Anyone planning on the Washington, D.C. trip next year?

[tchrrx]

We are interested in going next summer & I was just wondering if anyone else was going. I'd also love to hear from those of you who have already been on this trip.

 

[knewton64]

We are interested in going next summer & I was just wondering if anyone else was going. I'd also love to hear from those of you who have already been on this trip.

..in September of this year and also plan on doing a trip report.

So, if you want, also read my pre-trip report as I'd say in about a week, I plan on getting one underway.
I have a pre-day, solo-traveler, and love new traveling adventures.
Never been to the northeast USA & am looking forward to it -

CYA

 

[kristilew]

I haven't done the ABD for this, but we did spend our spring break this year in DC. I see there's an afternoon on your own - I encourage you to check out the International Spy Museum. It was so much fun! It takes about 2 hours to do the whole thing, and you may want to look into getting tix ahead of time - they do a timed entry.

 

[Princess Disney Mom]

You will love DC. I do.

 

[thatslygirl]

I love DC too I work at a hotel near the Smithsonian so if you need rec's on dining or anything, let me know.

 

[knewton64]

I love DC too I work at a hotel near the Smithsonian so if you need rec's on dining or anything, let me know.

Sunday Sept 20th time frame and would just love it to hear what you recommend for (dining) myself and possibly a small group (6-8 additional) of fellow ABD adventurers who will be enjoying their "Spirit of America" vacation.
Going to be staying at the Renaissance Mayflower hotel and don't mind if necessary to take a cab.

Thanks!

 

[thatslygirl]

Renaissance Mayflower is a beautiful hotel. You are in a pretty good location!

I do not know your budget or what type of food your party would likes to eat, but here are some suggestions. I recommend using opentable.com to book your reservations.

Keep TastingsJournal.com bookmarked as the guy who runs it has fab deals, usually 5-6 course meals for $45 per person. This week it's Tuscana West. I've eaten there for Valentine's Day a few years ago and it was very very pricey, so $45 is practically a steal!

GOOD AND SAFE BETS FOR LARGE GROUPS
Old Ebbitt Grill (Neighborhood: Metro Center/McPherson Sq)
675 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-347-4800
Website: clydes.com

Clyde's is a local chain and they serve New American food. They own quite a few restaurants in this area. There is a location in Georgetown and also at Gallery Place/Chinatown. However their most popular place is the Old Ebbitt Grill, which most consider a DC institution. Reasonably priced, you should find something for everyone here. It gets crazy crowded at lunch, make reservations if possible.


Dino (Neighborhood: Cleveland Park)
3435 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington DC, 20008
Phone: 202-686-2966
Online Reservations up to 10 - Private dining 11 to 60 guests
Website: dino-dc.com

Dino is near Cleveland Park and serves rustic-style Italian food. They boast a wide array of wines and run specials often. They usually have a "Restaurant Week" menu, 3 courses for $35.09. They do accommodate large parties and I once booked a room for about 8 people and they were really great with the service.


SPORTS & LOUNGE BARS
Public Bar (Neighborhood: Dupont Circle)
1214 18th St NW
(between N M St & N Connecticut Ave)
Washington, DC 20036
Website: publicbardc.com

This one just opened. I watched the NHL playoffs here. Very spacious. They didn't have a kitchen when I visited but if you want to catch a game, it is a very cool place. Three levels, large TVs. On the second level, huge booths with TVs at the booths. Even a TV in the bathroom sink. Drinks I thought were pricey but they do have a Happy Hour from 5-7 on weekdays. After the game is over it turns into an upscale place... methinks this place has an identity crisis going on.


Empress Lounge at Mandarin Oriental Hotel (Neighborhood: SW Waterfront)
1330 Maryland Ave, SW
Washington, DC 20024
Website: mandarinoriental.com/washington/

The hotel I work at It has free jazz on Fridays and Saturdays. Very swank but we have all types of guests. Also has outdoor patio, great view of the Tidal Basin!


Please let me know your preferences and I can make better suggestions!

 

[minniebeth]

I just wanted to add that we stayed at the Rennaissance Mayflower last summer and loved it, as we also ate at Old Ebbitt Grill and it was wonderful!

Thank you for the nice recommendations, thatslygirl!

 

[knewton64]

pretty good for day four (late pm dinner) of any Sprirt of America trip. Thank you for the food suggestions but that Sports bar suggestion you gave may trump Old Ebbitt - but hey..that's the nice part about planning an ABD vacation - the planning.

 

[thatslygirl]

I will keep you updated on Public Bar. We don't do sports bars very often but I thought this one was very cool. The only thing I didn't like was it was $22 for 3 drinks. My bf had a Yeungling and I had 2 vodka + cranberry. They didn't give us an itemized receipt but I guess the beer was $8 and my drinks were $7/each. But hey, that's DC for you. Their kitchen should be open by the time you come to town.

There is also the ESPN Zone that is not too far away from your hotel. The hotel is in the business district so it tends to be dead after 5pm. However, many places are within walking distance. Dupont Circle is very close and there is a farmer's market on Sundays from 10am - 2pm. Fresh apple and pear cider, mmm!

There are tons of Five Guys locations in the city but there is also a Fuddrucker's nearby too.

If you happen to be near the White House, the W Hotel should be opening very soon. It's on 15th Street and it's creating quite a buzz here, probably because a lot of hotels here are cutting back hours for staff but they are hiring for lots of positions. Their lounge is supposed to be really swank.

 

[Turtlemom]

I agree that Old Ebbitt is a great location and good landmark. Another suggestion if you want to see another part of D.C. would be to grab a cab to Georgetown and walk around the area of Wisconsin Ave. and M Street. There are some fun places around there and great shops and nightlife/window shopping.

Filomena (1063 Wisconsin Ave) has great Italian food on Wisconsin Ave (the pasta mamas are usually in the front window hand-rolling the pasta).

Mie N Yu on M street (3125 M St. N.W.) is a very fun Asian fusion place with a great atmosphere. Theres a lot to explore before and after dinner around that area as well.

Have fun!

Turtlemom*
*(a Chicagoan learning to love D.C. !)

 

[thatslygirl]

I used to work in Gtown and every day was a dilemma as to what to eat when I went on break

I like the desserts at Filomena's. They are great!

DC is catching the cupcake and fro-yo craze. There is a coffee shop called Baked & Wired on Jefferson that has the best cupcakes. Their coffee and tea is very good, too. Georgetown Cupcake is also very popular with lines out the door, but they charge a lot for a really small amount. I didn't think they were as good as Baked & Wired. The only two fro-yo places on M Street is Iceberry (not recommended) and the swirly goodness offered at Sweetgreen, a salad joint owned by 3 Georgetown U grads.

Mie N Yu has excellent drinks and decor. Food there I felt was expensive for the portions. We had a couple of drinks and shared small plates and it still came out to be $60 per person.

One of my favorite restaurants is Pizza Paradiso. My favorite is the Bottarga: Tomato, Egg, Garlic, Parsley, Parmesan, Bottarga (caviar). It sounds gross but it tastes heavenly.

Just heard about another prixe-fixe menu:
"Hook is now offering a two-course lunch for $19 or a three-course lunch for $24 during the week. Guests can choose any two or three courses from chef Jonathan Seningen's entire lunch menu and Heather Chittum's dessert menu, including the fabulous linzertorte pictured above.

The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m."

Hook is located in Georgetown and received lots of buzz when it opened because the former exec chef was fanatical about sustainable seafood. Those prices for lunch is pretty good as dinner is $$$.

 

[knewton64]

I used to work in Gtown and every day was a dilemma as to what to eat when I went on break

I like the desserts at Filomena's. They are great!

DC is catching the cupcake and fro-yo craze. There is a coffee shop called Baked & Wired on Jefferson that has the best cupcakes. Their coffee and tea is very good, too. Georgetown Cupcake is also very popular with lines out the door, but they charge a lot for a really small amount. I didn't think they were as good as Baked & Wired. The only two fro-yo places on M Street is Iceberry (not recommended) and the swirly goodness offered at Sweetgreen, a salad joint owned by 3 Georgetown U grads.

Mie N Yu has excellent drinks and decor. Food there I felt was expensive for the portions. We had a couple of drinks and shared small plates and it still came out to be $60 per person.

One of my favorite restaurants is Pizza Paradiso. My favorite is the Bottarga: Tomato, Egg, Garlic, Parsley, Parmesan, Bottarga (caviar). It sounds gross but it tastes heavenly.

Just heard about another prixe-fixe menu:
"Hook is now offering a two-course lunch for $19 or a three-course lunch for $24 during the week. Guests can choose any two or three courses from chef Jonathan Seningen's entire lunch menu and Heather Chittum's dessert menu, including the fabulous linzertorte pictured above.

The restaurant is open for lunch Tuesday through Friday 11:30 a.m. -2:30 p.m."

Hook is located in Georgetown and received lots of buzz when it opened because the former exec chef was fanatical about sustainable seafood. Those prices for lunch is pretty good as dinner is $$$.

......I plan on working more on my trip trip report this weekend so a huge thank you to all for the kind suggestions.

P.S. also..... in a few more days, I receive my ABD backpack .

 

[knewton64]

oops! double posting!