National Aquarium in DC

Being home for the holidays has really been a great time. Every night I figure out where we should go the following morning.  One morning last week we went to the National Aquarium in DC.  Much smaller and lower-key than its sister in Baltimore, it's much easier to get to for us.  No planning required.  The boys had a great time spotting up alligators, exotic fish, a giant lobster, turtles, seahorses and frogs.  After we saw our fill of marine life, we took a walk in the relatively mild December weather and went for lunch.

I'm a bit under the weather but the rest of the family is perky and healthy so it's been nice to have this time at home.  I've always loved the days between Christmas and the New Year.  Half of the city has emptied out and I feel like a tourist in my own town doing touristy things in the middle of the day with my little ones.  I like that the city feels different.  It's a nod to the holidays.

The experience is vastly different than London when C and I went one year for the holidays.  The day after Christmas we hit the high street and it was standing room only on the street.  We were moved along by the crowd and had to hold onto each other tightly so we didn't get separated.  It seemed all of London proper and the surrounding suburbs had come downtown to shop.  Again, the city was different than it normally was due to the holidays.  Special.