Most people would consider the mid-60s too cool for a dip in the pool, but Mason insisted upon starting our day off with a swim. I suppose the allure of a rooftop pool and hot tub were too hard to pass up. Once changed, we were off to start our day. We had an early appointment for a tour of the Capitol and we wanted to take advantage of our time.
First stop today was the National Air and Space Museum. It wasn’t much more than a walk through but it was nice to go inside.
We made to the Capitol Building for our 12 noon tour with only moments to spare. It turns out they are serious when they say to allow an hour to pass through security.
The dome inside was being renovated as was the exterior.
This is Lew Wallace, soldier, author and diplomat from the State of Indiana. (I just learned he is the author of Ben-Hur.)
We didn’t stick around too much longer after the tour but headed off to lunch at The Good Stuff Eatery. It was just a few blocks from away on Capitol Hill. We would highly recommend it.
Off to the Lincoln Memorial next. We opted to take Uber rather than hoof it or take the subway because we couldn’t find any bikes to rent. The Washington Monument was off in the distance.
So many people were out taking in the sights and enjoying the temperate weather.
It was difficult to get a good photo but President Lincoln held his pose for us.
The last official tourist spot of the day was the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This atmosphere was solemn as people walked the length of the wall looking for a particular name and making a rubbing once it was found.
Late afternoon we headed back to the condo to catch our breath before going off to Mass and meeting Bill for dinner. Here is where things went a little wonky. I had researched various churches nearby and discovered there was a church about half a mile away with mass at 5:30. There was another church only three blocks away but we would not be able to make it on time. Off we trekked to the church with the later mass time.
On our way, we passed by a group of people gathering on the side of the road. There was no bus stop in sight and no apparent reason why that stretch of the street was significant. I was puzzled but continued to lead the boys to the church. We finally arrived only to discover that there was no Saturday night mass after all. (Note to self—always double check the locations and times from the Mass Times app with the church’s actual site. Things change!) Alas, we turned around and headed back.
In the elapsed time, the number of people gathered on the side of the road had grown but now the boys and I could see why. A mobile soup pantry set up and was distributing meals. This was such a tender moment for me and an opportunity to discuss with the boys how the soup kitchen ministry they do in Evansville takes place in other forms all over. People everywhere need help and it is good to be part of the people that give that help.
For our own dinner, we found Absolute Noodle and Sushi Bar. We tried their fried calamari as an appetizer which met with rave reviews. The rest of the meal continued to impress. I’m a sucker for Thai food and my Spicy Lemongrass Soup was perfect. Bill had Bangkok BBQ Ribs Noodle and Walker had the Chap Chae. Perhaps the most excited was Mason who got to handpick the ingredients he preferred in his noodle bowl.
As luck would have it, from where we were seated we spied the close Catholic church where we would go to 9 AM mass in the morning. Hurray!
With another early start in store and big plans for Sunday, we retired for the night.
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