Keoni and Bonnie

I like to take Kelsey, my ten year old niece on trips.  This year we decided on Washington DC and my brother, Jeff decided to go.  We had a great trip and great hotel experience!

First of all, Washington is such a good city to visit in a short time.  The metro is so easy and reliable and it takes only about 15 to 20 minutes from Ronald Reagan airport to downtown DC.  There are hourly flights from Atlanta, and of course, you could always go to Washington, Dulles.

We found a Hilton Garden Inn for 139.00 a night.  If you’re not familiar with these hotels, they offer lots of amenities.  Microwaves and fridges in the rooms, free wifi through out and a business center with three computers and copiers.  The service was very friendly and helpful and we even arrived at the hotel around 10:00 am and there was a room ready!  They also have drink and appetizer specials around 5:00 pm.  The hotel is right across from the metro and it’s 3 stops to the Smithsonian exit which is where all the museums and monuments are.

Our first stop was the Washington Monument then the Lincoln Memorial and on to the Vietnam War and Korean War Memorials.  It was hot and we woke up at 0430 in the morning so we went back to the hotel for a snooze.  Well, Kelsey and I did and Jeff took a dip in the pool.  I wanted to try a restaurant called Julia’s Empanadas so we took the train (with a few transfers) to the closest one.  It was not that great but it was cheap.

The next morning we got up and started going to some of the museums.  We started with the Air and Space Museum since it’s supposed to be the best one for kids.  It was interesting and very interactive for kids and free!  My favorite thing there was the art work of a former astronaut , Alan Bean, who’s art is based on what he saw on the moon.  He was with the first ones who landed on the moon in 1969.

Next stop was the National Art Gallery, also free!  We also went by the White House since it was only a few blocks from our hotel.

Jeff is in a bluegrass band and he’d heard about a bluegrass place in Alexandria, Va.  We found out that you could take the train out there also and it was about 30 minutes away.  The place was called Tiffany Tavern (no S) and I think they have live bluegrass most nights.  It was in a very quaint area on King Street with lots of cute restaurants, wine shops and boutiques.  We ate dinner there, they had burgers and salads and a few Greek items on the menu.  It was fine, nothing great but we enjoyed the music.

The next day we were able to make it to one more museum.  The Museum of Natural History.  This was very interesting and would have been more fun if it wasn’t so crowded.  It was Saturday and there were lots of kids!  It was also free, like most of the museums there.  We didn’t make it to the Smithsonian but I plan on going there the next time I have a long layover.