Washington DC

Welcome to my online travel scrapbook! This was the trip that almost wasn't, even after it started. But we managed to pull it off! DC wasn't our intended destination. We had a week long trip to Edinburgh, Scotland planned. It was going to be fabulous. It started in London, catching sights we missed seeing on our last trip there, and then continued on the Caledonian Sleeper train to Edinburgh where we had tickets to the Military Tattoo and a day trip to a nearby highland games and other fun things. But at about 2 weeks until our trip, we learned that a rail strike in the UK was going to severely sabotage our means of transportation, including the sleeper train, and we were hesitant to rent a car in a place where folks drive on the wrong side of the road. So, we cancelled our mostly refundable tickets and planned to try again another year. 

Meanwhile, my mom had gotten covid about 3 weeks before the trip. She sailed through covid, and so when Scotland fell through, I started planning DC. Then, at one week out from the trip, she began having heart problems and wound up in the hospital. I'm an only child, so this was a significant bump in the road. I ended up spending 4 pretty tough nights with her, sleeping on one of those hospital couches. The whole time, we were wondering if we'd have to cancel this trip too. They let her go home the day before our flight. 

At this point, I was beyond exhausted (I mean, look at me in that plane photo), but my aunt and uncle said, "we've got this; go on your trip." I think the first couple of days were harder than they expected, and I was expecting at any point to need to look for a quick flight home. To make matters worse, my dad tested positive for covid, and the next day, so did my uncle. But, after the first few days, things improved, and I settled in to the trip. All of that to say, I hit the jackpot when it comes to my only aunt and uncle. 

Somehow, I didn't get covid through any of this. So, enough about the difficulties of getting this trip started. We did have a good time!

I had done the traditional 8th grade trip to DC, and had visited again with a girl friend in 2000, but Kevin had never been except for one trip to the Pentagon while he was in the Navy. That trip didn't include time for sight-seeing, so we planned to see all the things. With a week to spend, we also had time for a day trip out of the city.

We stayed at the Kimpton George, which proved to be a great location right next to Union Station where you can easily catch a train, the metro, or a bus. There are good restaurants within easy walking distance, and they have free wine in the late afternoons. Dogs are allowed there, and we enjoyed meeting an adorable basset hound in the lobby. 

Union Station had a special significance for me as the statues on the front were carved by Andrew Bernasconi, the great-grandfather of one of my favorite college professors. You can read more about that here.

On our first day, we learned how to use the DC Circulator buses (highly recommended) and went out to see the mall and the World War II memorial. I was so tired I could barely walk, so we headed back to the hotel, enjoyed the wine in the lobby (and the basset hound), and then freshened up for some Spanish cuisine at Jaleo, the DC restaurant of Chef Jose Andres. We loved our food, and Kevin said his gin and tonic was the best he'd ever had. 

Entrance to the Bishop's Garden
 at Washington Nat'l Cathedral

    

Over the next days, we saw Arlington National Cemetery, all the war memorials, the Lincoln and Jefferson memorials, the National Cathedral, much of the Smithsonian, the Spy Museum, the Library of Congress, the National Archives, the White House museum (couldn't get a tour inside the WH), the Capitol, and rode to the top of the Washington monument. We also took a water ferry to Mount Vernon one day, then rather than take the water ferry back, we got an uber into old town Alexandria. Highlights of that trip included the Torpedo Factory Art Center and brunch at the historic Gadsby's Tavern. 

Mount Vernon

One of the highlights of our trip was the Friday Evening Parade at the Marine Barracks. You have to make a reservation in advance and get there as soon as they open for the show so you can get a good seat. We didn't plan to do any other shows. Wicked was playing, but we've seen it, and we decided to have relaxing evenings to sit in restaurants. 

US Marine Drum and Bugle Corps - The Commandant's Own

Speaking of restaurants, here are others that we enjoyed besides Jaleo. 

On the night we did the evening parade, we went to Ambar, a Balkan small-plates restaurant. The food was great, but they were very busy, and the service was a little slow. The Monocle was near our hotel, and seemed to be patronized by locals more than tourists. The food was fantastic, and the service was quick and friendly. We loved this place. Carmine's Italian Restaurant was not one I'd return to. It was full of tourists. The food was fine, but it's served in family-sized entrees. If you want to eat the same thing and share, that's fine. I didn't find it special enough to justify a return trip. We had a splurgy night at The Charlie Palmer Steak House. It was expensive, but it was really good! The Dubliner was a cute little Irish pub right around the corner from the hotel. They had live music the night we went - a decent guy with a guitar who sounded an awful lot like Gordon Lightfoot. It was raining, we were tired, and a pint and shepherd's pie in a cozy pub was just the ticket. 

Red Rock Overlook Park along the Potomac

On our last full day, we rented a car at Union Station and headed out to Virginia to explore. We went to Ball's Bluff Battlefield, the Red Rock Wilderness Overlook Park, and the Manassas Battlefield. After all that walking, we treated ourselves at the LaGrange Winery. 

Ball's Bluff Battlefield and National Cemetery

The Winery at LaGrange

By the end of the trip, I was feeling restored, and now we can scratch Washington DC off of Kevin's bucket list.