I recently went to Washington for a conference. The highlight was seeing the new portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Obama in the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Quite a crowd waiting in line to have photos taken next to a portrait.

We stayed near Metro Center at Marriott Metro Center. One restaurant we enjoyed was Zaytinya (at 9th & F), a Greek restaurant that serves small plates. My partner and I each ordered a sampler lunch that allowed us to try 4 different things for $25. Reservations are a challenge, particularly for dinner.

we went to the Hay Adams one night for an early dinner. Wonderful service, very good food, a table with a view of the White House. Not THAT expensive if you don't have wine. And they provided a complimentary ride home to our hotel.

We flew into and out of National. I read that extensive repairs are beginning soon at National that will make it more difficult to get around National..

I'm a big fan of Zaytinya! Also looking forward to seeing the Obama portraits.

wow, that was nice of a restaurant to drive you home!

they are starting construction at DCA in April, I think. So traffic around there may be impacted, but since there is a metro stn there, arriving and departing by metro shouldn't be affected, anyway, and that's what visitors should be doing, not driving probably.

>>>>So traffic around there may be impacted, but since there is a metro stn there, arriving and departing by metro shouldn't be affected, anyway, and that's what visitors should be doing, not driving probably.