TRAVEL DIARY: A WEEKEND GUIDE TO WASHINGTON DC

Washington DC. Our nations capital. A place I once worked in and absolutely love. From the food, to the people to the things to do and things to see. Washington DC is the perfect destination for a weekend getaway for the family or you and your love. The hubby and I took a trip there late Summer this year and today I’m sharing all the details that will help you when planning to make a visit. There is obviously way more to take in when there, but I hope this gives you a good jumpstart for where to stay, eat and go. 

WHERE TO STAY:

When we visited we stayed at Kimpton’s Mason & Rook Hotel which is located in the hip and trendy area that is known as Logan Circle. The hotel is modern and chic, open and inviting  and seriously one of the most friendliest staff I’ve ever encountered. Want to know how nice the staff is? 

Here is a little story. Guess who was washing their hands in the bathroom and while rinsing off my hands my wedding ring went down the drain? Yup. Yours truly (hand to the forehead)  I immediately called the front desk and in less than 10 mins one of their engineers where knocking at the door and in a hero sort of way got my ring out of the drain trap. I learned so much that day from drain traps to … let’s not handle my wedding ring over sinks in the future. 

Back to the hotel. The accommodations are tops with beds that are supportive and comfortable, well designed and appointed bathrooms and elegant furnishings.  The hotel hosts a wine hour from 5-6 pm every day of the week (ummmm yeah, that’s quite the amenity if I do say so myself) they are pet friendly and have the cutest bikes for riding around town and taking it all in. 

The rooftop pool was an unexpected surprise for being where the hotel is located. Try to go early to grab a seat because if the hotel is busy, seating spots can be limited. 

We ate brunch at the hotel’s restaurant, Radiator. The vibe is urban chic and the food was well prepared, flavorful and served beautifully. My food pics of brunch didn’t come out that great but trust me, if you don’t want to leave the hotel, the food + drinks at Radiator will not disappoint. 

We love where the hotel is located. You are within walking distance to some of the most popular tourist spots, eateries and restaurants. If you are all about the nightlife, there are happening places just a block or two away. 

WHERE TO EAT:

Even though many hotels offer coffee and/or tea in the morning, including Mason & Rook, I have this thing about finding local coffee shops where I can try something new and unique to the area or just grab a mocha. The coffee shop we went to, located right around the corner, is Slipstream. We enjoyed espressos, mochas and this Smoked Burrata and Tomato toast that was out of this world fresh and delish. A must try if you go. 

For dinner we enjoyed a casual night the first night. We ate ramen noodle dishes at Jinya Ramen Bar. Not only were the cocktails really good (they are not light with their pours) but the noodle dishes were very customizable and you could add as much or as little heat as you wanted depending on how spicy you like your food. 

For dinner the second night, we went to the famed Georgia Browns located in the McPherson Square area of D.C. This is where you want to go if you want to enjoy Southern Food (fine dining style). When I lived in the MDV area, I always went here and as I was enjoying dinner I remembered why. Everything is so good! If you go, don’t forget to order the Fried Green Tomatoes. They will be some of the best you will ever have and please take the time to enjoy the cornbread and biscuits, they are a meal on their own lol. 

For Brunch on Sunday’s you have to go and I mean HAVE to go to B Too. I’m not kidding when I say this but the Belgium waffles there are the best that I have ever had! They are so soft and melt in your mouth (my mouth is literally watering thinking of them). We enjoyed the green juice as well as the green eggs and it all was.

WHERE TO GO:

I certainly am not the first to say go see the monuments, nor will I be the last, but even if you can’t get to all of them please try. We took a guided tour on bike and I had no idea those bike tours were even offered in Washington DC. If you happen to take one I hope you get a tour guide that is as knowledgable about the monuments and DC as ours was. It will be worth the experience. 

At the end of our taking in the monuments we went over to see the Newseum dedicated to all things journalism and it was so cool to see our local paper as part of the daily front page newspaper they have on display outside the building.

To end our day we scurried over to Baked and Wired in the Georgetown neighborhood. OMG. We were told about this place from some ladies that were eating next to us at the ramen restaurant. We weren’t sure we would have time to make it but we did and the line that was out the door let us know we were in for some great treats. We ended up getting some cookies and cupcakes that were absolutely worth the wait. The cupcake flavors rotate and they have seasonal flavors as well. My favorite part about there cupcakes is that they don’t have a really thick layer of frosting on them. I’m notorious for removing half the frosting from a cupcake before eating it. No matter what you get you’ll feel like your eating a little bit of heaven.

All and all DC is a place for those who love good eats and even a great night life.