*We went for 6 days & 5 nights (Wed.-Monday evening) got a great rate for a flight out of HOU to Reagan National*
HOTEL:
The Capitol Hilton - a great hotel for us! We had a double room, and it is literally 2 blocks from the White House! Everytime we crossed the intersection to get to the metro, we would look to the left & see the White House - beautiful! The staff were great & very helpful as well!
WEDNESDAY, AUG.15:
We arrived around 7p to our hotel, checked in, touched up & headed out to dinner - it was after all, P & my anniversary! We needed a nice meal (& momma needed a beverage!) to unwind & plan our day ahead.
Dinner:
PJ Clarke's DC - great family place! Really packed for a Wed. night,but, we walked in & got a table right away! It was Restaurant Week in DC (woo hoo!) & we knew we were in for a good meal!
The Girls settled on Burgers & Sliders (can't go wrong with that either!) & Parmesan tater tots (their appetizer!)
P & I decided to go the Restaurant Week Menu way....I had a Wedge Salad,Steak Frites (something SO good about a steak & french fries!!!) & the Brioche Bread Pudding for dessert - oh, what did I have to drink you ask?? Well, I had the #9 "Love Me Long Time Cosmopolitan" - the name made me giggle, & so I HAD to try it! It was tasty (Lemon Vodka, Passion Fruit Puree, Cointreau,Cranberry Juice & fresh Lime Juice) - but, I would say, a tad too sweet for me.
P had Calamari as his appetizer, and the Crispy Chicken Breast as his entree, dessert was Key Lime Pie (which was decent, but, I'm a FL girl, & I KNOW Key Lime Pie!) - & he was smart, & had a tasty glass of Pinot Noir with dinner.
My Cosmo & P's Pinot
All in all, we were all well fed & ready to snooze....but first, a little walk down 16th St. & we had the most amazing view of the White House at night...all lit up, it was breathtaking, check it out:
 |
| The White House all lit up! |
We had a quick breaksfast at Cosi - a small bakery/quick lunch place...it was decent, it had coffee, bagels, pastries - enough to get us going for the morning. But, nothing to write home about, for sure! Got out Metro cards (very easy to use, once you know what lines take you where!) & hit the deck, running since we had a 9am tour (courtest of Sen. John Cornyn of TX!) at the White House!
The WH tour was self guided, so we got through it pretty quickly - we saw the State Dining Room, the Blue Room, the Library to name a few. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed that despite the trouble we went to (with requesting the tour from Sen. Cornyn's office etc., 4 months in advance!) - it was SO quick! I expected more than a self guided tour I guess...After a few pictures outside, we went to the WH gift store & bought a few souveniers...& got a picture or two ;)
 |
| Our First Family! |
Next we also went & did the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History (to be honest...not my thing, nor the kids' thing either...the hubby loved it! The girls & I figured, we had seen Sue the T-Rex, at the Field Museum already, & we didn't want to re-live that kind of museum again!) so, this was a very quick museum tour ;)
Lunch: we ate at the mall..nothing exciting...hot dogs for the girls,lemonades, sandwiches for us...that's ok though...'cause I had dinner all planned out :) :)
After we did a little more walking around, we went back to the hotel & it was Dinner time!
Dinner: at The Old Ebbitt Grill - this is the oldest restaurant in DC & it came recommended by many & it did NOT disappoint! M had chicken tenders & fries (with a Shirley Temple to wash it all down!) from the kids' menu & A (the normally picky one!) had a Margarita Pizza....it appeared with yellow tomatoes, instead of the normal red ones, & I have to agree with her when I say - the Yellow tomatoes made the pizza soggy (they are more juicier than the red ones!).
Now, normally P & I get totally different food items wherever we go (so we can share!) - but , this time...neither of us, was willing to "give" on the Crabcakes....
 |
| Yummy Crab Cakes with Sweet Corn Relish & Roasted Potatoes |
Full of Crab & pretty much nothing else - just the way I like my Crab Cakes! Add a glass of Chardonnay - & I was a happy, happy girl!
Full tummy & we walked by the WH (again!) & was off to bed...big day ahead tomorrow too!
