Well, Fodorites, thank you all for your amazing help on our trip to D.C. ? you know who you are ? and now, I?m very excited to add my very first trip report to the site! I hope you don?t mind as I?m making it very detailed ? but it?s just my excitement of the trip. I hope you like it- please note that the beginning is being written at 11:20 am Monday, October 25th, and I?ve been up since 3:30 a.m. because we had to catch an early flight out of D.C. (more on that later!) Well, here goes:

Thursday, 10/21 ? My DH and I decided to go to D.C. because Independence Air just came to Albany, NY and there were amazing deals ? we got our tickets for $101 pp. So we were flying out Thursday night at 6:45 p.m. Well, we were supposed to, but we were an hour and a half late out of Albany because supposedly Dulles airport was down to one runway for all planes going in and out of Dulles. It was weird because Independence kept making it a huge point during our wait that ?it?s not just us, it?s all airlines?. So they joined the 6:45 and 8 pm flights together (this is significant later) when we finally left at about 8:15 pm ? we were fine with that because we got to keep our exit row seats. So at 9:30 we are in the airport. One very bizarre shuttle ride later (I?ve NEVER seen shuttles like that before) we were at the area for the taxis. Going through the lines to get the taxi ? all I kept thinking was ?thank god it?s not a rush time? because it reminded me of a Disney ride, going back and forth ? if it had been full ? you would have had to wait there for hours!

Anyway, we went right through and to the taxi. Once we got in, my DH started his ?rap? with the taxi driver ? he loves to make friends with them. ?How long have you been a taxi driver??; ?Was the test to become a taxi driver hard??; ?Have you had any famous politicians in your car??; ?Is it a hard job??; ?What was the farthest drive you had to make?? I could go on forever with all of the questions he asks ? and he does this EVERY time! But at least it keeps him entertained so I can take a quick snooze. Well, that?s not true, I did ask one question because I was very suspicious about the whole Independence Air thing ? so I asked the taxi driver ?so has it been crazy at the airport with only one runway for incoming and outgoing planes?? He advised us that he had not heard of that at all and in fact it wasn?t true! We later learned that this is a new tactic of Independence when it has only a few passengers on the flight to ?combine? flights into one so they don?t lose fuel for so few passengers. So we were bamboozled. Anyway, about 45 minutes later, we got to the Grand Hyatt which is across the street from the Convention Center ? the fare was $45 ? about $10 less than I was expecting which is just fine with me!

We get into the hotel about 10:30 pm and we have to tip everyone from the doorman to the bell hop ? that?s the fun of a 4* hotel! I got the hotel for one night for $70 which was great considering the rack rate was +$200. We get to the front desk and the girl told us they only had NS two double beds. Now I had called earlier that morning asking NS kings size ? and actually I?m used to getting that because that?s what you usually get with PL. I told her that we really wanted the king size but they could not accommodate us. So for our trouble, she gave us coupons for two free breakfast buffets in the morning. Once we got our key, we really looked around ? the Hyatt was gorgeous! The lobby was a HUGE atrium with multilevel waterfalls and very beautiful.

We got to our room on the 7th floor which was VERY far away from the elevator. The room was a good size with the two double beds. Our window overlooked the convention center and the Capital Brewery. The room was very clean and the beds/mattresses were very comfortable. The pillows, however, were WAY too soft for our liking. We had intended to have dinner at the Capital Brewery but because it was after 11 pm and I was exhausted (I had been up since 5:30 am); and we wanted to watch the end of the Cards game (good job Cards!), we decided to splurge and get room service. Well, as it turned out ?splurge? was the name of the game this trip ? so, other than the hotel and airfare, this trip was unusual for us because we splurged on things we don?t normally splurge on like taxis, meals, etc. So this trip report won?t really be about what to save where for the most part, but I will tell you about what I spent on some amazing things and recommendations I would make. Anyway, my dh got a cheeseburger with fries, I got buffalo chicken tenders with fries and the meal was $30 with tip included. Watched the cards and went to bed, stuffed and happy to be in D.C.

(to be continued)

Next time you travel to DC, you can avoid that expensive taxi fare by taking the 5A express bus from Dulles to the Metro for $3.

Thanks Anonymous - you were one of the individuals I was thanking in the beginning - I knew about the express bus, but quite honestly, at that time of night, I was just too tired to deal with it - plus my dh would have been sad not being able to do his taxi "schtick".

OK, but let's assume that the next time you travel to DC yo won't be arriving so exhausted!

Friday, October 22 ? Although we had a late (for us ? I know, we?re wimps) night, we both got up early (about 7:30 am) because we were excited about the day ahead. In fact, I thought my dh was still asleep when in fact he caught me dancing a jig of excitement in the dark! Anyway, because of Priceline, we were only staying at the Grand Hyatt one night and then moving to the Hyatt Regency on New Jersey Ave. for the remaining three nights. The previous night, we had decided to wait until later in the day to make the move because we had a 10 am appointment with our Senator?s office for a tour of the Capital; however, we decided life would be easier if we just moved now. So instead of the free breakfast buffet (neither of us are breakfast people really) we packed up and took a taxi to the next hotel. Before we got in our taxi; however, our taxi driver got in a HUGE fight with another driver who was attempting to sneak in front of the taxi line at the hotel ? not very pretty to say the least. Eight dollars later (and one long discussion between dh and taxi driver), we were entering the Hyatt Regency which is a 3 star as opposed to the Grand Hyatt 4 star rating.

I actually liked the Hyatt Regency better! When entering, it reminded both of us of ?The Land? at Epcot. It has a huge triangular atrium and as soon as you enter, you have to go down a set of escalators to get to the main area which has an open air restaurant, open air bar, reception area, large (and very good) gift store, and a food ?court? where you can buy starbucks coffee, krispy kreme donuts, pizza, etc. We went to the reception without the expectation of getting our room because it was only 8:30 a.m. Lo and behold, however, we got our room and no mention of Priceline. For $55/night, we got a NS kingsize bed with the heavenly down comforter and wonderful mattress with a view of the pool. The room was gorgeous, and had a stark, kind of asian, influence. The hotel had just gone through a 25 million dollar renovation and it definitely showed. The room also had a nice chair and ottoman which I used extensively on those days my dh slept late, and a huge bathroom. All of the accents were silver and brown ? very classy. There was internet for $9.99 a day (you didn?t have to hook up for it) which we used.

To be continued . . .

After unpacking, we headed down the two blocks to the Capital and took a left on Constitution to go the Hart building where Senator Schumer?s office is located on the 3rd floor. The Hart building is the newest of the three Senate buildings. Unfortunately, there was A LOT of construction going on around the Capital so it was impossible to get a clear view of the Capital without seeing all of the construction. So our pictures all show the construction too which was kind of a bummer. Also, it was a dreary day so no sun and instead received some sprinkles (thankfully, I remembered the umbrella!). The security was relatively easy to get in the building and we made it to our appointment on time. The office was very crowded as there were 4 employees? desks and knickknacks and pictures everywhere. Brett, the tour guy, asked if it was okay if an intern took us on the tour. I was disappointed because my dh is a history junkie, especially when it comes to D.C. and Presidents; but we didn?t want to hurt the intern?s feelings so off we went. If you are coming to D.C., you have to contact your Senator for a tour if only so you can see the underbelly of the Capital and its legislative office buildings. There is a whole new world underneath those buildings so the legislators have quick access to the Capital when its time to vote. There are tons of mazes and they even have their own mini subway system to take them from their building to the Capital because a lot of times they only have 15 minutes to vote on an issue ? we got to ride the subway and it was amazing. Also in the underground they have a marble version of the statue on top of the Capital building which was huge and weighs about 20,000 pounds so it was neat to see it up close. To get from the legislators? buildings to the Capital, we had to go through another Security search.

Once in the Capital, we were first taken to an area where the Supreme Court first met which is now the Foreign Relations room and all of the beautifully painted hallways and ceilings which is now being retouched. The same individuals that spruced up the Sistine Chapel are now working on the paintings here. It was amazing to watch them because it appears such tough and delicate work. Also there are two ?newer? paintings ? one of the first moon walk and one honoring those who died in the 1986 Challenger accident ? I don?t know if they will be putting a painting for the 2003 Columbia accident because our intern didn?t really know much of anything. He was sweet; but my dh was actually teaching him things about the Capital. Then we went to the HoR side as the Senate side was closed (which vastly disappointed my dh as he works for our state Sentate). Anyway, they have a really bizarre system for seeing the HoR room. First, you get a ticket from your Senator?s office which you show to a guard who is standing at a door leading outside. Then you go outside of the Capital to another guard to get either a red or blue ticket (we found out later what that means). Then you go back inside the same door you just exited to go to the HoR room. Then you go down the hall, another guard looks at your ticket. If you have red, you go left; blue, right. We had red, so left we went and up the stairs to the gallery. We were disappointed because we found out if you had blue you got to actually go on the floor ? and those people could even sit in the seats! No pictures allowed so we looked for a few minutes (nothing learned from the sweet but inept intern ? he was new so it?s not his fault) and down we went. Then we went to the original ?little? rotunda of the Capital and then went to the basement of the Capital which had things to read and showed the exact middle of not only the Capital but of D.C. total. I guess GW (not Bush) was to have been buried there but when he got wind of it, he refused because he wanted to be buried at Mt. Vernon. The whole tour took about an hour.

To be continued . . .

After the Capital, we went into the Supreme Court ? the first time for both of us. It was exciting because we are both lawyers and my dh is a long distant relation to John Marshall. We entered the building and went over to where the Supreme Court sits where a big group of students was exiting. So my dh and I went in to take pictures and boy was I ever yelled at! I guess the room was just open for the students and the only time visitors are allowed in there is when a lecture is taking place ? OOPS! I wasn?t too bummed; however, as I got a good shot! Then we went downstairs to see the life and times of John Marshall ? and took the obligatory photo next to the huge Marshall statue. Then I looked at what is supposed to be this amazing freestanding spiral staircase (I have a thing for spiral staircases ? don?t know why, don?t ask) so I got a really cool picture of it. My dh of course asks, what?s the big deal? Then we headed to the gift shop where I got my first of many D.C. Christmas ornaments on this trip. My only surprise was that there wasn?t really a much of a museum ? so much history has been made by the Supreme Court, you would have thought there would have been more.

After the Supreme Court, we headed back to the hotel for a little rest and then for lunch. We ate lunch there because basically, we were lazy. I had the seafood buffet with soup and salad bar which was pretty good and my dh had a reuben. We both had drinks and it came to about $45 with tip. Although the Senator?s office scheduled a Library of Congress tour for us, we decided to bag it and instead walked the 10 blocks to Ford?s Theatre. Let?s just say that once you get a block off of the hotel, the area is not very nice. It?s weird to think that so close to the Capital there could be such an area but there we were. After 10 blocks to the Theatre, we spent a good time reading everything ? and for me, if I read everything, that means I?m really interested. The basement has a great museum which even has the clothes Lincoln wore at the time of his death. Then we crossed the street to the house where Lincoln died which was also impressive. The same bed was there and everything. What?s weird about this street though is that right next to Ford?s theatre is a Hard Rock Café blaring its music on the street ? seems almost sacrilegious. Horrible people that we are, however, we went right on in for a drink. It?s funny, because as a college student, I remember going here often because one of my college friends lived in D.C. and I don?t remember the Ford?s theatre being next to it ? how sad is that? Also, I remember LOVING it when we got to go there because I thought it was so cool. This time, however, I guess older and wiser, I was not impressed at all and thought it looked kind of dirty. Plus, we forgot what it was like being in a smoky bar because our state now forbids it. I didn?t really care about that ? it was just a change. Also, the only music they played was from the early 90?s and earlier ? Seal, 10,000 Maniacs, Beastie Boys, etc. Shouldn?t they get a little up-to-date? After a couple of drinks, we decided we were too lazy to walk the 10 blocks back and a $9 taxi drive got us back to our hotel. I know Anonymous is cringing everytime I say I used a taxi; but to be honest, it was my birthday weekend and I wanted to be pampered, relaxed and felt like it! 

to be continued . . .

I'm not cringing at all! I cringe when people refuse to take the Metro or to learn about it, but it's just one of many options. Certainly a birthday celebration justifies a cab!

Ford's Theatre closed in 1865 and the building went through a series of other usess, even being a warehouse; it re-opened as a theater in 1969. Hard Rock opened about 10 years ago. Since Ford's isn't open evenings and is so, um, understated compared to HR, it's not surprising that you didn't notice it.

Thanks Anonymous - we did use the metro on our last day as you will read - but boy was it a fiasco - but that's for our later report. So here is the rest of Friday:

At the hotel, we were getting ready for dinner at Old Ebbit Grill. We got there at about 6 pm and boy was it packed! We had reservations and were seated in the main dining room. For those of you who havent been there before it is a HUGE restaurant on 15th across from the Treasury Department building and is the ?whos who? place to go from what Ive been told. It has three bars and all of these different rooms and boy do they do a good business! The dinner was heavenly. We shared a cheese plate appetizer, my dh had the tbone steak, with Toms potatoes and creamed spinach. I had the crabcakes (a must there) with mashed potatoes (it came with sweet but I requested the change because I hate sweet potatoes) and fresh green beans. We shared a bourbon pie dessert with ice cream. All of that, plus a bottle of wine, cost $120 with tip. Very much worth it!

After eating, we went down a block to the Washington Hotel. We were told we had to have drinks at the Sky Terrace because there is an amazing view of the White House and Washington Monument. Because of the time of year, i.e., it was chilly, they had clear plastic sides up which made it a little difficult to see. Thankfully, there were slits where you could put your camera through to take pictures. I think I built it up too much in my mind though because it wasnt as great of a view as I thought it would be. Also, you pay for that view because it was $24 plus tip for two martinis and a wine. Finally, they play the cheesiest 1980s music very loudly. My dh wondered why they didnt play something a little more formal. Oh well. So I would recommend going, but just realize that the view may not be as spectacular as you expect. We were glad we went but once was enough. After our drinks and a $10 taxi back (sorry Anonymous), we went to bed for the night.

to be continued hopefully tomorrow . . .

Enjoying your report - great work!

$24 for two martinis and a wine sounds like a fairly reasonable price in DC, actually.

Thanks Bardo - I'll do my best to keep it up! And is that really true Mike? I live in NY and I don't think I've spent that much on drinks before - maybe in NYC but it seemed like a bit much to me.

BTW, I forgot to say that for each hotel it's $30 a day for car - so I didn't feel so bad using the taxis.

When you can...I'd love to hear more about your stay at the Grand Hyatt-your room-did you get the standard one?, whether you think an inside view would be better than outside view, and the area around there. Thanks-thinking about staying there next spring.

Sure Laurelee, just remember we got in late and left early. But this is what I can tell you. Got out of taxi, doorman in your face - grabbed luggage to put it on a watchamacallit - luggage carrier so you don't have a choice but for them to take it - had to tip him. Then he gives it to another guy to take it to your room so then you have to pay that guy - and they make it so you look like a jerk if you object - or maybe we're just sheep. Front desk very nice - no mention of Priceline and when they couldn't accomodate our request, they gave us the free breakfast.

The lobby was gorgeous - the atrium was approximately 10 stories high and had a huge flag hanging from the top. There were waterfalls and a "pool" one floor below us which also had a nice martini bar and what seemed to be a nice restaurant. We didn't use either. Our room was facing the outside - the convention center which we heard is going to start a MAJOR construction project very soon, I think this spring. So outside view may not be what you want. The atrium view, however, while may be beautiful, may also be noisy b/c of the waterfalls, etc. I don't know bc we didn't have that type of room.

We had a standard room with two double beds, TV, liquor bar (they asked if we wanted a key and we declined), desk and internet service (I think 9.99 night). The mattresses were great but the pillows were horribly soft - didn't feel like we were sleeping on any. Room service was quick and not bad - my dh loved his cheeseburger, I was okay with my tenders - not the best I had but okay. I did think the menu was pretty expensive.

The area was okay. About 2 blocks one way to Ford's theatre and 3 blocks the other way to the White House.

Honestly, I liked the Hyatt Regency better, both with the hotel itself and location so would recommend that over the Grand. If you have any other questions, let me know!

Okay, here's some more!

Saturday, October 23, Happy Birthday to me! I woke up at about 7:30 am, sat in my nice chair and ottoman and read until my dh woke up at about 9:30. Before that though, I found three birthday cards he hid in the bathroom as a morning surprise because he knew I would be up early. He didnt buy me a present because he wanted me to get something nice on my trip Sunday to Alexandria. Anyway, we got up and decided to walk to the Air and Space Museum. What a gorgeous day! The sun and blue skies were out and the temperature was perfect. Also, it was AIDS walk day so the streets around the Capital and in the Mall were closed off to traffic which was great because we did not have to wait for cars and could just walk back and forth over the street to take pictures.

On our way over to the Air and Space museum, we noticed that the new American Indian Museum was open. It opened on September 21. So we decided to go in. It was beautiful on the outside, it looked like it was naturally made by the wind or something. On the inside once you entered, it looked exactly like the Guggenheim in NYC. I was excited because I thought I saw on the second floor a section about Roanoke Indians because I am from Roanoke, Va., but it ended up being a store. The exhibits were on the 3rd and 4th floors. I did not think the maps we were given were helpful at all. Also, I hate to say this, but I did not like the museum. It did not seem to have many actual artifacts at all. Instead, it had a lot poster like signs talking about Indians but we could not find anything historical. My dh said we were probably just missing it, but we looked through everything. And I do not like just reading signs about things with poster size pictures. I want actual items. So after we got into the elevators to leave, I told my dh that after all the Indians went through, I felt really guilty for not liking the museum. If you have been there, please tell me if we were missing something because we will check it out next time. There are some very beautiful waterfalls on the side of the building.

Then onto next store to the Air and Space museum which is my dh?s favorite place. My dh starts drooling over the rockets in the very beginning of the museum. Then we went upstairs to where Einstein?s Planetarium was starting a show at 11 am. The guy told us we could go into that show at 10:59 and then became the slowest person in the world getting our tickets to us. It was weird because he kept doing it with this plastic grin on his face like he was a pod person. Finally, I had enough and asked him to hurry up. Then, although the door person saw the whole exchange, she chastised us for being late and to hurry up and get in the planetarium. So we found our seats as the planetarium was not even a quarter filled. I have to admit something here . . . planetariums make me fall asleep. Between the darkness and the seats that lay back, I am done for. It does not matter if it was 10 am, 10 pm or 4 in the afternoon, I would fall asleep. And it is better that way because I get horrible motion sickness if things move by my eyes too fast so the few times I have not fallen asleep, I have felt sick. So my dh said this 25 minute presentation was very good. Then we went to the 11:30 am Imax showing of the 3D International Space Station, voice over by Tom Cruise. That theatre was packed. For the tickets to both, it was $26 total for the 2 of us. Plus, if you keep the ticket, you get a discount at the Imax theatre in the American History museum. We thought it was absolutely worth it and the 3D show is NOT and I mean it, NOT to be missed. It was amazing! I learned more about the Space Station then I thought possible. We felt like we were really there between the 3D and sound effects. It was 45 minutes long but even the kids were enthralled the whole time. Now there are 3 Imax shows to watch but the museum says this one is the best and I definitely believe them.

After the show, my dh decided he was hungry as we had not eaten yet. And when he has not eaten, he gets GRUMPY. So we decide that, because we liked Old Ebbitt Grill so much the night before, we would go there to lunch. Well, my dh wanted to take a taxi and I did not care. The problem was finding a taxi. And then he got mad because supposedly a taxi passed while I was taking a picture of the Capital so we missed it. I asked, his arms were not broken, why he could not stop the taxi because in the amount of time he had done that in, the picture would have been dumb. I do not know about you other women out there, but I have to do EVERYTHING like that when it comes to my dh, I have to hail taxis, I have to ask for directions, I have to ask someone to take a picture, etc. It drives me crazy. When I ask why he does not do it, he says because people respond to me better. My comeback is how does he know that because he never does it. Plus, what does he do when I am not around? Anyway, I find a taxi and we are off to lunch. If I thought Old Ebbitt was packed the night before, it was nothing like it was for lunch! We decided to sit at the bar. Surprise, surprise, I had to find us the seats. Anyway, we loved our bartender and he totally fit the Old Ebbitt motif with a bow tie, full apron, goofy grin, short curly hair and mustache. You could almost imagine him back in the 1800s with the arm cuffs. He did a great job. I had a bloody mess (bloody mary with gin instead of vodka) and my dh had a couple of Foggy bottoms. Add that to a ? dozen oysters for dh, artichoke/spinach/crab dip for me and each had cheeseburgers, it was about $50 with tip; and boy was it yummy! We were very glad to have gone back. I only have one complaint here. I collect shot glasses and I really wanted an Old Ebbitt Grill one . . . but they do not sell them! How could a restaurant with three bars not sell shotglasses! I was very disappointed.

to be continued . . .

radiofanatic-you mentioned you liked the hyatt regency better than the grand hyatt-can you elaborate on that-maybe I'll want to switch. Thanks.

Sorry it took so long to write again - things have been crazy at work. before I go into the continuation of the day of 10/23 - laurelee, I did like the Hyatt regency better - I thought it had better location and the rooms were nicer IMHO. If you have more specific questions, let me know and I'll answer them.

Anyway, I don't know if anyone is reading this, or enjoying the trip notes, but here is some more - still on Saturday, 10/23:

So at the end of lunch, we asked the bartender where the National Aquarium was because we knew it was only a block or so from the Grill. He said Baltimore! He also told us that the National Aquarium was horrible, in a basement and looks like aquariums you see at Walmart. Well, not to be deterred, I still really wanted to go because I could not believe it could be so bad being a quote national aquarium and all so off we went! Well, the bartender was being too kind. I was horribly depressed during the whole thing. For our 5 dollars each, we saw exactly what the bartender said we would see, fish in a basement in aquariums that look like they came from walmart. And so many of the fish, turtles, lobsters were in tanks by themselves. How lonely is that? And one turtle was in an aquarium which was painted black on the sides and the poor thing kept hitting his head against the side trying to go further than the walls. I was so depressed I thought I was going to cry. Plus, about half of the aquariums were empty because they were, quote, under renovation. From reading the history, I guess the government decided they were not paying for the national aquarium anymore so they subsist totally on donations and admission. Well, that is one place I will never venture to again.

We next went to the White House visitor center which was around the corner from the aquarium. We got there about 3:30 p.m. and there was actually a line to get into the center. I thought that was very bizarre. Plus, we were that close to actually having a tour of the white house. Our senator got us on the list but then at the last minute, an event was taking place so they had to cancel. We were told we were actually lucky because many times they do not bother telling you if it is cancelled and you go through their huge security check and show up on your day and they say too bad, so sad. But I was disappointed as this was my birthday and my dh had never been in. But we did like the visitor center. They had a neat presentation of portraits of all of the employees, showing the job and how many years they worked there. For some reason, my dh and I found it fascinating. The only thing I did not like about it was that they did not actually provide the names of the people so it seemed like their job was more important than their personality. My dh also went crazy at the gift store. You see, my dh is a Presidential fanatic. He can tell you all of the minute details of all presidents and our house looks like a shrine or museum to presidents. So he got many pictures but his favorite thing he bought was a leather bound two volume edition of a book called the Presidents house. Normally it was $200, but it was on sale for $50. Then he got excited because on the night of the election, he saw the set sitting on a shelf behind Bush at the White House. I bought two Christmas Ornaments, one of the north lawn side and one of the south lawn. Usually each year I order that years official White House ornament and I was excited to actually be able to buy one at the White House visitor center. The one for 2004, however, is EXTREMELY gaudy. It seems as if when the years progress, the more colorful and gaudy they are becoming. I was pretty disappointed.