The reason for the Old Post Office is to go up in the tower for an overview of the city. Especially now, while the Washington Monument is closed for repair of earthquake damage.

Oh my! You all are bursting with info. Thank you. I’ll touch on many of your points, but have to get back to work at the moment so I’ll start with this…

Mount Vernon seems to be the winner. My 8 yr old son is very interested in presidents so this should be great, but is it doable with my Monday itinerary? Noon – 2pm National Cathedral & Bishop’s Garden then onto Mount Vernon. Afterwards return car to BWI and check into BWI airport hotel for early Tuesday departure? I don’t want to go to the Baltimore Aquarium as we have one at The Mall of America. Gettysburg is far. I didn't realize inner harbour would be spendy.

Obxgirl, we’d love to take cabs but have the car seat issue. How easy to find/use are the bike pulling a cart thingy on The Mall?

We have reservations at BE&P, Capitol, and Ford’s Theatre. I didn’t realize I’d have to plan for Archives too. It appears they’ve shortened their hours due to the sequester.

I also vote for Mt. Vernon for your pick one day.

The "pick one" is on Monday after picking up the car and going to the National Cathedral? I missed that.

If the Cathedral is a must see then I think you are really limiting your time at Mount Vernon. You'll get to Mount Vernon by 3 and they close at 5. It deserves more than that especially if it's a nice day and of particular interest to your son.

If it were me, I'd pass on the Cathedral and do car pick up and Mount Vernon with a possibility of seeing a little of Old Town for lunch or an early dinner. OT Alex is on the way to Mount Vernon or leaving MV on the way to BWI.

Lots to see....so little time. Have a great trip!

Mt Vernon is a good choice with kids. My daughter found the fact that George Washington was a farmer amazing.

I thought he was doing Mount Vernon on Tuesday, not Monday. They are ending the day by driving to the Hilton by BWI, so they should have all day.

As to Monday: Perhaps their family are Anglican, if so they should go to the Cathedral. It could be paired with the zoo, which is very nearby.

This would leave Air and Space on their schedule earlier in the week, which is excellent for kids.

Everyone has given great recommendations. Because DC has so much to see, I like to get a map out and actually write down my itinerary. My favorite map is by Map Easy and I usually get them at the local bookstore.

The map for DC has a great layout of the mall and surrounding area. It is printed in a cartoonish fashion so it may be fun for your children. In addition to marking all of the tourist spots and Metro stations, it also has most of the restaurants, stores and hotels marked. I found it best when I needed a meal. If I had not already decided on a place I could look at the map and decide before I walked 2 blocks up the street to find nothting that I cared for. On the back of the map is a good sized map of the Metro. Everything in one place.

You are correct obxgirl…so little time. Something’s gotta give and I think it’ll be the Archives, although I can’t seem to fit in Air & Space and Zoo anywhere.

Mt Vernon seems best for our Monday day trip between checking out of DC and into BWI hotel. Angelic! That is cute 5alive!! I’ve heard the music at the Cathedral is the tops and since my son is going through first Eucharist the week after we return home, I wanted to squeeze in. Maybe we can go to a nightly prayer instead of mucking up Monday with the car. Is there any easy was to get to the Cathedral without a car or a car seat for a taxi? The Metro seems far.

Thanks for the map idea gardendiva. We’ll be bringing ipad, but don’t have a smart phone.

If you could only tour one side of the reflecting pool, which side would you choose? North or south?

You don't need a car seat in a taxi

You can take a bus to the Cathedral. Check the WMTA site to figure out which one
http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/tri..._form_solo.cfm

Interesting vjpblovesitaly. Why wouldn’t I need a booster seat for a 5 yr old in a taxi? It seems like a law until you are 8 years old.

Taxicabs are exempt from such things. Do you think people with children who live in cities walk around carrying car seats? I can't find the DC law but here is the Minnesota one should you ever need it.

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=169.685

This would be breakthrough info if it's true for D.c. I'm going off the info from MPDC's Traffic Safety.

http://mpdc.dc.gov/node/211362

Yes, DC requires proper seat belt/seat restraint for children up to 8 and they do enforce it. It does include taxis. I have seen roadblocks where they are checking.

I believe in many jurisdictions (if not all) vjb is right, because taxis fall under the public transportation rules--ie you don't need a carseat to ride a public bus either. However, what's legal and what's wise are not the same thing.

At age 3 or less, I'd haul around my own carseat or booster for taxis, but boy that would be a pain. At age 5, I'd be tempted to just use the seatbelt, but it really depends on where your child is on the growth chart. The other thing to think about is the purpose of the booster. It's to make a shoulder harness fit properly and not go across the neck/face. I believe there are some clip type things maybe you could get which would be more portable once you got to your destination....but only for the taxicab! Not for home use, a booster is definitely better and the law.

Oh, wow, I stand corrected. I'm sorry! It is still legal in NYC:

http://www.nyc.gov/html/tlc/html/faq/faq_pass.shtml#3

"From Driver Rule 54-15(g) (in PDF):
The maximum amount of passengers allowed in a yellow taxicab by law is four (4) in a four (4) passenger taxicab or five (5) passengers in a five (5) passenger taxicab, except that an additional passenger must be accepted if such passenger is under the age of seven (7) and is held on the lap of an adult passenger seated in the rear."

>>If you could only tour one side of the reflecting pool, which side would you choose? North or south?<<

It's pretty from all sides so pick the spot most convenient to you. It's only about 150 feet wide north to south. Did you mean east (Washington Monument) and west (Lincoln Memorial)?

North or south side of reflecting pool for which monuments to see. I'm wondering the best way to tackle my tough Friday morning schedule, walking from Smithsonian Metro.

Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Veterans, Korean War, 56 Signers of the Declaration of Ind Memorial, WWII Memorial, MLK Memorial.

I don't see how to add the Kennedy Center lunch idea as that seems like a long walk.

Nothing special about lunch at the Kennedy Center and yes, its a bit of a hike from where you plan to be.

I didn't get the Kennedy Center lunch idea, either. Skip it.