Justin and I went to Washington, DC this weekend. We’d first planned to go to Charleston, but then flight prices spiked, and then we turned our sights on Portsmouth, NH, but we didn’t know if there’s be enough to do there. Finally we settled on DC because I hadn’t been there in 8 years and he hadn’t been down there in about 6, when he moved back to the city after working down there for two years. We booked bus tickets and our hotel downtown and off we went last Friday.
Friday: We arrived in DC around 2:30pm and headed in a cab to the hotel, dropped off our stuff, and started to making our way around to the monuments. J’s favorite is the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, so we walked down past the White House, spent a minute there, and then walked around the Jefferson, Lincoln, FDR, George Mason, and MLK Jr. Memorials. Lots and lots of walking.
After a short rest at the hotel, we headed over Tabard Inn in a hotel that was made in a brownstone. I had amazing zucchini and yellow squash risotto and J had incredible corn ravioli with cream sauce. It was a perfect atmosphere and amazing food. Before packing it in for the night, we stopped at Eighteenth Street Lounge; the only one of J’s favorite bars that was still opened.
Saturday: We ordered room service on Saturday morning and waited out the rain which luckily let up at noon. We started at the National Museum for Women in the Arts to see a photography exhibit about women in the Middle East; afterward we stopped off the National Portrait Gallery to see the portrait of Prince that had been hung the day before in memoriam.
We tried to see the Declaration of Independence after at the National Archives but the line was about 100 people deep and since we’d both seen it before, we decided to let it go. Instead we went to the Newseum which was super cool and all about news throughout the last century or so, with exhibits on 9/11, terrorist attacks, Vietnam, the Berlin Wall, etc. It was totally worth the price of admission.
It has an incredible roof deck too with amazing views. So: photo op.
We hit the Museum of American History just before it closed so that we could see the Ruby Slippers, duh. (Okay, I’m lying, that was all I wanted to do, not him.) They were totally amazing. Just like last time.
We ended the day with drinks at POV Rooftop & Lounge at the W Hotel, dinner at ChurchKey (lots of different kinds of beer!), and a nightcap at Off the Record in the Hay-Adams Hotel (this is apparently a place where a lot of news tips are given because it has a speakeasy vibe). On our walk back we caught a beautiful glimpse of the White House all lit up:
Sunday: We woke up and got breakfast from the Pete’s Coffee across from our hotel and went to the National Air and Space Museum and the Natural History Museum (Hope Diamond! I’m so basic it hurts!). We checked out of the hotel and indulged in a final departing drink at Rural Society in our hotel’s lobby before heading back to Union Station. BUT our very last stop before boarding the bus? ShopHouse Kitchen at Union Station. It’s the Asian version of Chipotle that’s owned by Chipotle. It was delicious and why it hasn’t come to NYC yet is beyond me!
We walked probably 40 miles over three days and it was lovely. We were reminded what it’s like to explore and how awesome it is. We vowed to do more of it in the city since the whether is nicer.
Overall: Our Weekend Getaway was a success.
That Girl Allison 