Forever Young: Discovering DC with My Grandnephew Devin

 Devin with his new friends at the Crime Museum

Two of the best things about having your 15-year-old grandnephew as a running buddy is:
a) if you let him pick the itinerary, you get to do a lot of things you wouldn't ordinarily do since it has been many decades since you were 15 and
b) you get to do some things that nobody else in your circle of family and friends want to do because  as my wife puts it - "I'm 60 years old and I'm not doing that."

For example, I took Devin to see Roger Waters perform Pink Floyd's "The Wall" last year in concert. Then Devin returned the favor by letting me take him to see The Black Eyed Peas. And, of course, there was Devin's 1st rock festival experience last summer's - the 3-day Dave Matthews Caravan in Atlantic City.

So when Devin visited our new Crystal City home for the 1st time, I told him to design a day of choice. While his mother and infant sister would spend a day with Aunt Judy, we would spend a boy's day in DC.

Since he wants to be a firemen/EMT and is actually planning to study that career in vocational/technical school, his 1st choice was a museum I didn't even know existed - the D. C. Firemen and EMS Museum, which Devin had discovered and researched on line. When we arrived at the site, which is housed on the 3rd floor of the Engine Co. 3's fire station on New Jersey Avenue, we found a sign that said to ring twice for entrance and then "be patient. We are coming from the third floor." And so we rang. And rang again. And rang a 3rd time. When it became apparent that the museum wasn't open (it was Veterans Day), I promised Devin we could explore it on his next visit.

Asked what he wanted to do next, Devin said lunch, and since we were only a few blocks from Chinatown and knowing that he likes Asian food, I suggested Chinese. As we neared the Verizon Center, we began noticing large trucks parked along the side streets. I remembered that the Foo Fighters were in town and surmised that the trucks were being used to transport the group's stage and equipment across the country. After Devin snapped a picture of the parked caravan, I asked him if he  liked the Foo Fighters. He said yes and so we headed to the box office to see if tickets were still available. As I had expected, the show was sold out, but in the lobby a scalper offered us seats on the floor. Now while I like my grandnephew, paying $500 to see the Foo Fighters wasn't in my price range so I demurred.

For lunch we headed to my favorite Chinatown restaurant, whose Chinese characters translated mean Eat First, which I believe is a grand motto for living. Knowing that Devin is relatively experimental, I hoped to introduce him to such delicacies as shredded jellyfish, fried pig intestine Chow Cho style, or squid, pig's skin, stomach and peanut congee. However, Devin played it conservatively by ordering General Tso's chicken, and, since he wanted to share, I settled for sesame chicken.

After lunch, Devin had chosen the National Crime and Punishment Museum, which The Washington Post lists as a 4 and 1/2-star attraction. I had never been to the museum, and, although unlike so many other DC attractions, the museum costs, I had previously obtained 1/2 price tickets from a Living Social deal.

I really didn't expect to, but I was surprised by how much I liked the museum, which is divided into 5 sections on 3 floors:

• The Notorious History of Crime
• Punishment: The Consequences of Crime
• Crime Fighting
• Crime Scene Investigation
• America's Most Wanted Studio

Since the museum is the city's 2nd newest major attraction (the 1st being the recently dedicated memorial to Martin Luther King), there are numerous interactive exhibits. For example, I learned I didn't know as much as I thought I knew about celebrity crime by playing a match the celebrity with their crime game. I also learned that Devin would probably be a wiser companion than me in the event of a terrorist attack. At the computerized shooting range, he was able to fire 7 shots with 3 hits and 2 kills in the seconds allotted. I got off 5 shots with 3 hits and 1 kill. However, I think I am a better driver since Devin crashed his computerized car in a driving test.

After the crime museum, we headed up and across the street to the temporary exhibit and gift shop for the proposed National Law Enforcement Museum, which is scheduled to open in DC in 2013.

For our final stop, we boarded the Metro and headed to the 4-story Fashion Centre Mall at Pentagon City so Devin could check out the stores and Uncle David could buy him a replacement battery at the Verizon store for his Android phone.

Tales, Tidbits, and Traveling Tips:
Since my wife and I have such different tastes, we have, for years, scheduled what we jokingly call his or her vacations on alternating years. And I have come to value her choices (Alaska, Africa, Tahiti etc.) more than my own since it brings me to places I wouldn't choose.  The same was true with Devin's plans today.