Trip Journal 2023
Day 1: Philadelphia (April 1, 2023)
We landed in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, on a bright sunny afternoon. Our first stop was the Philadelphia museum of art, to run up the Rocky steps and enjoy the beautiful views of the skyline that it affords. From there, we did a quick driving tour through the city, and then had an authentic Philly cheesesteak dinner. We dodged the raindrops to have dessert along Market Street, and then it was time to check into our hotel. It was a fun first day in Philly!
Top of the Rocky Steps
Philly cheesesteak for dinner!
Day 2: Philadelphia and Washington DC (April 2, 2023)
We started our day in Philadelphia with a visit to the Liberty Bell, and then a tour inside Independence Hall, were the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written and adopted. After that, we had a fun walk through old city Philadelphia, and then a terrific lunch at Reading Terminal Market. Next up was a visit to the National Constitution Center.
Then it was time to hit the road for Washington DC. After dinner, we spent some time exploring DC‘s beautiful monuments, including the World War II memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, and the Lincoln Memorial. Our first full day on the East Coast was a great one!
Independence Hall
Liberty Bell
Elfreths Alley
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Day 3: Washington DC (April 3, 2023)
We began our first day in Washington DC with a visit to the White House. After that, we walked over to Ford’s Theatre, where we toured the spot where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated in 1865. Next up, we went up to Capitol Hill, where we enjoyed lunch, and then took a tour of the US Capitol building and stopped by the Supreme Court. After dinner, it was time to see a very fun show, called Shear Madness, followed by seeing the lights of Washington DC from the roof of the Kennedy Center. It was a fun day!
White House
Supreme Court
U.S. Capitol
Day 4: Washington DC (April 4, 2023)
We began our day with a visit to the Jefferson Memorial, where we also saw the beautiful cherry blossoms around the Tidal Basin. After that, we visited the National Archives, where we saw the official copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After that, we spent some time at the wonderful Smithsonian museums. We then enjoyed a beautiful boat cruise along the Potomac river, before heading to Nationals Park for a baseball game. It was another extremely fun day!
Jefferson Memorial
Cherry blossoms
Riverboat cruise
Tidal Basin
Nationals Park
Day 5: Washington DC (April 5, 2023)
We started our day with a stirring visit to Arlington National Cemetery, our nation’s most hallowed ground. There we saw the amazing ceremony of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, as well as visiting President Kennedy‘s gravesite, and that of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. After that, we enjoyed lunch and then we went down to Mount Vernon to check out George Washington’s former estate. We saw the baby sheep, Washington’s tomb, the Slave Memorial, and the working farm, before taking a tour of Washington’s former mansion. We had a nice Chinese food dinner, and then we headed to old town Alexandria for a spooky ghost tour. It was another fun day in our nation’s capital.
President John F. Kennedy gravesite, Arlington National Cemetery
Mount Vernon
Baby sheep at Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
Day 6: Washington DC (April 6, 2023)
We began our day with a visit to the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, and then spent some time at the Albert Einstein Memorial. From there, we went up to Capitol Hill to check out the amazing Library of Congress, the most beautiful building in Washington DC. We then had lunch at historic Union Station, and then we enjoyed a fascinating tour about African American Civil War soldiers. After that, we paid a visit to Abraham Lincoln’s Cottage, where he wrote the Emancipation Proclamation and started working on the Gettysburg Address. We then headed to Georgetown for our final dinner together, followed by bowling! It was a great final day in Washington DC.
African American civil war soldier tour
Albert Einstein Memorial
Bowling!
Lincoln’s Cottage
Day 7: Washington DC (April 7, 2023)
We only had one stop today - the magnificent National Zoo. We were there right when the zoo opened so we got to spend some quality time with the animals, especially the zoo’s most famous residents - the Giant Pandas! It was a wonderful way to finish our East Coast trip!
Zoo fun!
Dulles Airport
Happy in back, sad in front
Glow sticks!
Comments by Students
"Something I enjoyed while on the East Coast was the memorials. The memorials were great. Also, the food was good on the East Coast. The overall experience was great." -- Dominic B.
"I loved the baby goats at Mount Vernon but my favorite part was "Shear Madness." -- Harper C.
"A highlight of the trip was when we went to the Kennedy Center to watch Shear Madness. I really enjoyed this show, and the view we saw on the balcony of the Kennedy Center was gorgeous." -- Jillian H.
"The DC and Philadelphia trip allowed me to create strong bonds with the other students on the trip. I had a lot of fun exploring the east coast with my friends." -- Iliana M.
"Something I enjoyed about the east coast was being able to better understand how our nation’s military and government work. I really enjoyed seeing the White House, and the play 'Shear Madness.' " -- Katie R.