 |
| From April 2011 |
My time in DC was a work trip… But when class was out, it was hard to imagine sitting in a hotel room or going down to the local mall for entertainment.
Everyday when class was over… I asked what the other guys were doing, and they were mostly reserved to do nothing or hitting a sports bar. I was lucky enough to find a kindred spirit on day one, we hit the Metra and rode into the heart of the Capital city on Monday night/afternoon. This initial icebreaker made it very easy to get around the rest of the week. No pressure after seeing the major stuff on Monday.
Quick synopsis of what I did:
 |
| From April 2011 |
Sunday Night: Dogfish Ale House for dinner and some fine craft beers.
 |
| From April 2011 |
Monday Night: Capital City Brewing for dinner. Mediocre local beer. 6 mile walk that included the White House, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial and a walk near the Capitol Building. Took the Metra back to the hotel. Well, near the hotel. My phone died and I had to get a taxi back after I couldn’t reach the hotel shuttle.
 |
| From April 2011 |
Tuesday Night: Met up with my Chris, who I know through our podcast. He showed me the ins and outs of what to expect at a Vietnamese Noodle house. We ordered Pho with tripe and tendon. Afterward we headed over to Dogfishhead Ale house (Round 2 for me) for a few brews. Later we hit a liquor store for me to grab some local beers for the voyage home.
 |
| From April 2011 |
Wednesday Night: After Chris and I had decided that we were equally normal… I was invited over to his house for a cookout. His son Ben was supposed to be cooking for the first time on the grill, but I think that Chris ended up doing all the work! Had a couple brews and drove back to my hotel. (Scared that any more beer and driving would be a BAD idea!)
 |
| From April 2011 |
Thursday Night: Hopped in the car and drove back into DC in my rental. Counter rush hour was pretty easy. (Oh, and the GPS was a lifesaver. Don’t leave home without it!) Drove to Arlington National Cemetery. Walked Grant BLVD for a loop around the whole area. I was filled with a knot in my stomach for the duration. This is not just a cemetery… This is a monument to people who built this country. Very intense experience. I did see the changing of the guard at the grave of the unknowns. Also saw the eternal flame at the Kennedy memorial.
On the way back to the hotel… I typed in the word “Pho” into my iPhone Google Maps ap… It popped up a restaurant somewhere along the way home. I stopped and had another dinner of Vietnamese Pho!
 |
| From April 2011 |
Friday afternoon: My flight out was scheduled at 6PM… And class let out earlier than normal for other people who had to get out on afternoon flights. I hopped in the rental again… Drove 23 miles south of DC to go and see George Washington’s home and tomb at Mt Vernon. This, is possibly one of the best preserved historical sites I have ever been too. They have done a brilliant job of keeping this house in good shape with all its original touches. I wandered the rest of the homestead… Not wanting to rush to the airport and sit… I decided I would try and hit one more spot.
I called my virtual tour guide, “Drew”, back at Toyota. Andrew had worked in DC for a few years and knew where to send me. His last advice, go check out the Pentagon and 911 memorial.
I got lost! At that point. Time was running out. So, I headed to Reagan National and watched Netflix movies on my phone before takeoff.
When my connection hit Atlanta… I was held up by weather. I watched some more Netflix. Top Gear and Buffy episodes to be exact.
I arrived in Bloomington about 1:30 AM Saturday morning!
LONG WEEK!