flowers all around. Above us was a glass ceiling that lighted the room perfectly. We were able to see the only Da Vinci painting in the nation. We also saw Monet and Van Gogh paintings.
After we left the museum we walked many blocks to the bus. Then, we boarded and headed to Mount Vernon, the home of our nation's first president, George Washington. We had two hours to do with what we wanted, so we headed up the hill for a tour of his mansion.
There was a long line, about an hour's wait we were told. So to keep us entertained, Stephanie Lombardo had the great idea to get everyone doing the wave. We were at the very end of the line and so Eliot and the rest of our group called ahead to the others and asked them to join in. After approximately 20 tries, we had the whole line doing the wave. I would estimate that there were at least 200 people in line, from states around the country, joined together doing the wave! Our group was in line for an hour and forty five minutes. During that time we did the wave, took pictures, cracked jokes, and listened to Jess and her bottlenose porpous imitation.
After touring the house, which was interesting for its brightly colored, tiny rooms, we headed to the hotel where we got ready for the ball.
We arrived at the "Camelot" reception hall, girls dressed up in cute dresses and the boys in suits. Since the weather was so cold, the boys graciously gave up their coats for us on the bus because we'd been told we couldn't bring our coats because we wouldn't be able to check them. We danced with students from all around the United States, including our famous Flannel Gary. That night was long and tiring, but full of fun and excitement. It was a night that all of us will never forget.