On a Carousel

The Smithsonian Carousel

As children of the 21st Century, our grandkids are already quite tech savvy. At 3, Owen can play games like Spider Monkey and watch You Tube kids videos on both the iPad and the iPhone. Just the other day, Audrey, 4, showed Grandmom how to use Doodle Buddy to create art on the iPad.

But both Owen and Audrey enjoy older forms of entertainment, too. They love carousels. That's why they both chose to start their 2nd visit to the National Mall with a ride on the carousel located outside the old Smithsonian Castle.

The original carousel at the site was a classic 1922 merry-go-round with 33 animals and 2 stationary chariots. It began operating in 1967 and  cost 25 cents to ride. In 1981, a vintage 1941 model with 60 horses replaced the older carousel. Today, a ride costs $3.50.

Audrey shows surprise at her brother's choice

On the ride we split up so Audrey and Owen each could have their favorite animal.  Not surprisingly, Audrey chose a pink and purple horse. Despite my suggestion of a red, white, and blue patriotic steed, Owen chose a multi-colored pony that grabbed his fancy.

After a relatively long ride with plenty of oom-pah-pah music, we headed to the National Museum of Natural History. Owen wanted to see the giant elephant and the butterflies. He wasn't sure about the dinosaurs. And he definitely didn't want to see Titanaboa, the new replica of the giant prehistoric snake that is bigger than a school bus. Audrey was pretty much up for anything, except the giant snake.

After an hour in the Natural History Museum (for those of you wondering, after some initial reluctance, Owen was OK with the dinosaurs and we didn't see the giant snake), we finished our day with our 2nd trip this week to the National Museum of American History. Audrey had announced that she wanted to see Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz again. For her brother, it would be a 1st viewing, since he had slept thorough our entire earlier visit.

Arriving at the display case for the ruby slippers, we encountered a problem. The case was besieged by more than a dozen middle-school age girls, each intent on taking at least a dozen pictures of the famed shoes. But Audrey, intent on showing her brother the slippers he had missed on his 1st visit, came up with an alternate plan. "Owie, come on around the back. You can can see them there," she said.

To conclude our day, we once again split up. Grandmom and Audrey headed to the gowns worn by the wives of the presidents. Owen and I made our way to the trains and cars that make up the transportation exhibition. And while that plan may sound sexist, it worked. Both Audrey and Owen said they had a great day on the mall.

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

The kids told us they were too hungry to make it back to our Crystal  City Plaza apartment without a 2nd snack. Fortunately, Grandmom came prepared and so we had an impromptu snack picnic beside the dancing waters outside the National History Museum.