My life goal is to work for the FBI, and I have always their headquarters in Washington, D.C. On Mother’s Day this past May, I was on the phone with my cousin and she asked me what adventures I wanted to embark on in the summer. I told her how I had been toying with the idea of traveling to D.C. for a few days, but I hadn’t made any solid plans to do so. She immediately got so excited about this idea and insisted that I go–and she reminded me how her best friend from high school actually works in D.C. for the FBI. She asked me if a tour of the headquarters would be something I would be interested in, and I obviously said yes! My boyfriend Neeve and I immediately started planning our trip there and decided we would wait until Mid-August; it was quite a few months to wait, but that way we had a while to plan out our perfect adventure. Before we knew it, we had booked our Airbnb, created an itinerary, and were on our way!
Day 1: Settling In
From where Neeve lives to my house is about an hour and a half, and from my house to Washington, D.C., it is about two and a half hours. Once we arrived around 4pm, we got settled into our new home for the next three days (and got to meet the sweetest dog ever, Neko). We quickly decided we wanted to try to see some things before nighttime, so we boarded the Metro bus and made our way towards the White House. This was my first time ever visiting D.C., and Neeve had only been once before, so we were your average tourists. Once we saw the White House, we made our way closer to the Washington Monument, and this was the start of me falling in love with D.C.’s architecture. We walked along the reflection pool, taking me back to Forrest Gump, and got to the Lincoln Memorial. This was hands down my favorite attraction in D.C. Of course, I had seen tons of pictures and videos in my life of the Lincoln Memorial, but I had never absorbed until then how large he actually was; he absolutely took my breath away. I could have stood there for hours looking at him, but it was almost dark, so we needed to make our next move. Neeve thought it would be a fun idea to bike to the other end of the National Mall, so for a small fee we biked over to the Capitol. It was breathtaking at night, with all of the lights illuminating it and the pond reflecting its beautiful image. We just sat there and really tried to take everything in. It was the perfect way to end our first day in D.C., and it made me so excited for the few days to come.
One side of the White House
View of the Lincoln Memorial from opposite end of reflection pool
If you didn’t understand my Forrest Gump reference, which I don’t know how you didn’t.
Me and my babe, Abe.
Day 2: FBI Tour
We woke up bright and early to head down to the headquarters, where I met up with my cousin’s friend, Jen. Jen helped us get signed in and took us to the gift shop before our tour began. The tour was self-guided, so we got to stay as long as we wanted. They had displays about the different divisions of the FBI, the training each agent must go through, the different cases they had been involved in, and displays of various weapons and gear. It was immensely intriguing, and I had such a good time being able to see exactly what I could be going through if I end up working for them someday. Afterwards, Neeve, Jen, and I went out to lunch at a pizza place. Neeve and I went to the Smithsonian for a bit, then explored the Botanical Garden. It was filled with cacti and succulents and trees and was so beautiful, I highly recommend. We also got amazing smoothies at the West Wing Café, another spot that anyone visiting the city should take a stop at. That night we decided to eat out at a really nice restaurant called Founding Farmers. It took us three tries to get a reservation there, but once we finally did, it was fantastic. We took a stroll around the city, knowing it was our last night there, taking everything in one last time at night.
A beautiful view of the Botanical Garden.
My boyfriend Neeve and I were sweaty, but having fun.
Day 3: Last Day
We decided to spend a decent part of the day there, and head out around mid-afternoon. We visited the portrait gallery, and the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I actually was able to talk to a survivor of the Holocaust; it was truly a humbling experience going there. We drove home, sad to leave but exhausted from our adventures. It was not only my first trip to D.C., but it was our first couples’ trip together, and it could not have gone any better. I owe it to my cousin and Jen for setting up that once in a lifetime opportunity, and for Neeve being cool enough to not get sick of spending three straight days with me. D.C. is an amazing place to visit, filled with wonderful food and adventures!