I admire you for actually travelling 17 hours to visit DC…...compared to you I live close! It’s about a 2 hour drive by car. I’ve been to DC dozens of times over my lifetime and it is one of, if not THE very favorite place I travel. There is really just so much to see, and the fact that you are in the nation’s capital is enough of a patriotic feeling to make it all worthwhile!!
I hope that you can visit again one day!!
Oh and my husband and I were in line to go thru the White House the day President Reagen returned from the hospital after his assasination attempt! What a thrill to be part of history and see all the helicopters, press trucks, police on motorcylce escort, etc…......people screamed and waved to him but truly I was so overcome with emotion I cant say I truly saw him, just the car :-)