10 posts tagged “dc”
There was a check for $10 in my mail yesterday, from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority!
That almost (but not really) makes up for their denying our WBE (Women Business Enterprise) certification last year. Who needs it anyway? We've already produced precast stairs for at least a dozen projects for them without having their piece of paper, but it's the principle.
We picked Alex up at 7:15 to head over to the National Cathedral for 8:00 Easter Sunday service. You want to see impressive and awe-inspiring! Flowers galore, banners, trumpets, choirs, you name it.
Here are some interesting facts about the cathedral... for example, that it was completed in 1990 after a construction period of 83 years. And the interior of the nave is 10 stories high - and the top of the bell tower is equivalent to a 30-story building. I don't know how many people it holds, but I'm pretty sure there were well over 1,000 for the 8:00 service.
Here is the text of the sermon, which I thought was really meaningful, especially the exhortation to work to make a difference in this world, to give yourself to causes that matter, and to start doing things boldly. There are a fair number of aspects of Christianity that I'm not sold on, but the part that I feel really is vital, and what keeps me involved with the church, is the notion that we should - no, must - love one another and that our whole reason for being in the world is to do good for each other. It doesn't really matter to me whether there's a God or a heaven, there may be or there may not be, but until we find out at the end, there's a lot we each can do to ease the journeys of our fellow travelers. There, that's my sermon :-)
Happy Easter, Happy Spring, Happy Life!
Since this was to be Nikki's first time to come along with us to DC since Alex started school there, I'd told her a couple of weeks ago that she could choose the ethnicity of our Saturday night dinner [each trip we choose a different type of restaurant, since DC has them all - so far we've had Afghan, Ethopian, Indian, Italian, and Thai]. She chose Moroccan, and asked for belly dancers, too, if it wouldn't be too much trouble! And here you have it...
I looked online before leaving home, and made reservations for 7:00 at Marrakesh Palace, on P St NW, only a short walk from Hotel Madera.
The interior is very pretty, as you can see from the above photo I snagged from their website. We sat in the room in the photo, which has a big glass skylight, so it's like a middle-eastern courtyard, with a fountain in the center. We didn't get to sit on the silk-cusioned seats around the outside of the room, which I was slightly bummed about, but maybe you have to request those - or maybe they save them for larger groups, which there did seem to be a number of. Two gaggles of teenage girls in fancy dance-style dresses - we couldn't quite figure that out, since there were no young men with them, and eventually a middle-aged woman came in and shepherded them out when it was time to go. (?)
Dinner was quite tasty. First, there was bread and a variety of olives for the table. Nikki & I each chose a different red Moroccan wine, which unfortunately I can't tell you the names of, but we liked mine better - it was sort of spicier. I had Soup Harira to start, which was a spicy lentil soup, very yummy. Nikki tried the Zaalouk (a chilled roasted eggplant dish), and Alex had Merguez (grilled lamb sausage, which he said was excellent). For dinner, I had Chicken Mkali, which was a sort of stew [tagine] with whole pieces of chicken, preserved lemons, and lots of olives, interesting spices, yum. The others had lamb tagine, lamb stew, and shrimp kabob, all good from the reports. To finish, I had a coffee, which darn it, I can't remember what they called it, but it was like a cappuccino, but not quite. Al & Alex had tea, which was poured with a huge flourish from a gorgeous teapot into pretty tea glasses. I had a dish of very fresh fruit, which seemed to be drizzled with a slightly spicy honey. And according to the receipt, 2 chocolate mousses were eaten, but I don't recall who by or what they looked like [as I'm writing this 2 weeks later].
And to top it all off... a belly dancer, too! [this photo is mine]
Some of the other guests even got up and danced a little with her. Totally fun! Though Alex may have been a little embarrassed by so much wiggling right in his face... or wait, maybe that was me that was embarrassed, heh.
So anyway, not inexpensive, but highly recommended for a fun and different dining experience!
After dinner, we walked back to the hotel, and lounged around for a bit watching the Pitt game, then I drove Alex back to his apartment - got back just in time for the milk and cookies in the lobby! And I was able to make warm milk since there were mugs and microwave in the room! I love this hotel!
After we checked in at the hotel, the kids and I headed into the city to go to the International Spy Museum. We walked the couple blocks to the DuPont Circle Metro station, and while Alex easily added some money to his fare card that he uses all the time, I was having technical difficulties buying cards for Nikki and myself (difficulties in the sense that I wasn't understanding the system quickly enough for the impatient kiddos). After a couple failed attempts, the end result was that the machine ate a $10 bill. We were just working out "why", and "what to try next", when a Miss ________ [unfortunately I didn't catch her name, so I'll just call her Miss WMATA] came over from her monitoring booth to see if she could help. I said I thought we had it figured out now, thanks, but Nikki (the ever-assertive) told her the machine ate our $10. Miss W said "well, just follow me", and she took us to the booth where she filled out an envelope form which theoretically will get us our $10 back in the mail, and not only that, but she comped our ride by calling ahead to the Federal Triangle station where we were going, and told them she was sending us through and to let us out with no charge! She gave us a "secret" code number to repeat at the other end, but as it turned out, they didn't even ask for it. So that was all a pleasantly surprising experience with the Metro Authority!
On the other hand, the Spy Museum idea was a bust :-( By the time we got there it was about 4:00, and all the entry tickets were sold out for the day (I had expected maybe the "Operation Spy" tickets would be gone, but I hadn't thought about not being able to get in at all!) ... we decided it must have been because of the Easter weekend. I still really want to go there, so we'll try to reserve tickets online next time, I guess (or get there earlier). Bah.
So we pondered what else we could find to do so late in the day, but yet still make it back to DuPont Circle for our 7:00 dinner reservation.... We spotted the National Portrait Gallery across the street, and although we weren't all that interested in it, we popped inside to try to find out the hours for the various Smithsonian museums, and a list to choose from. While inside, we headed out the opposite door, and found ourselves in this great courtyard [which I saw in this Sunday's newspaper was named to a list of 7 modern architectural wonders!]. My photo doesn't do it justice; you should check out the link for better pix.
So anyway, we looked at a map, and decided on the National Aquarium, having never been there, so I checked the Nav on my phone, and we struck out. When we found ourselves on Pennsylvania Ave, and at the proper end of it, I suggested we at least take a quick look at the White House, even if it would probably be impossible to get a tour (do they even do that any more?). So we trekked over there, and they had apparently just opened up the sidewalk which had been barricaded, so lots of people were swarming in to take photos through the wrought-iron fence. It's certainly a much different setup than when I was there in 1969 or so. More secure, I suppose, but also less American it seems to me. As you can maybe see in the photo, they were setting up for the big Easter Egg Hunt or whatever it is they do there on the lawn for Easter. We wondered to ourselves how kids get picked to participate in that? Sons and daughters of oil barons perhaps? :-)
[Digression: I went to Washington DC as a child with my family in 1968 or 1969. I know we went for the cherry blossom festival because I've seen the photos, but the images I remember are: the changing colored lights in the fountain below our hotel window, standing in line to tour the White House, and not being able to go to the Washington Monument because of a "hippie" (per my Dad) protest there, where they were pulling over the flagpoles as I recall, but that may just be a child's eye...]
So, on to the National Aquarium... another bust. The sign said it was only open till 5:00, and by then it was about 4:30, but also it cost $5, not $0 like many things, so we didn't feel it would be worth it for 1/2 hour when it probably is no better than our Pittsburgh AquaZoo. Sooo, we decided on the Natural History Museum, having not been there for a while. Another bit of a trek, but I figured I was pre-working-off my dinner! Nikki recommended the nature photography display, which really was fantastic! In fact, I noticed Beanie had recently posted a bunch of these photos - you should check them out! In the gallery, they're all blown up to a very large and wonderful size - just astounding!
We also especially liked the skeleton exhibit (which I don't really recall from previous trips), and the insect zoo. After the gem & mineral exhibit, our feet were tired, and it was about time to find a Metro station and head back, which we were able to do uneventfully.
We drove to the Hotel Madera (very easy to find, about 1-1/2 blocks off of Dupont Circle), and everyone waited in the car parked illegally while I ran in to find out what we were to do with the car. The desk clerk called for the valet, because apparently that's the only way to park, besides taking your chances with finding a spot on the street (basically nil). But luckily (and here's the cool part!) because we drive a hybrid car, the normal $35 overnight valet fee was waived! That's just one of the eco-friendly aspects of this hotel (and apparently of the whole Kimpton chain), that I really liked.
I really liked our room itself, as well - very stylish and well-appointed.
Here's my SUSAR (highly subjective) rating:
Amenities: Aveda toiletries (rosemary-mint shampoo, and the like, mmm), leopard-print bathrobes (and for-purchase PJ's in the closet), nice little kitchen and office space, complimentary goodies (wine at 5:00 [which unfortunately we missed], cookies & milk at 10:30 [a little disappointing to find cookies meant Oreos though], organic coffees & teas in the morning), a decent selection of magazines in the room (including Body+Soul, one of my favorites). Parking is valet-only, but as I mentioned above, it was free to us, and in any case included in-and-out privileges upon just a call to the front desk, so it was fine for a city hotel. Another nice feature was that after I made my online reservation, I received an email offering $5 upgrades if they were available when we checked in (for example, to a "cardio" room which included a stationary bike, or an "entertainment" room which included more of a home theater arrangement). Free wireless internet, though we didn't have any computers with us. I'm giving it a 4.5.
Aesthestics: No question - a 5 - just look at their website and especially the Virtual Tour link for an idea of the coolness of the decor. I absolutely loved it!
Sleep Quality: The beds were very comfy, and the feather comforter and pillow didn't hurt, either. We were on the 6th floor, so I can't speak for the lower-level rooms, but we heard no street noise that I can recall. 4.5
Food: Well, it's not a B&B, so no free breakfast, but we did have Easter Sunday brunch at the attached hotel, the Firefly (post later), which was very good, so I'll count that. And actually there was a note on the menu that said something about a Hotel Madera voucher being good for a continental breakfast, so maybe on the weekdays there is a free breakfast. 4 on the food.
Location: I see I had given the Inn at DuPont Circle a 4 on location, but that's mainly because all we were doing that trip was taking Alex to school. This time we also wanted a good selection of dinner restaurants and proximity to the Metro for a trip into the city, so I'm giving it a 4.5.
Staff: All the desk staff, the valets, and everyone we came into contact with were very friendly and helpful. I had called the hotel Friday to ask if they knew where we could eat on Easter Sunday, and they suggested their restaurant of course, but also when we checked in, there was a 2-page printout of other local restaurants serving brunch on Easter, which I thought was thoughtful. They were able to direct me to the nearest drug store, and I heard them finding somewhere for another guest to catch the Man U match on Sunday. 5 for the staff.
Value for the $: Our room was $149 for 3 adults with 2 queen beds, which I thought was very reasonable for DuPont Circle. It was less than the Inn at DuPont Circle, which I didn't like quite as much, and a little less than Kalorama Guest House, and less than half of what we paid per night on Long Island in December. So I'll give it 4.5
Overall score is 4.6 - I highly recommend the Hotel Madera (and I already have told everyone I know how great it is). We would definitely stay there again, even though it's not a B&B which is normally my preference. Not only that, but I would definitely like to try some of the other properties in the Kimpton group. I put my business card in a dish to try to win a free night, and also filled out their online survey after we got home which makes me eligible for a 2-night stay, so it would be nice if that works out.
The three of us drove down to DC to spend Easter weekend with Alex, rather than try to figure out a way to get him home for only 2 days. We left around 7:00, after breakfast and coffees at home (for a change), and headed out in the mini-snowstorm (enough, already!). It was variously snowy, sleety, and sunny all the way down - we even hit a snow squall right outside of DC!
We got there a little after noon, picked up Alex behind his building, and headed to Tenleytown for a light lunch (looking forward to our big dinner in the evening) and some grocery shopping for him (to make use of the car). He told us there were plenty of restaurants near the Safeway, and it was certainly true.
After parking at the store, we walked down Wisconsin a little way and spotted one called Casa Fiesta, which said it was Mexican and Salvadorean, which sounded intriguing. They served very good chips & salsa for the table, though I still like El Toro's homemade salsa better. I chose the ceviche, which is an aperitivo on the menu, but I wanted to be sure to save room for dinner at 7:00. It was extremely yummy, and a very generous portion - in fact I had them package some leftovers for Alex to take back to his apartment. I wasn't so thrilled about my choice of beverage; I tried horchata, which was a berry juice with milk (the waiter said it was Salvadorean and I really wanted to try some things I'd never had before), which I thought sounded good, but either it was too sweet, or I was too unsure whether he said almond milk (which some of the other drinks were made with) - I just couldn't get much of it down - luckily Al liked it and helped out, because I always feel bad not finishing something I've especially asked for. Everyone else enjoyed their lunches, too, though Nikki only ate the chips since she had just finished a sandwich she bought at Sheetz in Maryland. It was all pretty reasonable, too: $36 for the - well, I guess - 3 of us... reasonable for NW DC anyway.
After lunch, we helped Alex grocery-shop for the next week or so - I was so proud - he had a list written up and actual meals planned out involving actual cooking (spaghetti, crockpot sausage & peppers, etc). I think he'll be alright! He even has a Safeway shopper discount card! Though he did say after we got the total, that we weren't as careful shoppers as he usually was :-)
Then we carried all the bags up to his apartment and we put away the perishables while he checked online for info about the Spy Museum, which was what we had decided to do in the afternoon. And which he had been supposed to have researched prior to our arrival. Well, some things probably won't change ;-)
We met one of his roomies briefly, who seemed nice. They have the apartment arranged well, I think - and they've made good use of our ping pong table - they have one half folded up, and are using the other half as their dining table (and then of course if that were ever clean, they could play ping pong!). Alex gets to live in part of the living room (as opposed to one of the two bedrooms), so he and Nikki had gone to Home Depot in January when she took him down there, and he built a room divider with lumber and fabric (and using his construction experience gained at Castcon over the summer) - pretty nice actually! And the shelving unit constructed of cardboard boxes and duct tape was a great finishing touch!
So once we figured out how to get to the Spy Museum, we headed out to check in at our hotel first, since we'd be able to take the Metro or walk everywhere else that day. More posts to follow...
Since our B&B this time was a block from the National Zoo, we spent some time there Friday morning before heading home. We got there right when the zoo opened, before the steamy August heat got too bad, so the animals were also enjoying the cool morning. I think I got some pretty good pics.
We had just read an informational plaque about the Cicada Killer wasp, and as we hiked up the hill toward the Amazonia exhibit we heard a strange brrrr, followed the sound down near our feet, and got to watch the entire capture and kill of a cicada. Cicadas are a very noisy presence in DC in August, so these wasps have plenty of prey. They nab the cicadas out of mid-air up in the trees, bring them to the ground, and sting and sting until the larger insect stops buzzing and is still. Then the wasp efficiently dismembers the cicada and carries the body back to its home to feed itself and its brood. We felt like we were watching National Geographic or something.
When we went back past the panda habitat at the end of our walk, she (I think?) was being very reclusive for the crowds of people who were there by that time, so we were really glad we had come so early and saw the animals before they crept back into their shady nooks.
And remember, it's always free to get in to the National Zoo!
Quick Trip, as opposed to Whirlwind Trip, which was the December trip (down and back in one day, a whole 1/2 hour in the city).
Every trip must begin with coffee... we opted for the home-brewed Italian coffee this time. That means freshly ground espresso beans, stovetop Italian coffee maker, steamed milk, and cute mugs from Italy (these ones are Ciao and Uffa). M.m.m.m.m.
We got on the road about 9:30, after stopping at the bank for Alex to finally deposit his paychecks from working over break. We decided the last time that we prefer the 79-to-68 route over the PA Turnpike. This way we get to pass interesting things like "Noah's Ark Being Rebuilt Here!" as opposed to the backs of semi-trailers the whole time. Not as many trucks take this route because of all the steep grades and sharp turns (for a 4-lane). Of course it also gets pretty nasty in bad weather; 68 is the only road I've ever been on where I literally had to open the passenger door and lean out to see the white line to navigate. The weather wasn't actually bad this trip, just annoying (showers off & on).
Since we left later than usual, we ended up in Cumberland MD at noon, so we got off there for lunch. Once we figured out how to actually get to the downtown area, it turned out there's a very nice pedestrian city center (along with an inordinate number of banks). We parked in the Center City Parking Garage (for 50 cents an hour), and walked to the Baltimore Street Grill.
It's a pretty place, still decorated for Christmas, with a long bar, and sort of New Orleans-themed decor for some reason. I had a Bayou Burger, which meant it had barbecue sauce, cheese & bacon on it, very tasty, with quite good onion rings on the side. Al had a fried fish sandwich, and Alex had a meat-lover's pizza (surprise). Afterward, we headed next door to the Daily Grind for (what?) more coffees, good ones too. I also picked up a vegan Explosive Espresso Chip cookie (by Alternative Baking Company), because it looked really good, but it was only so-so (I mean, not bad, but the package had promised the best cookie in the galaxy, so perhaps my expectations had been raised too high... ).
We got into DC around 3:30 (no traffic snarls for a change), dropped Alex off at his dorm (had to go in through the adjoining building and wend our way through random conference rooms and back doors to get to his Hall, because we were apparently early), and then drove further in Massachusetts Avenue to the Inn at Dupont Circle. (Read more details here.) After figuring out the parking garage thing (park illegally to get a pass, drive a couple blocks to the garage, make ourselves understood to the attendants, walk back in the rain), we relaxed in the room for a couple hours. That is, Al crashed, and I read the Washington Post.
Alex called us when he got hungry around 6 (I mean, we had said that's what we were doing), so we got the car again, and went back and picked him up. I had told him to find someplace to eat online, and he came up with Neisha, since we were going to Tenleytown for his supplies anyway. (Read more details on Neisha here.)
After dinner, we decided to do his grocery shopping before going to Robek's for smoothies, because I wanted to go to Whole Foods instead of Safeway. I had never been in a Whole Foods before, if you can believe it, and oh my, I want one near home (the closest one is about an hour away). We told Alex we would spring for his initial fridge/pantry stock-up, since we were in the expensive store, so he got some good healthy munchies and drinks. We got some stuff for ourselves, too, while we were at it. Also, I bought a nice fabric shopping bag to add to my grocery shopping collection, and the whole purchase price went toward local hunger relief (bonus!).
Unfortunately, when we went to Robek's afterward, they had closed 5 minutes ago, so we didn't get to sample that delicacy, after the build-up we'd been hearing from Alex all evening. Or maybe it's just that he always has coupons for free smoothies that makes them so good...
When we took him back to his dorm, we said that when we were waiting for him to come out earlier, we had seen another student go in the door to his Hall (rather than the convoluted way), so we tried that. His card worked fine, and the door opened, but a guy appeared from nowhere to tell us we couldn't go that way (though we just had), and we had to go back out and around. So we went outside, and saw the guy get in the elevator, so we snuck through again, and made it this time (good example we're setting for our child, I know, but seriously if there was some real reason they didn't want people coming in that way yet, they could have just turned off the card reader).
After unloading and sorting groceries, we said our good-byes :~\
We went back to the B&B (again, details are here), and after breakfast we headed home through more rain.
So now here we are alone again, both kids back at school. Dinner when we want, clutter gone from the bathroom counter, no doors slamming at 2 am, reasonable grocery bills. But also, of course, we miss their smiling faces, movie- and hockey-watching companionship, sparkling dinner conversation, and constant activity. <3
Bittersweet, I think is what you call that.
On Friday evening, we went to Neisha, a Thai restaurant in Tenleytown that Alex has always walked past but never visited (being on a college-student budget). I wish I had taken a photo of the outside, because it's very striking (I'd noticed it before, too, on our few visits to Tenleytown - it's just outside the Metro stop). The inside is meant to be like a grotto I think, with faux rocks, stalagmites, and trickling water. Maybe a little kitschy, but I liked it nonetheless.
Our server was extremely friendly, and helped us Thai-neophytes understand what was on the menu. I was going to have a ginger lemonade, but somehow they were out, so I tried a Thai iced tea, which was freshly brewed spiced tea, with half-and-half on top, then iced (basically iced chai, I think, though as far as I could see in the dimness, it was orange) - very tasty. Al had Ichiban beer on draft.
We ordered Yum Talay as a shared appetizer, which was various seafood in a light citrus sauce. Note especially the textured item in the lower right corner of the photo... these were squid, which were hand scored and twisted artfully into a pretty shape. I didn't actually eat any myself, not being a fan of squid, but Al & Alex liked them.
I ordered Ginger Ginger Ginger (pork variety) for my entree, which was very tasty (and ginger-y). It was a nice-sized portion, and there was just a little left over for Alex to take back to his room.
Al had Barbecue Talay, which was basically the same things as the appetizer, but in a Thai barbecue sauce.
Alex had Kee Mao Kai, which was chicken in basil & chili sauce, with "wide noodles". He was a little surprised to bite into a hot pepper, thinking it was another basil leaf, but he's hardy :-)
We decided against dessert, because we planned to stop at Robek's, so our total bill came to $55, not bad really. Live jazz, too, which was an interesting touch for a Thai restaurant.
Overall, we enjoyed our meal very much, and would go there again (there are a lot more menu items to try!)
We stayed last night at the Inn at Dupont Circle, on 19th Street (near N) in Washington DC. We made a reservation here because Al's mom had been going to come along with us on this trip, and the Inn is very near the Dupont Circle stop on the Metro (easy access to downtown). As it turned out she wasn't feeling well, and the Inn could only rebook the room for Saturday night, so we figured we may as well stay here Friday night rather than lose the room money.
SUSAR score:
Amenities: 2 books and a couple Washington Posts in the downstairs sitting room. We hadn't brought any books, expecting there to be some, so we ended up watching Monk on TV. Meh. There were coffees & teas in the room, and desserts, juice, hot cider & coffee downstairs all evening, so that was nice; we did have some pineapple cheesecake and chocolate something, and hot drinks. A decent variety of toiletries, and fluffy bathrobes. Also, apparently you can get a free pass to Gold's Gym around the corner; we didn't have time to take advantage of that, but a nice idea. Parking was a little inconvenient (in a garage about 1.5 blocks away, but I realize it's the city. I guess I'll give the Inn a (3) despite the paucity of reading materials.
Aesthetics: This is an 1885 Victorian townhouse, very nicely kept. It was still decorated for Christmas, very pretty. I especially liked the front entry garden, hardwood floors, and breakfast solarium. Teddy bears and dolls I can do without, but it was less fussy than many Victorian B&Bs I've been in. Our room (the Crystal Room) was especially nice, gorgeous chandelier, private bathroom, window seat, etc. [There were not actually books on the shelf as shown in this photo from their website.] (4)
Sleep quality: I'm afraid we just aren't used to City noises; we both had a hard time sleeping what with sirens, late-night revelers, and early-morning garbage trucks, street sweepers, construction workers, and what-not. I'm not complaining... they're noises to be expected in the heart of a major city, but this is my sleep and my rating system, so they get a (3) on the strength of the comfy bed.
Food: Very good! Nina made our breakfasts to order... I had french toast with maple syrup, very cinnamon-y, and Al had an omelette with ham, tomatoes, and cheese. In addition there was a table full of yummy stuff: a cheese platter, sausage, ham, smoked salmon, coffee cake, freshly baked bread, coffees, teas, cereals, yogurts, cranberry & orange juice. We especially enjoyed taking breakfast in the bricked solarium, a charming little room with a plexiglas ceiling, tiled floor, and a burbling fountain. It was slightly chilly, being a rainy January day, but still nice. A (4) on the food, only because anyone is hard-pressed to compare to the Mill House Inn, which is my standard of B&B breakfast perfection.
Location: If we had ended up doing the tourist thing with Al's mom as planned, it would have been a great location. As it was, since all we were doing was taking Alex to school, it wasn't optimal, but still not bad, just a 15-minute drive down Massachusetts Ave. (4)
Staff: Carolyn and Nina were extremely pleasant and helpful, and the room was immaculate. Carolyn was very accommodating to our change in plans. (4) [In my world, a 5 would be all that, plus more personal interaction]
Value for the $: I think we ended up paying $185 +$15 parking (since we didn't need the 3-person accommodation). I don't think that's too bad for the area of DC we were in, but on the other hand the other two B&Bs we've stayed at in NW DC weren't nearly that expensive, and were nearly as nice. So, a (3)
Overall score is 3.6 out of 5, and I think we would stay there again if we wanted to be close to the city, so I would recommend it.
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