Washington, DC
Chuck Berry's Cadillac Eldorado
It’s been a couple of years, but we finally got a chance to spend some time in our nation’s capital. We decided to board Barnie at a place in Southern Maryland and stay at a hotel in the city.
We stayed at a wonderful little place called State Plaza Hotel. It was a good price, had on-site parking (if available) and was near the nation’s Mall. We thought we were just getting a nice budget place, but it exceeded expectations. Our room was a suite with a full kitchen (separate from the main room,) and a tiny office off the main room. The hotel also had a decent bar/ restaurant. It seemed a shame we were only there for one night. (LeeAnn wants me to include there are US Mail slots at each elevator, presumably to drop letters to be sent).
US Mail slot near the seventh floor elevator at State Plaza Hotel
Our goal was to spend the day at a few Smithsonian museums, but we didn’t get to as many as we planned. Our first stop was the newest museum, The National Museum of African American History and Culture. It still requires timed entry, but we were able to get tickets on my phone and go right in. I don’t know if it would be that easy on a weekend or holiday.
The museum is incredible. It’s really unlike any we’ve ever visited. Describing everything about it would be a fool’s errand, so let me say it’s beautiful and emotional. It’s roughly divided into two sections: history and culture. The historical sections are in the sublevels, with the 15th century being in the lowest level and progressing through time as we gently rise toward the surface. The somberness and respect shown in the historical section was, while not surprising, was good to witness and be a part of. We wound up spending hours just in the history section. We left for lunch only having gotten though 2/3 of it and emotionally exhausted.
This trainer used by the Tuskegee Institute is suspended from the ceiling in the history section of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
But I don’t want it to seem like its all heavy emotions. After lunch we went to the music, art, and movies section on the uppermost floor. It was a fun and joyous experience.
P-Funk Mothership
After that we spent some time in the sculpture garden at the fountain resting and enjoying a beverage. We intended to spend time at the art gallery, but only had time for some late renaissance and Dutch master pieces.
The fountain where we rested.
When the museum closed, we walked back to our hotel, taking a rest break in a watering hole about half way between the art gallery and our hotel.
The next day we walked to a place across from the Mexican Embassy called Founding Fathers, a local chain, for breakfast. Our meal was fantastic. We ate too much.
After that we checked out and drove to the Politics and Prose bookstore in NW DC. We got lucky and found a parking spot on the street right in front of the store. For those not familiar with large cities, that’s a find. We spend about 45 minutes there then drove to Union Market, mostly a collection of eateries and a meat market. It’s kind of sensory overload if you like eating. We were too full from breakfast to really enjoy all the food it had to offer, but we had a bit. I had some sushi, LeeAnn had wontons. Both were really good.
After that we drove back to southern Maryland. Barnie was super happy to see up when we sprung him from doggie jail (boarding).