Our final stretch of road included a drive through the tiny top of Delaware {I, of course, was sure to say, "Hi, I'm in Delaware."--anyone? Neither of the girls understood} Maryland, and in to a bit of Virginia to get to Washington, DC.
So many huge rivers--and gorgeous trees--all along these highways.
Good morning Baltimore! We stopped for gas--and coffee, of course--at a little shop in Baltimore. The owner was originally from California and accidentally charged us twice for my iced coffee. {I also sang, "horses, horses, horses, horses" on the drive through Baltimore--anyone?}
Our fantastic friend Cheryl's previously mentioned list was about to come in wicked handy, as we pulled in for a late lunch in Georgetown. I'd never been there before--that town is adorable! I want to make friends with a multi-millionaire so I can sleep over in one of those houses sometime.
We were told to eat garlic bread with Gorgonzola and cream sauce at an Italian restaurant called Paper Moon and then go for coffee and treats at Baked and Wired. I'm telling you, Cheryl could plan your next trip for you...or at the very least, the food stops.
My peanut butter cookie and chocolate ice cream Sammie.
The Duke Ellington School of the Arts
We had a deadline for our car return and knew, in rush hour, it would take us at least an hour--if not more--to get to the airport. We thought we'd check in to the hotel, get ready for the night, and ask for dinner recommendations from the concierge on our way to return the car.
As she checked in, Sara mentioned that we were in town for a special occasion and the woman upgraded our room to the TOP floor of the building with the best view. So, this was the view from our hotel room's BALCONY. We could even see the monuments lit up at night!
Talking to the concierge(s) turned out to be the best decision ever! Not only did they give us an incredible dinner recommendation, but they also called the car rental place to let them know that we'd be returning our car to a closer location--saving us two hours AND about $75. Come on, concierges!
Oh yeah! When we showed up to turn in the car, we had about 3/4 tank of gas and did not see one gas station on the drive. So we knew we'd be getting a little screwed by the refueling charge. When the man told us he'd have to charge us $17 a gallon, and we mentioned that we didn't see a gas option, he said, "It's okay, I'll just charge you for one gallon." (!!!)
So, metro to China Town. Suuuuper good dinner--including a trio of desserts that contained espresso dipping chocolate, cinnamon donut holes, chocolate souffle with vanilla ice cream, and three scoops of fruit sorbet. (Obviously, I skipped the sorbet.)
Then. We walked up the street to the W Hotel where we could see the entire illuminated National Mall from the rooftop bar. (Joke's on them: we didn't even order a drink! We just took a few photos and left!)
The doorman at the hotel said it would still be very safe for three girls to walk through the mall at this hour. So, that's just what we did!
A nice couple took about a dozen photos of us and this was the best one. Read: the only one that does not have the Washington Monument coming out the top of my head...sorry, Sara, your closed eyes will have to do.
We spent over half an hour here. Through misty eyes, I consider the hundreds of thousands of lives that were changed--better--FREE because of Lincoln's willingness to fight to abolish slavery.
A brief stroll back to the metro and we were back in our hotel where we made a lifelong friendship with our killer concierge, Herman. He took some photos of us and with us and then we headed upstairs to get ready for our last full day on the East Coast!
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