Trip Report - Washington DC Metro Area
Jul 11th, 2007, 04:03 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,452
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Trip Report - Washington DC Metro Area
We just returned from a week in the DC area. We used to live there, but moved 3 1/2 years ago and this was our first return trip.
We drove from the Tampa area, as I wanted to shop at stores that have not found their way to here.
The trip up there was uneventful. We spent the night in Fayetteville, NC. I'd rather not name the hotel, as it was uninspired, but adequate.
We checked into the Courtyard by Marriott on Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria. We chose to stay in Alexandria because our son lives there and I don't like to drive in DC. The hotel suited our needs quite nicely - walking distance to Metro, under $100/night and free parking. They did have a shuttle bus to Metro, but we never used it.
We had most breakfasts at the Starbuck's across from Metro. The hotel had a buffet and we don't eat big breakfasts, so why pay for something we didn't want?
Restaurants worth mentioning:
Hana Tokyo - Duke Street in the Shops at Foxchase - it's always been reliable - I had yaki soba, my DS had chicken teriyaki and DH had tempura.
Bohio - 1026 King Street, Old Town, Alexandria - Cuban food - this place is fairly new - service was a little slow, but the food was delicious - the fried yucca was not greasy and served nice and hot with tasty mojo. DH and I ate marinated skirt steak (bistec de palomilla) and found it tasty and tender. DS had pork carnitas that were very good. The congris was tastier than the black beans and rice. The ripe plantains were very good, too.
Mitsitam - National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) - I had heard that their food was good. We had lunch there two days as we wanted to taste several things. The bean tamal with peanut sauce was very good (I would have added a little zing to the sauce); the quinoa patties with cilantro were outstanding; the chocolate soup was decadent; the wild rice salad was delicious as was the cold hazelnut soup. They had iced herbal tea, too.
Bamian - Bailey's Crossroads - Afghan - Nice restaurant, good food. I ate meat dumplings with meat sauce, DS ate a vegetarian version and DH ate a rice and meat sauce dish. The pistachio baklava we ate for dessert was excellent - not too sweet.
Ted's Montana Grill - across from Eisenhower St Metro - we all ate buffalo burgers. They were tasty and the restaurant was nice and the service was good.
Shopped at Ikea (coming to Tampa in 2008), Trader Joe's and the Container Store among others. Those are among the places I really miss. Visited a Wegman's (WOW!)
Enjoyed the Folklife Festival. Spent the 4th on the Mall. Visited NMAI for the first time. I especially liked the labels that were "signed" by the curator. I always like to know who to contact if I have any questions (or complaints). Spent an afternoon at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The last time I had seen most of those aircraft, they were in parts at Garber. I had seen the shuttle and blackbird in their hangars at Dulles years ago, but it was nice to see them on exhibit.
We visited with friends and family and had a very good vacation.
On the return, we stayed in Florence, SC at the Fairfield Inn (spending a couple of hours in Fredericksburg visiting former professors took up a few hours so we didn't get too far on day 1 of the return). The customer service was outstanding. The "continental breakfast" was one of the best I've ever had. It had many healthy choices and a "Breakfast Ambassador" to make sure you got what you wanted.
I will be happy to answer any questions. Sorry to be so wordy - I hope I haven't bored you too much.
We drove from the Tampa area, as I wanted to shop at stores that have not found their way to here.
The trip up there was uneventful. We spent the night in Fayetteville, NC. I'd rather not name the hotel, as it was uninspired, but adequate.
We checked into the Courtyard by Marriott on Eisenhower Ave. in Alexandria. We chose to stay in Alexandria because our son lives there and I don't like to drive in DC. The hotel suited our needs quite nicely - walking distance to Metro, under $100/night and free parking. They did have a shuttle bus to Metro, but we never used it.
We had most breakfasts at the Starbuck's across from Metro. The hotel had a buffet and we don't eat big breakfasts, so why pay for something we didn't want?
Restaurants worth mentioning:
Hana Tokyo - Duke Street in the Shops at Foxchase - it's always been reliable - I had yaki soba, my DS had chicken teriyaki and DH had tempura.
Bohio - 1026 King Street, Old Town, Alexandria - Cuban food - this place is fairly new - service was a little slow, but the food was delicious - the fried yucca was not greasy and served nice and hot with tasty mojo. DH and I ate marinated skirt steak (bistec de palomilla) and found it tasty and tender. DS had pork carnitas that were very good. The congris was tastier than the black beans and rice. The ripe plantains were very good, too.
Mitsitam - National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) - I had heard that their food was good. We had lunch there two days as we wanted to taste several things. The bean tamal with peanut sauce was very good (I would have added a little zing to the sauce); the quinoa patties with cilantro were outstanding; the chocolate soup was decadent; the wild rice salad was delicious as was the cold hazelnut soup. They had iced herbal tea, too.
Bamian - Bailey's Crossroads - Afghan - Nice restaurant, good food. I ate meat dumplings with meat sauce, DS ate a vegetarian version and DH ate a rice and meat sauce dish. The pistachio baklava we ate for dessert was excellent - not too sweet.
Ted's Montana Grill - across from Eisenhower St Metro - we all ate buffalo burgers. They were tasty and the restaurant was nice and the service was good.
Shopped at Ikea (coming to Tampa in 2008), Trader Joe's and the Container Store among others. Those are among the places I really miss. Visited a Wegman's (WOW!)
Enjoyed the Folklife Festival. Spent the 4th on the Mall. Visited NMAI for the first time. I especially liked the labels that were "signed" by the curator. I always like to know who to contact if I have any questions (or complaints). Spent an afternoon at the Udvar-Hazy Center. The last time I had seen most of those aircraft, they were in parts at Garber. I had seen the shuttle and blackbird in their hangars at Dulles years ago, but it was nice to see them on exhibit.
We visited with friends and family and had a very good vacation.
On the return, we stayed in Florence, SC at the Fairfield Inn (spending a couple of hours in Fredericksburg visiting former professors took up a few hours so we didn't get too far on day 1 of the return). The customer service was outstanding. The "continental breakfast" was one of the best I've ever had. It had many healthy choices and a "Breakfast Ambassador" to make sure you got what you wanted.
I will be happy to answer any questions. Sorry to be so wordy - I hope I haven't bored you too much.
Jul 13th, 2007, 05:26 AM
#2
Join Date: Aug 2004
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Sounds like you had a nice trip! I didn't come from a place that has Trader Joe's, but now that I've experienced I don't think I can ever move away! Still haven't made it out to Wegman's--I live in the District so it's over an hour away.
Jul 13th, 2007, 11:28 AM
#5
Join Date: Sep 2004
Posts: 7,142
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
That's becuase it's not the Landover you are thinking of - it's Woodmore. "Landover" encompasses a huge area, not unlike "Silver Spring".
The Beltway is the stark dividing line between the low cost apartment complexes inside the beltway and the $1,000,000 homes outside the beltway - not unlike the train tracks of old.
The new Wegmans will be close to the Woodmore Country club and golf course (there are two other private gold courses within 2 miles: Lake Arbor Golf CLub and Enterprise Golf Club.
While both sides of the beltway are almost exclusivly African American, the differnce between just inside and just outside the beltway is like night and day.
The Beltway is the stark dividing line between the low cost apartment complexes inside the beltway and the $1,000,000 homes outside the beltway - not unlike the train tracks of old.
The new Wegmans will be close to the Woodmore Country club and golf course (there are two other private gold courses within 2 miles: Lake Arbor Golf CLub and Enterprise Golf Club.
While both sides of the beltway are almost exclusivly African American, the differnce between just inside and just outside the beltway is like night and day.
Jul 13th, 2007, 11:35 AM
#6
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I thought it was going on the old Landover Mall site, which was rife with crime problems which is what led to the Mall going under. Admittedly, the neighborhood could have improved immensely since then. You are correct, generally, about the inside and outside the beltway difference.
