I recently saw a cartoon captioned, "Grandma is someone who visits twice a year and brings presents." That bothered me a great deal. Was I that grandmother?

With three of my grandchildren living in Texas and three in Pennsylvania, I suppose I could be that person and it made me think of ways to change the situation. I became determined to spend quality time with them and decided to take the three older children – ages 6, 8, and 10 – on a special trip. No parents, just the grandkids and me.

After pouring over the travel section of the newspaper and consulting with my travel agent, I decided that Washington, D.C., would be the ideal place. Since the children were all of school age and were learning about their country it would be appropriate for them to see the Capitol Building, White House and Washington monuments.

Family and friends viewed my decision with comments such as, "Are you crazy?" "You will be exhausted." "You are amazing." "Lots of luck!" I knew better. The children were well behaved, and it would be an experience they would remember all of their lives. The truth is, I really wanted them to know their grandmother and see a side of me they'd never known before. After all, I did raise their fathers and they turned out (I think) just fine.

We left Philadelphia, Pa., early in the morning. I had plenty of goodies for the two-hour ride on the train and the kids had travel games and each other. The two from Texas would be spending time with their Philadelphia cousin, an added plus. A half-hour out of Philly, one of them had a stomachache and the other two had to use the bathroom. The bathrooms on the trains are not the most accommodating and also had a horrible smell. Three kids jumping up and down yelling, "They stink!" was not the highlight of my trip.

Planning
As luck would have it, the travel section of the local newspaper featured an article about Washington, D.C., advising me to write to the D.C. Chamber of Commerce for information. I was soon deluged with pamphlets about hotels, maps and sightseeing information. They also told me to contact my congressman for tickets to the White House and Capitol tours well in advance of our trip. We would be traveling during July and I called my congressman in April to be assured of tickets. My congressman's office also advised me of the best hotels for children.

There is a hotel for almost every street in Washington but I wanted one within reasonable walking distance to the main attractions and a Metro station. I also wanted a suite – or two connecting bedrooms – at a reasonable price, and since I expected the weather to be hot, I wanted a pool to cool off in after a long day of touring.

My list of packing essentials included Band-Aids, sunblock and children's pain reliever and anti-itch cream. I also packed bathing suits and hats, necessary clothing, travel games and a book for each child and myself. There was a lot of walking, so in addition to sandals, I'd recommend packing sneakers. And, don't forget the camera!

Points of Interest
Our points of interest were the National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building. Tickets to the White House and FBI building are required from mid-March to mid-September. A daily allotment is available on a first-come basis, starting at 6 a.m., but you can order them in advance from your senator or congressman.

The hotel where we stayed served a large buffet breakfast and I knew that we wouldn't be too hungry for lunch. Since most of the buildings have lunchrooms, I packed bread and a jar of peanut butter and planned to make sandwiches at the hotel. We would bring drinks and eat lunch in the lunchrooms. For dinner, we were assured we'd find many restaurants that catered to children.

Most federal buildings are located within walking distance of one another but it can prove to be a long walk. Fortunately, there is a bus that travels along a designated route allowing passengers to board and re-board. Tickets may be purchased at the bus stop: $8.50 for adults and $4 for children for a whole day of touring. A tour guide on the bus explains each building in detail.

Day One
We traveled in the morning and after we checked into the hotel, we were off and running. Our first stop was the National Museum of American History, where we spent the entire afternoon. Among the many items of interest are Alexander Graham Bell's original experimental telephones, Samuel Morse's telegraph, a two-story doll house and the highlight: Dorothy's ruby slippers.

The hands-on history room allows children to touch objects from four centuries of American history, send a message in Morse code, operate a cotton gin or try on a hoop skirt. The Information Age exhibit has more than 40 hands-on computers and interactive stations. We then headed back to the hotel for a swim, complimentary drinks in the atrium dining room and dinner.

Day Two
The next day we planned to visit the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial and the Jefferson Memorial.

I had my plan. I had my maps. I felt like a general in charge of a small army as I escorted my band of soldiers to the overwhelming complimentary buffet breakfast dining room. As I watched them eat, I thought they would never want lunch. Wrong! The peanut butter sandwiches were great, followed by drinks, ice cream and chips.

The Smithsonian Air and Space Museum is for kids of any age. You can take a walk through a DC-7 cockpit, touch a 4-billion-year-old moon rock or see the Spirit of St. Louis – the plane in which Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. Kids can also try operating a computer on a Martian landscape and sample the freeze-dried ice cream that the astronauts eat in space.

As if the exhibit of dinosaurs, fossils and minerals were not enough, the National Museum of Natural History had a special exhibit of spiders. We watched tarantulas devour a live meal. The museum's discovery room was filled with boxes holding mathematical wooden puzzles for kids to solve by themselves and chemists doing experiments. It held everyone's attention for more than an hour.

The White House tour was led by Secret Service personnel. The guides provided us with information, but the kids were more interested in seeing the president. Unfortunately, it didn't happen. We rushed through the Capitol building since Congress was not in session. Note that if you are planning to visit Congress you will need a pass.

Day Three
A guided tour at the Federal Bureau of Investigation showed the bureau's fight against "the bad guys": drugs, terrorism and espionage. Window displays allow views into the analysis labs' activities. We saw fingerprinting, DNA analysis, handwriting and paint and fiber clues used for solving crimes. The high point of the tour comes at the end, when an FBI agent fires two semi-automatic weapons in the shooting range. The kids loved it! I suppose it's the TV culture.

After spending two and a half wonderful days in Washington, D.C., we went to the hotel for check out and on to Union Station where we bought last-minute souvenirs, small gifts for our family members who weren't lucky enough to accompany us and had a late lunch in the massive food court.

Next stop: Grandma's house in Philadelphia. Nobody was interested in watching TV or going to sleep. As we munched sandwiches we talked about our Washington adventure and the possibilities of our next trip – somewhere.

Photos courtesy of the Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corporation.

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