Weekend in Washington, DC

Another weekend trip planned for the summer: Washington, DC. One of my favorite cities in the U.S. and home to some of the most fascinating museums and monuments.

My friend Julie and her two kids are coming along for the fun. It's time to get these kids out of New England and show them some culture! And to add to the fun: it will be their first time on a plane. Woo!! I booked us a great hotel on Hotels.com -- near the Capitol building and only a few blocks from the Smithsonian museums.

Side note: Hotels.com is great! This is also where we found our killer rate for Rome. They have some amazing promotions that you won't find elsewhere -- like 30 percent off the third night, or free airport shuttles -- and that makes a huge difference when you're looking to save money on summer travel.

Here's what is on my list of things-to-do in Washington, DC:

• Air & Space Museum
• International Spy Museum
• Jefferson Memorial
• Lincoln Memorial
• Vietnam Memorial (I'm actually thinking of putting together a scavenger hunt for the kids that will take them to all these must-see memorials)
• Arlington National Cemetary
• Walk around Embassy Row
• Walk around Capitol Hill

I'm going to show these kids what D.C. is all about -- power, privilege and prestige -- and about the fundamentals of our country's history. I can't wait to walk them past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame at JFK's gravesite.

Oh, and I almost forgot... reservations at Tony & Joe's for some amazing seafood...