Jay and Cole are all smiles as we start our first day in D.C. at the Jefferson Memorial.

Look who came to visit for spring break!?! Jay! While it was really only spring break for the law school student, Jay and I took some time off work as well to enjoy the sights and fun of D.C. Jay saw and did more than he probably thought possible in those few days — including a few near-death experiences by bike collision. Below is a photo blog of the day.

See more 2013 Spring Break in D.C. — Day 1 photos in my album.

Incoming.

Cole is just a wee bit shorter than his friend Thomas Jefferson.

Haters gonna hate as Cole would say. Or Roosevelt hated war. Maybe it was a monument to the second option.

MLK and Jay.

Group shot at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

Cole and I from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool fill with tourists behind us.

Washington Monument.

Of course these two would wander along the large side steps at the Lincoln Memorial.

The wandering was followed by Cole using the ledge as a slide.

Cole and Jay listen to the volunteers speak about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The wall contains symbolism in every engraved notch and stone placement.

I made Cole snap some photos while Jay looked for an eating place on his smartphone. Those handy smartphones; we don't have one.

On our way to lunch, we ran into these guys. Ewww, I don't think I want that job.

I have been pretty excited to see the Dom Pedro Aquamarine, which is the largest single piece of cut-gem aquamarine in the world. I read in National Geographic that it was going to be displayed at the National Museum of Natural History, which is in D.C. It was even more stunning than this picture shows it.

After the National Museum of Natural History, we needed a snack. Cole was pretty excited about popcorn. While we ate our snack, we watched a little girl throw most of hers to the birds.

I hid behind a tree and took some creeper photos while they looked for bikes.

I am ready for my second Capitol Bikeshare ride of the day. The first one was a little rushed and a disaster. I am more excited about the slow pace.

The Capitol Bikeshare program has bike stands spread across the city. At each station, you pay a daily or monthly fee for a bike and then additional costs add up the longer you ride the bike. Once you pay, you just type in your code and pull your bike out of the rack. Then you ride. This sounds easy, but you have to deal with tourists, curbs and lots of traffic. Once you were familiar with the area, it would definitely be easier. I got left in the dust on a few of our rides. I am not as speedy as my fellow travelers. Because of this, I was left at stop lights a few times and almost died while trying to cruise down Pennsylvania Avenue. Yeah, we rode down a major road on bikes. It was slightly terrifying. But in time, I think I would get use to it and would be willing to work my legs and save the planet by biking.

First bike stop — the Capitol. Jay and Cole are pretty excited.

Cole is a biking dare devil. Jay looks slightly confused about what is going on. That's how I looked most of the time, too.

Distracted driving alert! I made sure there was no one around me when I snapped my bike riding photo.

Cole pulls his bike up in front of Obama's house — the White House.

After the bike ride, we checked into our first NBA game, well first for Cole and I. They announce the players and shoot flames above the baskets. Intense. Here is my fantasy player Emeka Okafor.

The Washington Wizards take on the New Orleans Hornets.

John Wall does some fancy passing.

A group of young jump ropers perform at halftime.

Jay was jealous of this little guy that flirted with the Wizard dancers the whole game.

Jay and Cole enjoy the Wizard win.

So yeah, it was a crazy busy day of sightseeing, and we woke up and did it again the next day.