Washington, D.C.

The Work Trip We Chose to Take Together

In September 2023, I had a multi-day conference at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor.

I was pregnant with Avery, Preston was nearly two and Kyle needed to remain home for work, football practices and games. I was not yet comfortable leaving Preston for that many days, so my mom — his GG — came with us.

The arrangement made the conference possible, but it also created a trip that belonged to all three of us. We stayed across the river in Old Town Alexandria, where the pace felt calmer than central Washington. I could drive to the conference. When I was free, we could take Metro into the city or explore together. While I worked, GG and Preston could walk out the door and make a day of their own.

Some of the memories were intentionally significant: taking GG and Preston through the National Museum of African American History and Culture and beginning the practice of introducing our boys to Black history early. Others became significant only with time. GG helped Preston make his first Build-A-Bear, Teddy. Years later, Teddy still sleeps in his bed every night.

The trip worked because GG did more than make the conference possible. She and Preston made part of the trip their own.

Our Trip at a Glance

• DatesSeptember 26–30, 2023 — four nights.
• Traveling WithMom (pregnant with Avery), GG and Preston, nearly two.
• Getting ThereRoad trip from Columbus to Old Town Alexandria.
• Ground TransportationCar for National Harbor and the zoo; Metro from King Street–Old Town for the museum day.
• Home BaseA two-bedroom Airbnb on King Street in the heart of Old Town Alexandria, with a street-parking pass.
• Trip RhythmConference days, one full museum day, an afternoon at the zoo and easy Old Town dinners.
• Food StopsDon Taco, Mia’s Italian Kitchen and Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Co.
• GearUPPAbaby MINU stroller and a hiccapop inflatable toddler bed.
• FirstsPreston’s first Build-A-Bear, Teddy, and his first real ice cream.
• Would We Return?Without hesitation — next time with Kyle and Avery, and without a conference to work around.

How the Geography Worked

Old Town Alexandria became the center of the trip, National Harbor was the work destination and Washington held the main family experiences. We did not force one form of transportation to handle all three. I drove to the conference and to the zoo, while Metro was the easiest choice for our museum day.

Why Alexandria Was the Right Base

We stayed in an Airbnb listed as King Street Two-Bedroom, Heart of Old Town, Walk to Metro/Train. The two-level apartment had two bedrooms and two-and-a-half bathrooms. The main level held the living room, a small dining table, a spacious kitchen and a half bath. Upstairs, one bedroom had an ensuite bathroom; the second full bathroom, with a stand-up shower, sat across the hall. Laundry was also upstairs.

The apartment felt spacious, with especially large beds and enough separation for three generations. Preston slept on his hiccapop inflatable toddler bed on the floor of my bedroom and slept remarkably well. A street-parking pass allowed us to leave the car directly outside, which mattered on a trip that required both driving and Metro.

Alexandria gave us access without making every moment feel like a major-city outing. The King Street–Old Town Metro station was walkable for our museum day. Restaurants and small outings were nearby. Most importantly, GG felt comfortable walking around Old Town with Preston on her own while I attended the conference.

History, Teddy and One Very Hilly Zoo

National Museum of African American History and Culture

On September 27, we walked to King Street–Old Town, took Metro into Washington and entered the museum with timed passes when it opened. Preston rode in the UPPAbaby MINU. I had visited before and consider it one of the best museums I have experienced, so I was especially excited to share it with my mom, GG.

There was not one exhibit that carried the day. The museum as a whole was moving and thought-provoking, and we spent most of the day moving through it. Preston will not remember the visit in the way the adults do, but that was never the only point. We want our boys to be introduced early to their history and to the history of the United States.

GG and Preston Make Teddy

On September 28, I attended the conference while GG and Preston stayed together. They walked from the conference area, went to Build-A-Bear and made Teddy — Preston’s first Build-A-Bear. At the time, it was a sweet outing they could share. Its meaning grew afterward: Preston still has Teddy and sleeps with him every night.

Smithsonian’s National Zoo

On September 29, after the conference and Preston’s nap, we drove to the National Zoo for a late-afternoon visit. The fall of 2023 was the zoo’s farewell season for its longtime giant pandas, and we were grateful to see them before their departure. We also saw the lions and elephants, and Preston had a wonderful time.

I had visited Washington several times but had never been to the zoo. It was beautiful — and much hillier than the zoo we knew at home. Even with the stroller, the slopes made the afternoon a workout, particularly while pregnant. Our short, post-nap window was enough for a memorable first visit, but not enough to see everything.

Old Town Kept Dinner Easy

We returned to Old Town for dinner because it kept the evenings simple. After a museum day, a conference day or a hilly zoo visit, we did not need another complicated plan. The neighborhood gave us several easy options close to the apartment.

Don Taco

We went to Don Taco for Mexican food on our arrival night, after the drive from Columbus. It was our first introduction to the convenience of having dinner within Old Town rather than getting back into the car for a longer outing.

Mia’s Italian Kitchen and Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Co.

After the museum on September 27, we had dinner at Mia’s Italian Kitchen and stopped at Pop’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream Co. The ice cream became one of the trip’s clearest small memories: it is the first time I remember Preston truly eating ice cream, and he was completely overjoyed.

Breakfast With Friends

Before driving home on September 30, we met friends who live in the Washington area at a small diner. It was their first opportunity to meet Preston. We no longer remember the diner’s name, so the useful part of the memory is the reunion rather than an uncertain recommendation.

A Work Trip Can Still Belong to the Family

This was not a conventional family vacation. One adult was working, one parent remained home and GG carried much of the daytime rhythm with Preston. What made the trip feel whole was not pretending those roles were equal. It was choosing a setup that gave each person a manageable version of the trip.

The apartment gave GG and Preston room to rest and a neighborhood they could navigate without me. The hiccapop bed preserved a sleep routine Preston already knew. Metro kept our museum day simple, while the car handled the destinations for which driving made more sense. The practical choices created space for the better memories.

There is also something worth preserving about the support itself. GG did not merely watch Preston while I attended a conference. She shared a city with him, built Teddy with him and became part of the story I remember when I think about Washington.

The support that made the trip possible became one of the reasons the trip mattered.

What Worked for Our Family

• An early museum entryTimed passes at opening gave us the full day to move through a museum that rewards time and patience.
• A lightweight strollerThe UPPAbaby MINU handled Metro, a long museum day and the zoo without becoming another large piece of luggage.
• A familiar sleep setupPreston slept well on the hiccapop floor bed in Mom’s room, which helped the mixed work-and-family schedule.
• Different transportation for different daysMetro was easiest for the museum; the car was practical for National Harbor and the zoo.
• A walkable base for GGOld Town let GG create an independent day with Preston without needing to navigate central Washington or Metro alone.

A City With More Chapters Waiting

We would return to Washington without hesitation. The city has more museums, monuments, play spaces and family experiences than any one trip can reasonably hold. As Preston and Avery grow, the same places will meet them differently — and there will always be another part of the city we have not yet made time to see.

We Would Repeat

• Alexandria as a home baseIts slower pace, walkability and Metro access gave us breathing room without disconnecting us from Washington.
• The museum at openingWe would again reserve timed entry and protect most of the day rather than treating the museum as a quick stop.
• A zoo visit with a strollerThe hills were real, but the zoo gave Preston an experience that met him exactly where he was at nearly two.
• Room for multigenerational timeThe best memories came from letting GG and Preston have experiences together, not from keeping the group attached all day.

We Would Change

• Add more family-only timeA return trip would not need to work around a conference, leaving more room for the long list of kid-friendly spaces we did not reach.
• Allow longer for the zooOur late-afternoon visit worked, but an earlier start would make the hills and distances easier to pace.
• Bring the whole familyKyle missed this trip because of work and football. A return would let him and Avery share the city too.

Washington was never going to be fully covered in four nights — especially around a work conference. That is part of why it remains on our return list. This first chapter gave us Black history shared across three generations, a first Build-A-Bear that became a bedtime fixture, a joyful scoop of ice cream and proof that a work trip can hold family meaning when the structure gives everyone room.