On August 12, 2023, for the first time in over the ten years I’ve been living here in Winchester, VA, I finally got to go to Washington DC, since my family and I got invited to the Hip-Hop Block Party at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. It was a two hour drive from our home and once we got there, finding nearby parking space was challenging. We managed to find a parking garage near Pennsylvania Ave which was across from some fancy restaurants and/or stores. So we had to walk from there to the museum. (Luckily, we were wearing our good walking shoes and my dad had Google maps on his phone.)

When we got there, we had to stand in a long line. (I noticed that there was some people behind us speaking French.) Once we got to the front, they had to check my dad’s cell phone and wallet and my 5 x 7-inch purse. Once we got our stuff back, we had to go into the museum and use the restrooms after our 2 hour drive. That way we could get our bearings.

While we were standing in line to get into the cafeteria, I managed to take a selfie of myself and my younger brother, which is now the cover image of this post. I think I did a pretty good job without the selfie stick, considering that I wasn’t allowed to carry one in the museum. I also managed to record a video of us jamming while we were sitting in the cafeteria, which I posted on TikTok.

@hydrangeatravels My family and I at the Hip-Hop Block Party at the Smithsonian's The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC (August 12, 2023) #washingtondc #smithsonian #nationalmuseumofafricanamericanhistoryandculture #hiphopblockparty2023 #hydrangeatravels #travelspecialist ♬ original sound – Sena Rainey

Afterwards, we got to see some exhibits, including an historical photo of my dad’s fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha, which was founded on December 4, 1906. (If you don’t already know, I happened to be born on one of their anniversaries.)

Eventually we had to leave the museum, since it was going to close, and we got lost walking back to that parking garage. So we ended up walking blocks and miles. I managed to take a picture of the Washington Monument. I was too tired to take any more pictures and selfies, and I wanted to get back to our car.

When we finally found the parking garage, we had to go through the same entrance the cars went through and walk on a steep decline. Luckily, we didn’t get run over. We were exhausted, but we made it home.

Overall, it was a good day trip. I know we could’ve got there earlier or made reservations, so that we could get a closer parking spot, but I had to take driving lessons in the morning, and I wanted us to go somewhere fun afterwards. Since it was my first time going to DC, it was a lot to take in. I even remember seeing boats as we were trying to get back to the parking garage. Maybe next time, we’ll plan it better, so I could take more pictures to share with you guys.

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If anyone here is interested in going to DC, right now through August 18, 2023, you can get 10% off any of the activities and tours booked below when you use the promo code ARCHERAUG10 at checkout: