Days 14 and Quick Stats
The plan: Check out our full road trip plan here
Starting point: Hershey, Pennsylvania
Ending point: Jessup, Maryland
Miles driven: 276 miles
Hours traveled: 12:15 p.m. to 2:40 p.m.
Cool things along the way: Hershey’s Chocolate World, Baltimore, Camden Yards, M&T Bank Stadium, Washington Monument, World War II Memorial, Reflecting Pool, Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, District of Columbia War Memorial, White House, Reagan Building, Which Wich
If only every city were made of chocolate
When my wife and I were planning this trip we had a big choice to make when it came to the Keystone State. Either visit Philadelphia, or Hershey.
Philadelphia has the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and Franklin Square.
On the other hand, Hershey has Hershey Chocolate World.
For us it was a no-brainer.
We took a tour of the chocolate making process…
Created our own candy bars…
And then participated as chocolate taste testers…
The curse of the double doozie
We were all set to leave Hershey’s Chocolate World when we stumbled upon the strategically placed bakery, and I was struck by the curse of the double doozie. Which is, that anytime I see a double doozie, I must eat one.
And so…I did!
Bigger than life
Having heard so many differing opinions about Washington D.C., I didn’t quite know what to expect when we first drove into the city. We parked on 4th street at the National Mall, sandwiched between the Capital Building to our right and the Washington Monument to our left.
As we walked down the street we passed the National Gallery of Art and then the Smithsonian Museum of National History. It felt like I was walking down a Monopoly board. It felt bigger than life.
The cost of freedom
After the Washington Monument we walked over to the World War II Memorial, and for the first time in my life I began to understand the sacrifices so many people made for this nation, not just the soldiers, but the country as a whole.
The weight of history
We continued on past the Reflecting Pool until we reached the Lincoln Memorial.
Even crowded with people I could feel the weight of history as I read through the opening lines of the Gettysburg Address.
There was a small stone inscription near by that called George Washington the “18th Century Father” and Abraham Lincoln the “19th Century Preserver.” It really made me think about the lack of character in some of our recent presidents who seem more concerned with their own legacy than the legacy of our nation.
1400 Pennsylvania Avenue
We didn’t make it to the White House before dark, but that actually worked in our favor because the atmosphere around Pennsylvania Avenue at night was pretty neat.
Washington D.C. is officially my favorite “major” city, and I can’t wait to go back.
Other posts in the Traveling America series:
- Day 0: I’m Traveling Across America (And One Day You Should Too!)
- Day 1: Discovering Snake River and Eating Chick-fil-a
- Day 2: Someone Turned Down the Shoshone Falls
- Day 3: Face to Face With a Grizzly Bear
- Day 4: Rediscovering the True Wild and the Old West
- Day 5: Bad Weather and Beautiful Colors
- Day 6: Every City Needs Waterfalls
- Days 7 and 8: The Windy City is…Really Windy
- Day 10: The Most Beautiful Scenery and the Most Disgusting Hotel
- Days 11 and 12: New York Countryside and Massachusetts Coast
- Day 13: New Haven and Old Friends
- Day 14: The Land of the Free and Chocolatey
- Day 15: Science, God, and Disappointment
- Days 16, 17, and 18: The Blue Ridge Parkway (Still Amazing)
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