The last stop on my East Coast trip with my mom! From Boston we hopped on a plane to Washington DC and on a shuttle to our hotel in Crystal City. My friend ML and her husband had relocated a couple of years ago to the Virginia area and they were nice enough to come pick me up so we could go hang out!
We headed out to National Harbor, a new area full of shopping, dining and entertainment options. We started out by having diner at Cadillac Ranch, then had some yummy blended margaritas at Rosa Mexicano. While walking around we saw a Peep store (yes the little marshmallow chicks and rabbits). Look at the crazy exhibit they had there.
Then we ended the night by going to Bobby McKeys, a super fun dueling piano bar! Thanks ML and hubby for coming all the way to see me!
On Day 1 in DC we headed out to Georgetown to do some shopping! After a nice brunch my mom and hit the shops and had fun looking at the Dean and Deluca. They don’t allow you to take pics in there, but I love all the stuff that they have there. We did stumble upon the famous Georgetown Cupcakes, home of the TLC show DC Cupcakes. After a short wait in line, and being told we just missed Nancy Pelosi, we got into the store and mom and I each had a cupcake. I got the Carrot Cake (I never see carrot cake without walnuts in it- so I sorta had to get it) and my mom got one of the seasonal flavors, strawberry!
I’m never one to refuse a cupcake, but I didn’t understand what the hype was all about. I just thought that these cupcakes were good, but not spectacular. It seems like most people who rave about this place get the chocolate ganache cupcake, so maybe that’s where I went wrong? DC locals- any thoughts?
The next day we did a trolley tour, I had wanted to visit Eastern Market and a place featured on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. However it was waaaaaay to humid and the walk plus the “hill” was a little too much all combined. We settled for some Potbelly sandwiches instead.
One of the most interesting things I visited in DC was the Newseum! This was one of the best museums that I have ever visited. Unlike the Smithsonian and other national museums in DC, this one is not free since it is privately owned. Online and at most hotels you can find coupons for admissions though. When I visited they had Pulitzer Prize award pictures, and exhibits on FBI/Mafia, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and dogs of the Presidents.
They also had a piece of the Berlin wall, and covers of many newspapers covering 9/11. There are tons of interactive elements and so much to see. If you visit definitely allow yourself 2-3 hours to really enjoy the museum.
At the end of the day I convinced my mom to end our day at Capital City Brewery, a local DC brewery. The bartenders there were super nice and let my mom and I try a couple “tastes” before I decided on getting a Belgium Gold Brew. Luckily when we went it was Happy Hour, unlucky for me my mom did not get a 3 dollar beer but a 9 dollar mojito. LOL, oh well! Oooh and did I mention that when you go to Capital City Brew you get some hot soft pretzels with a yummy mustard dipping sauce. The perfect snack with your afternoon brew.
After that it was time to go head home back to LA. We hopped on a train back to NYC and then it was on to our flight back to LAX. Good times with the mom, next post will be back to some yummy recipes! Hope you guys enjoyed seeing the sights and eats of my vacation with my mom.
