In early May, Shawn had to travel to DC for a work convention. As we had a few times in the past, we decided to take the downside of working a weekend and turn it into something positive by turning it into a date weekend!
Shawn flew out Wednesday morning and I flew out Thursday late afternoon. While I didn't have much time in the airport lounge to grab dinner, I was treated to a first class upgrade - complete with champagne and dinner!
It was nice arriving at our hotel at 7:30pm and having it still be light out. DC is notably clean and full of beautiful architecture.
Within walking distance from our hotel was one of my favorite taco spots - Bar Taco. We jumped right into vacation mode with margaritas and tacos on the outdoor patio.
We both worked Friday. I worked at the Life Time Work Arlington location - just a short Uber across the river from where I was staying. I had full day of calls and work, but I did take a barre class over lunch and took advantage of the cafe for coffee and a smoothie for lunch. Love finding these locations while I travel.
After work, we sought out a couple locations Shawn had researched - starting with Zaytinya. This was an amazing Greek restaurant where we had kabobs, hummus and their version of a pisco sour. So good.
We had another stop in mind, but on the way, we went and toured through the monuments surrounding the National Mall in the dark. Zipping around on a shared Lime scooter, we were able to see everything illuminated at night.
Our last stop for the evening was at the City Tap House for an app and drinks.
Saturday started off with breakfast in the lobby and then Shawn having to head off to the convention. I had a couple stops in mind for the morning while he was busy. First was A Baked Joint coffee house and bakery. This place definitely had a following and had line to the door after I was settled in. I had an amazing banana maple oatmilk latte. Spendy ($10!) but worth it for a one time treat.
My next stop was to hit one of the Smithsonian museums. I landed on the American Art Museum and National Portrait Gallery since it was pretty close to the hotel. My favorite exhibit was the one of all the presidents. Shawn met me there toward the end of my visit.
For lunch, we made our way to the Wharf (again by scooter). This area had a very SoCal vibe - filled with nice restaurants, high end condos, a nice boardwalk and an event in progress. No surprise, we sought out another taco joint - Mi Vida. This one was also so good, but very spicy! We loved the heat wave and being able to sit out on the patio again.
After lunch, we continued our tour of the monuments. We went to the US Botanic Gardens, the Capitol building, saw the Library of Congress (you need to schedule an appointment to go inside) and Union Station. By then, we were ready for our evening checklist.
We started with drinks and apps at the Dabney Cellar. Had we not had a recommendation, we never would have found this place! Due to the perfect weather outside, they said it was quieter than usual. This led to excellent customer service and a nice long stay for us. Our dinner spot came out of a recommendation from the Zaytinya waiter as a spot for great Pisco Sours. I believe China Chilcano was a Peruvian restaurant. The food - and pisco - were amazing. Ended up being such a cool spot we were glad to have checked out.
Our last stop on our last night in DC was at dLena. Shawn had researched this spot as a nice spot for drinks at the bar. However, when we checked in with the hostess, she said if we just wanted drinks (they were busy), she had space for us downstairs. This was like a speakeasy parlor that we would have never known existed if she didn't mention it! She took us downstairs where we entered through the arched entry into a bustling bar area with cozy seating and live music! Cool way to end the night.
Our last day in the city started out rainy. We still had breakfast at the hotel and then went to Big Bear Cafe just north of our hotel. This place also seemed to have a cult following and we had to wait in a line out the door for my lavender latte and Shawn's black coffee. But, it was delicious and charming. One thing I loved was that this place seemed to be a hub of the neighborhood. Looking around the packed cafe, everyone was engaged in conversation - no one buried in their devices. I really loved that. And they had a farmer's market outside with live music.
The rain stopped and we just had half a day to spend in the city before heading to the airport. We wandered the mall so I could see some of the monuments we had seen in the dark also in the daylight, we had one more delicious meal at Bar Taco and we stopped at Founding Farmer's for drinks on their patio.
We had a great stay, saw lots of sites, ate amazing food and most importantly, appreciated the chance to connect outside of our busy family schedule at home!
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