Agree that your days re very full - and I would put in some time for just relaxing.

I would add on the Supreme Court and probably bag the zoo- it;s fine but very town has a zoo.

Also - don;t see how you can have a picnic dinner in October - sitting on a park bench in the dark eating sandwiches??? Definitely treat yourself to a nice dinner the first night before looking at the monuments.

And agree that Lincoln is the most touching. It signifies so much about who we are as a people. He was so simple, had so many problems - but rose above to define us in so many ways.

You need to spend more time outdoors during the day! (and not just going between museums)

We enjoyed going to the top of the Washington Monument. Do you have your timed tickets for that? Can order them on-line.

The monuments are worth a stop (i.e., walking into the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials, around the WWII Monument area, etc) during the day, too. It's a nice area to walk around, but they aren't exactly right next to each other, either.

Re: all the museums. An hour in Air and Space would be fine with me (I know others who are totally fascinatd with the place); about 1.5-2 hours in the American Indian Museum would also be fine with me. One of the nice things about the Smithsonian museums is that they are free, so you can visit each for a short while without feeling you are wasting $$ paying all those admission fees. You might feel a bit rushed with your museum itinerary.

good information Karens - thank you (not the op but tagging along on this thread for my trip with dd)