(We didn't really change our names to Chrysler. That's just a song.)
But over U.S. Thanksgiving we went to the East Coast to see my folks and introduce R:tAG to the Smithsonian, or at least parts of the Smithsonian and other museums*, which count among my favourite places in the world. We stayed in a rental condo** in Alexandria and took the Metro into D.C. which was very convenient.
It turns out R:tAG is pretty proficient at finding his way around Washington, thanks to Fallout 3. Here he is looking for mirelurks in the Metro:
The weather was rainy but we were mostly inside anyway.
This was lava. Some geologist scooped some up with a hammer and let it harden. Note the scorched handle. Geologists are crazy.
This is the Hall of Ocean Life. There's a right whale hanging from the ceiling towards the back; I thought I also remembered a blue whale when I was a sprog but maybe it's having a rest. The Natural History museum attendance seems to be benefiting from that movie; anything that gets people into the museum, I suppose (I took this picture just at closing time; the place was actually packed all day)
No pictures from the National Gallery because they were twitchy about that. But we saw a really interesting exhibit about Spanish parade armour, as well as a lot of famous paintings and sculptures, of course. It really is better to see them in the flesh, so to speak.
And then we went back to my parents' place for a Thanksgiving dinner that couldn't be beat, and a bit of a rest from walking.
So it was a good trip, though about an hour after we got back to work I was thinking "Man, I need a vacation." Back to the long days and long work weeks. Le sigh.
* The Natural History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the National Gallery and very briefly the Freer Gallery just to see the Peacock Room.
** One of those old row houses with the floor space of a two bedroom apartment. But it was quite historic and comfortable and the kitchen was nice.
Sounds like a fun, yet exhausting trip. What are you plans for Christmas?
Heh. I couldn't help comparing pretty much everywhere in DC to their Fallout 3 counterparts. I think that the only thing they didn't get right (thankfully) was the scale of The Mall.
And from what I saw, if you were able to see any of the museums with them being completely packed, you were lucky.
@neuba: Working on the game, actually. We have a stupid tight launch schedule. :(
@Steve: Going on a wet, cold day right before Thanksgiving worked out pretty well for avoiding crowds. And yes, the game played with scale a bit but I think that's unavoidable.
What are the odds that you would be in Washington a week after Jen is in Washington...
But what's this talk about needing a break from work? Don't you make games for a living? Every day must be like a vacation! ;)
Boo! Ah well, understandable. Looking forward to your next visit - anxious for you & Rtag to meet Malcolm.
@Terry: Yep, every day is a holiday, every meal is a feast! Every paycheck a fortune! Every formation a parade! I love the game industry!
@Amy: You've got your arm raised, right? I can't see it from here...