Washington, DC

So, in our Philly is about history……and FOOD blog we announced we fell in love in DC. Of course we fell in love with each other, but we also fell in love with the city. It has become our favorite in fact. 

My now husband, was then simply an adorable, but non cheesesteak eating man who confessed he was “jonesing for DC”. I mentioned I had been there and that it was a quick trip from Philly, so at 5pm we boarded the Chinatown bus, and we were bound for Washington, DC. I should mention that this was our first Chinatown bus trip, and for the bargain price of $15 we were happily on the road.  Hotel reservations were made somewhere between Philly and DC by Donnie. I do not know how much he paid and I do not want to know! I am certain it was too much, this was pre-nomad 101! We arrived and took a walk to our hotelhttp://capitolskyline.com/ . His carrying both bags all through DC was a redeeming quality for that aforementioned flaw in Philly! If you have never been, know this, it is VERY difficult to get anywhere in a timely fashion when walking through Washington, DC for the first time. There is so much to look at! It took a little prodding but we made it to the hotel and checked in. I insisted we head right back out and see the monuments. His reply was, “Tonight?” YES, the absolute best time to see the monuments is after dark. It was after midnight when we hit the Washington Monument http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/wash/dc72.htm , and he was duly impressed. The downside was you cannot go inside at night. One of us, I cannot recall which, slipped and said “next time” knowing that first thing tomorrow morning we were heading our separate ways.

We continued along the National Mall and headed toward World War II memorial http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ , which is beautiful. The fountains are lovely at night, but do return to this one during the day! We finally climbed the steps to Lincoln Memorial http://www.nps.gov/linc/index.htm which is my personal favorite. Even July 4^th weekend, high tourist season, the monuments are not excessively crowded at night. They are active, but not crowded. We spent a great deal of time here. I caught a glimpse of my Donnie leaning against one of the sizable pillars in his devil may care fashion, and watched him read Lincoln’s words carved into the walls. His facial expression and energy changed and I instinctually went to him, and confessed I knew which part had touched him. It was also the ideal way to describe my precious husband to be:

With Malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds.

We were there far longer than we anticipated, and finally had to surrender and go back to the hotel. The day we finally realized we were starving! We headed to Union Station http://www.unionstationdc.com/  Grabbed a quick bite to eat at http://www.unos.com/ (try the mango tea if you ever find yourself there) and Icaught a quick glimpse at Capitol Hill. We dropped his bags at the station and he took me to my Chinatown bus stop, were we said our goodbyes. He could not have made it around the block before he texted me. We were leaving DC without seeing even a fraction of what it had to offer! We had a long night and a short day, too short.

Fast forward two months and we were back at that same Chinatown bus stop on our Honeymoon! This time we were going to see as much as we could squeeze in! We stayed downtown this time at L’Enfant http://www.lenfantplazahotel.com I am happy to report we got a great deal on our hotel. This time we went to the top of the Washington Monument (which is FREE) and saw Washington, DC from a beautiful vantage point! You can stay as long as you want, and chat with other tourists. On this particular trip, a fellow sight seer voiced her concern at the crack in the monument. She proceeded to tell us more than we ever needed to know about her neighbor’s chimney, which we now (thanks to my witty mate) have a standing invitation to go tour! We went on the White House, where we were STOPPED quick, without warning, and told NOT to move.   Obama’s helicopter was landing on the White House lawn, and we had stumbled onto front row seats to the show. When the president does anything in Washington, DC it is quite a production, a production we would enjoy (or endure) during our February trip when his family went to church and everything shut down completely. Those are the moments when it is essential to have your http://www.wannabenomads.com/attitude with you!

We were followed to NYC later on in our Honeymoon by Obama, but that is a blog for later. NYC part2

Donnie is an avid reader, and he LOVED the Library of Congress. Like everything else in Washington, DC, it is FREE to tour and truly beautiful! We about an hour in the rotunda before heading back out to the National Mall. We wandered into the National Space and Air Museum http://www.nasm.si.edu/ (again this is a FREE museum) we then stopped by the Smithsonian Castlehttp://www.visitingdc.com/museum/smithsonian-castle.htm which we thought was a bit anti-climactic but worth a few moments of time. Our honeymoon was in September and there were NO crowds. If you can manage it, skip the Summer rush, and go later! You will save money and time.

We visited the World War II memorial during the day this time, where Donnie posed and gave the “hook em” with Texas pillar and well, we will skip his gesture for Oklahoma! We kept walking to the Vietnam Memorial and by evening we were at strolling along the Potomac and spending time at the Roosevelt Memorial http://www.nps.gov/frde/index.htm which is a series of pretty waterfalls surrounded by beautiful stone, it is equally gorgeous day or night. We see the Thomas Jefferson in the distance, and promise to go there later. At the end of day one, we have spent less than $30, and that was only on food and water!

We finished up that trip to DC with some time at The National Archives http://www.archives.gov/  and saw the Declaration of Independence. This is a first for me as well; I have been to Washington, DC several times and somehow missed this! We did not dare snap a photo of it, but we really wanted to. You will never see a more heavily guarded piece of paper. Take your time and enjoy it, note the correction and edits! We finally made it to Ford’s Theatre and joked about the “no fire arms allowed” sign at the entrance. The energy in here is pretty intense. The presidential booth is eerie and they do an excellent job of explaining the history. We recommend taking a seat and really soaking up the atmosphere.

We headed on to NYC on a Chinatown Bus, but again, Check back for NYC blog #2

As for this blog, we will again fast forward to my birthday trip! More often than not our destinations are chosen with a mix of inclination and cost effectiveness! We had originally planned to fly into Philadelphia or maybe New York, but we scored a great deal after bidding our own price to fly into Reagan, so we were headed back to the District of Columbia! Flying into DC is easy and the views upon landing are some of my favorite EVER! It was icy in Austin when we left so we had the road to ourselves, the airport was almost empty and we departed without delay! This trip ended up being more centered around Alexandria, Virginia and Arlington National Cemetery, but we did spend a day at the National Cathedral http://www.nationalcathedral.org/ . This was the first time either of us had been. It is an easy bus ride through Georgetown! This cathedral is hauntingly beautiful. Take a backup camera, wear comfortable shoes, and slow your step. There simply is not a bad angle or view from the entire building. We were lucky enough to sit in on the boys’ choir practice, and roam the cathedral at our leisure. See every floor, but be warned, pack a snack and take some bottled water. The gift shop only had pretzels and trail mix and did not sell beverages! We were starving after all the walking. Sit on the lawn, walk the gardens, and notice the attention to detail. We were there in February, so the tours were closed, but we vowed to go back and check out the Gargoyles! On your ride back to Georgetown, take note of the quaint streets! We did, and decided the next time we were in the area; we would stay in that neighborhood and scope it out!  We were cold after our wanderings and once back on the National Mall, we warmed up at the National Botanical Gardens dined at Fogo De Cao http://www.fogodechao.com/  and called it a night. Happy Birthday to me!

This is where we caught the metro and headed to Virginia and had a great time, but that will continue in our Virginia blog!

For Donnie’s birthday trip we hit Philly and took our Chinatown Bus http://www.chinatown-bus.org/ and arrived in Chinatown in the middle of the Dali Lama’s visit. Crowded indeed! Our goal this time was to FIND DECENT DINING OPTIONS! After asking a fellow DC-addicted friend for some recommendations we were off to a good start. We again had a FABULOUS deal on our hotel in Georgetown, so sweet in fact that we booked it for our entire stay (normally we change hotels every day or two).http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasrw-renaissance-washington-dc-dupont-circle-hotel/ This has become one of our favorite hotels! It is understated, but in a great location. The beds are extremely comfortable, and the staff was extremely accommodating! Without hesitation we recommend them, and we have even discussed paying full price *GASP* to stay there again! That would be very anti-nomad of us though! We checked out Du Pont Circle http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dupont_Circle and had dinner at Chadwickshttp://www.chadwicksrestaurants.com/ on the suggestion of a friend! We were pleased and I recommend the Cubano! Finally, a good meal in the area and after spending the day roaming through the Smithsonian Museums we were ready for one! The Museum of National History was particularly fun on this trip http://www.eisp.org/category/archaeology/museumobjects/  We loved The Easter Island statue. Donnie spotted a guy taking his photo with “Dum Dum” and the resemblance between this gentleman and the statue was uncanny! Unless I made him delete it, I am sure he will post it here later! We have officially seen everything of note in BOTH “Night at the Museum” movies. Why does that matter to me? Well, it was important to Donnie, so it mattered to me….and I got to snoop around awesome museums in two cities, that is a travel WIN WIN!

Our favorite museum exhibit thus far (and we have been to a lot of impressive ones) was at the National Museum of American Historyhttp://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=70 which houses the flag that inspired the National Anthem. This is a MUST SEE, it is FREE, it is moving, we left teary eyed. My Donnie changed the mood by referencing “home boy in the boat saw the flag and wrote a song”! He does lighten things up, and by the time we crossed the street to see the monuments at night, we were reflective, but laughing. The moon was full and there is no place in the world we would have rather been, but we were hungry and our growling stomachs led us away. We had not eaten since brunch that morning at Old Ebbitt Grill http://www.ebbitt.com/main/home.cfm?Section=Main&Category=About_the_Ebbitt  which is close to the White House, and VERY yummy. It has an interesting history and we enjoyed it tremendously although Donnie still complains I did not give him my potatoes! This is a place we recommend having dessert as well. We normally do no spend much time in restaurants because it takes up too much time and too much of the budget, but the mission for this trip was to find dining locations! It is also his birthday trip, and well, he LOVES to eat! So, in keeping with the theme, we land at Nando’s http://www.nandosperiperi.com/index.cfm to discover our new favorite place in Washington, DC to eat. Let me just say that after FEASTING on the most AMAZING chicken we had ever eaten, red potatoes, garlic bread, we were STILL talking about how good it was as we walked back to our hotel in Georgetown. We will never go back to DC and not eat there….Have we said enough? GO and TRY every single sauce!

The National arboretum is out of town, and will take up most of a day, which is why we postponed it for so long, but Donnie knew I REALLY wanted to see the Capitol Columns  http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/collections/columns.html and he INSISTED we go. I am so thankful he did. We grabbed a water ice and followed a family with the cutest little kids up the path to these columns. With this majestic view ahead of us, we listened to a little child chatting happily about the cotton candy he was getting when his family was done with their hike. We are fairly certain he never noticed the columns, given his fixation on his prize afterward, but he is forever a part of our memory of the National Arboretum. That is what happens when you slow your step and open your mind when you travel. You can either complain about a HOT, HUMID July day walking uphill in a field to see abandoned pieces of architecture OR you can hold the hand of the ones you love, listen to the wonderment of children, and be happy you live in America, soak up the view, and enjoy your water ice! Those things, and the price of admission FREE, but PRICELESS

With those kinds of savings, sometimes, you get to splurge. We had been to so many museums for free that we decided our budget could handle a trip to the International Spy Museum. It was not cheap, but it was packed every time we were in the area, and it is marketed EVERYWHERE. Well, after waiting longer than I care to remember, we realized why we rarely splurge on things that get a lot of hype. FAIL….but is true wannabenomads fashion, we created a favorite memory. While crawling through the ducts of the museum (not to worry, it is an exhibit) we playfully re-enacted our favorite scene from the Boondock Saints! We still laugh about that, and were probably moments away from being told to leave when we finally cut our losses and headed out!

Last day of the trip we went to the Old Post Office Pavilion http://www.oldpostofficedc.com/ for the view from the clock tower. It is spectacular, and it is yet again, FREE! I fell in love with this building! I could have spent much longer there and I cannot wait to go back and give it even more attention! See our photo journal for the views, they are hard to describe and different from all the others in Washignton, DC. We had just a couple hours left when we decided to stop by the House of the Temple http://scottishrite.org/ It has become routine for us to check out all things Masonic, and we have yet to be disappointed. Once again we longed for more time. The building was magnificent and we met some locals out walking their dogs! It is the random moments that make travel so much fun!

We left that last trip to Washington, DC knowing we would call the city home in the future, at least for a while. It feels like home to us already….