2004 • Washington, DC
April 3, 2004 to April 9, 2004
When I tell students to go on their eighth grade Washington, DC trip, I am sincere in my enthusiasm. One of the most memorable experiences I had while in middle school was indeed my Washington, DC trip. Back in my day, however, there was no New York element of the trip or fancy lobster dinners, just being thrown in the stocks in Colonial Williamsburg and and acquitting a witch of the crime of, well, being a witch…you know, normal stuff. On my eighth grade trip, we ventured far south into Virginia to places like Williamsburg—not far from the first English settlement at Jamestown—and Monticello, the incredible home of Thomas Jefferson. We, of course, hit all the traditional sites in Washington as well: the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, White House, and other places of import. At this time, due to it being not long after the attacks on September 11, it was difficult to even get close to the White House so the best view was actually from the top of the Washington Monument! Perhaps the most memorable part of the trip, however, would actually be the flights from Los Angeles to Washington. We were incredibly delayed leaving LAX and missed our connecting flight in Denver. As such, United (or, at least I remember it as United), just gave us whatever tickets were available on the next flight to Washington. I randomly got a ticket in Executive Business Class—there was no one sitting next to me and I had my own television (at a time when that kind of thing didn’t exist on planes). The seat could also recline all the way back. Needless to say, one of the teachers asked if I wanted to go back and sit with my friends…I said no! He wasn’t going to get my fancy seat!
