Day 6 . . . College Tourcation: George Washington, Georgetown, Washington DC

Day 6 - 10 of this family vacation was spent zipping around Washington DC with the exception of an outing to Gettysburg. In a previous blog entry, Washington DC: Things to Know Before You Go, I wrote about sightseeing, so here I will just note our college tour experiences.

There are a number of great universities in DC: Catholic University, American University, Georgetown and George Washington just to name a few. Our hotel, the Washington Suites in Georgetown (for a description of the hotel check out Sleeps5.com), was located next to the George Washington campus. This is a true urban campus with university buildings right next to office and government buildings; the Lincoln Memorial is just a few blocks away. The greek system is a row of connected brick buildings resembling normal student housing with signs above the doors indicating their affiliation. The Foggy Bottom Metro stop is located right in the middle of it all allowing quick access around the city. There is definitely a high energy hum around the campus even during the summer. The campus basically abuts the charming Georgetown shopping area providing lots of shopping possibilities, however it is very pricey shopping. There is no extended grassy area within the school boundaries (that we could find) for resting or tossing the frisbee. It is truly integrated with the city.

We also managed to visit Georgetown University. This school has a high on the hill presence with distinct campus boundaries. It is located in the Georgetown neighborhood near the river. The buildings are mostly old gothic types. The campus is compact in feel, but lovely in general. Again it is at the opposite end of the shopping district from George Washington University. There is a beautiful cathedral to visit. I understand crime is an issue in these DC schools but we felt safe and comfortable even in the evening -- maybe because we are naive.

George Washington

Hogwarts factor: 0

Georgetown

Hogwarts factor: 3

Related:
Hotels with Family Room to Sleep 5 in New York City, Washington, DC, Williamsburg, Durham-Chapel Hill, Charlottesville

Holly Jacobsen
Sleeps5.com

Nintendo DS and DS Lite Adapters - Eight Gadgets for Travel

Since writing about our family's Nintendo DS adapter experience where we discovered that a Nintendo DS requires a transformer in addition to an adapter in a May blog entry, I have found 8 more gadgets to solve similar electronics problems. Some are for a DS and some for a DS Lite. I don't know enough about the circuitry differences between the two devices to explain - if you do, please help by leaving a comment below. I'm not much of a gadget-gal, as my kids will attest (my son has to help me use the speed dial on my cell phone), but these are simple enough even for me - mainly they just plug in:

1. Emergency AA Battery Charge Extender for the Nintendo DS Lite / DSLite

Made by Gomadic Brand w/ TipExchange Technology, you use batteries to charge a DS without needing any outlet. Lifetime warranty. On Amazon.com, shipping to many countries is available.



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2. Essential Kit for the Nintendo DS / NDS - includes Car and Wall Charger with Rapid Charge Technology

Yet another from the gadget wizards of Gomadic Brand w/ TipExchange Technology. You can charge your Nintendo DS in the car or in a hotel or in your house, in multiple countries. Lifetime warranty and shipping to many countries is available on Amazon.com.



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3. International Wall / AC Charger for the Nintendo DS Lite / DSLite

Another from the Gomadic Brand w/ TipExchange Technology, the wall charger has 4 world plug adapters and works on outlets of multiple countries. Lifetime warranty. On Amazon.com, shipping to many countries is available.



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4. International Wall / AC Charger for the Nintendo DS / NDS

This one from Gomadic Brand is for the DS, not the DS Lite. This wall charger has 4 kinds of plug adapters for use in multiple countries. And Amazon.com provides shipping to multiple countries.



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5. Nintendo DS Lite Car Charger Direct

You can charge your DS Lite in the car, and with a cord that can extend, you can play while charging. Amazon.com makes shipping to many countries available.



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6. Multi Travel Charger for Apple iPhone/iTouch/iPod/Video/Nano, Motorola Razr V3/slvr L7/l6 and Nintendo DS Lite, All-in-one Travel Charger

May by Ionhub, this one works in varying voltages of countries and vehicles. The many features include:

Multi travel charger charges iPhone(iPod), Moto RAZR phone(Blkberry) and Nintendo DS Lite at once. With more Iontips, the all-in-one compact travel charging solution from Ionhub will charge 6 gadgets at the same time.
IonTips offer compatibility with cell phones, MP3 players, iPod, PDA, gaming PSP, GPS, Bluethooth earphones, digital cameras and camcorders, portable DVD, and electrical shavers, and more on ionhub website.



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7. Black 12V Triple Power Adapter for Vehicles

We've had one of these in our minivan for years. With it, we can charge a cell phone and the operate the GPS at the same time. It converts single power output to triple power output using any vehicle's 12V socket. May also be used for CD players, computers, MP3 players, radar dectectors, televisions, gaming systems and more. Amazon.com makes shipping available to many countries.



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8. Nintendo DS Lite Car Adapter

The description states this is the only Nintendo-licensed car adapter on the market. It has a 6-foot cord enabling charging and game use from any seat in the car. Amazon.com provides shipping only to US and APO/FPO addresses.



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Sandy Nielsen
Sleeps5.com

College Tourcation Day 5: University of Mary Washington

Our family of five plus Papa left Charlottesville late in the evening and drove on to Fredericksburg, Virginia, home of Civil War battlefields and the University of Mary Washington. The University has special significance for us because my mother graduated from this institution when it was the women's division of UVA. My parents met here and were married in a small chapel nearby.

Day 5: We checked out of our hotel which lies on the outskirts of town between strip malls, grocery stores, and undeveloped fields and headed to the University of Mary Washington. It is a smaller school than those we had visited previously. The campus is really beautiful -- colonial red brick buildings set inside a residential neighborhood. We also noticed there is still an imbalance in girls even with its coed status. We were fortunate to arrive at the admissions office just when a tour group was assembling. The only negative on our tour was the dorms; the one they chose to walk us through smelled like mildew. We ate at the cafeteria buffet which the kids thought was quite good. Mary Washington is listed as a best buy in some college guides.

Next to the University is the Sunken Road, which is a famous Civil War battle site. We explored the area, the cemetery and the little museum located there. These battle sites just leave me sad, but visiting them makes the Civil War more real for someone raised on the West Coast.


University of Mary Washington

Older daughter's comments: most beautiful campus, good food -- lots of options, historical.

Son's comments: liked the campus, woodsy, all you could eat buffet, so good.

Younger daughter's comments: liked the campus, liked that Grandma went there.

Hogwarts factor: 1

Related:
Hotels with Family Room to Sleep 5 in New York City, Washington, DC, Williamsburg, Durham-Chapel Hill, Charlottesville
Holly Jacobsen
Sleeps5.com