From my perspective, watching the DC fireworks during our trip is the proverbial maraschino cherry atop an ice cream Sunday. As the years go by, I expect our kids will increasingly value that experience. But it sure does add considerably to the unpredictability of the trip. Last year we were complete newbies, but our inexperience and torrential rains didn’t keep us from having a great night. This year, we assumed that we couldn’t count on storms to clear the Mall whilst we ate dinner, so we planned to arrive about 4PM, stake out some optimal-viewing ground, and then take the kids to dinner at Ben’s Chili Bowl in two shifts. So much for the best laid plans.
About 5PM, just as we reconvened to divide into two dinner groups, DC police began evacuating people off of the Mall into Smithsonian buildings because of impending storms. We ended up in the Air and Space building, where inside it was pretty much business as usual, so at least the kids were free to tour the exhibits and stay somewhat entertained. Outside, the weather wasn’t too bad — some rain and wind and occasional lightning, but nothing like the impressive hail storms which hit surrounding areas. Here's a vid of messages from the kids to folks back home soon after we entered the building:
After a while it occurred to us that if we were willing to run through the rain to a Metro stop a couple blocks away, we could head to dinner, thereby making good use of our evacuation time.
So that’s what we did. And a hop, skip and jump later saw us arriving at Ben’s Chili Bowl (wiki article here). 
Last year I chafed at how often Classic Tours sent us to mall food courts. I understand the logic: multiple places of affordable food allows just about every kid to find something appetizing. But I’m interested in giving the kids as many unique experiences as possible; visiting a mall food court is about as mundane and lame as it gets. So throughout the past year I kept trying to think of a place that could accommodate 40+ people at an affordable price and offer food most kids would enjoy. After a while it occurred to me that Ben’s meets each of those criteria, plus it’s a Washington landmark. It worked out splendidly. The food was decent, the experience authentic and we got back to the Mall in time to still nab a decent spot (the storms had long since passed).
