Riding the Rails

The weather is still pretty chilly here, so I decided to take William to ride the D.C. subway back and forth across town. He's been on the trains before, but he's getting older and really gets into the whole adventure now that he can talk and express his joy for the journey.



I parked the car at Pentagon City mall and decided we'd ride the southbound train towards Springfield. I thought this was the best route because 1. we didn't have to switch trains 2. a majority of the ride would be above ground and 3. William would hit the jackpot by riding a train AND passing by National Airport all in one trip.



So, we walked through the mall towards the basement where the trains zoom by. William was slightly confused and kept saying, "Deet Deets mama, Deet Deets!!!" I think he thought we were going to stop and do some shopping, but that was not the case. Now, I should clarify "Deet Deets" for you. William loves trains. LOVES them. When he first started playing with trains he was probably a year old. I would move the car around the track and say, "choo choo" or "toot toot." Then, we started watching Thomas the Train. His whistle is more of a sharp "ddduuttt duuuttt" sound. So, from all the sounds of our various train whistles came the word, "Deet Deet" in William's language. He never says "train" but instead, "Deet Deet!"


Ok, so waited for the train to come into the station and the whole time, William was talking and the words just didn't come out fast enough! He was so excited. Once on the train, William knew what to do. He took a seat and watched out the window as the landscape went whizzing by him. When we stopped at National Airport, he FREAKED OUT with joy...."MAMA AIRPLANES! SEE EM!!! WHEELS UP! WINGS, TAILS, BLUE SKY!!!!! BABY AIRPLANES!" He then scooted to the edge of his seat and wanted to get down and off the train! He kept repeating, "Mama, all done. Bye, bye Deet Deet. Airplanes!" Well, I was able to convince him that we needed to go one more stop just for kicks and he agreed.



Once at King Street, we got off the train and boarded a return train towards the airport. William was pumped. We got off the train at National Airport and headed for the exit. Once inside the airport, William knew exactly where to go and what to do. We go to the airport all the time, so this is certainly a second home for the little guy. He walked onto the moving walkway with all the travelers and waited for the walkway to take him to the end. He said, "big step!" when it was time to get off the walkway.....he actually listens to his mama! ha. Then we made a direct B-line for the windows. William's windows. The windows that bring William sheer joy and excitement. There had to be 10 planes moving at once! It was a great time of day to be there. William watched them take off, he watched them land, he watched them pull back from the gates and he TALKED CONSTANTLY! He just kept saying, "landing, wheels down!" "wheels up, hi airplane!" and he constantly reported to me what the colors were on all the wings and tails.



Surprisingly, it wasn't hard to tell him we had to go home. Any time we have to leave a place he loves, I always say, "we have to go now, but we'll be back. We'll be back!" and it seems to cushion the blow a bit. To my surprise, he just said, "ok mama, bye bye airplanes!" and "ride Deet Deet!" So, I guess he figured he was getting to ride the train again, so it was ok to leave his watch post at the airport. We boarded the train towards Pentagon City and headed home. It was a great morning and I am so glad we went on our adventure.



I appreciate living in a big city like D.C. when you take advantage of things like the Smithsonians, the Amtrak trains, and the subway system. I really enjoyed riding the rails with a 2 year old and absorbing every "awe wow" moment he checked into his memory. I can't wait to do it again!