No Rest For The Weary
Maybe my empty suitcase a day before travel was an omen. I missed it and seemingly a lot more.
What I didn’t miss was the email from Ticketmaster two days before my trip letting me know the Boyz II Men concert I was traveling to was canceled.
I had two friends attempt to convince me not to go. But reason two for booking the trip was the long (paid) holiday weekend (Labor Day).
I told myself I would use them for traveling more often. It was a smart plan to store up PTO.
Reason number three for still going was the trip being paid in full (including airport parking and baggage).
I wanted to avoid the “cancel everything hassle”.
BTW, I stopped using Way.com after I repeatedly showed up at “unmanned” locations.
I can’t count how many times I saw “Hyatt Regency Reagan Airport” when I was researching the area.
CYB in the DMV
The whole DMV (3 neighboring states) is what confused me.
I thought everything was close so I didn’t have to worry. I took pride in this not being my first trip to the area.
To make matters worse, I booked a package through Priceline.com & assumed my DMV hotel would be matched to flights at the nearest airport.
I was even relieved that the hotel had an airport shuttle. I called them to confirm the hours.
Once the plane landed at BWI, I hurried to baggage claim as to not miss the last shuttle. It was close to midnight.
I just wanted to check into my room.
About ten minutes before the last pick-up time, I called the hotel and they assured me the shuttle should be rounding the corner any minute.
Once that minute passed and the shuttle still hadn’t shown up, I decided to get a Lyft.
The app quoted me $134. I thought it might be due to a surge.
The hour travel time frame seemed off so that’s when I searched directions on Google.
D*M(N)V
Google was still saying an hour. I realized I was at the wrong airport.
By this time, it’s almost 1 am. I Googled airport shuttles and none were running.
Rome2Rio.com gave me multiple options but I didn’t want to do a bus plus train even though it only cost a few bucks.
It was late/early and I didn’t want to be traveling an extra 2 hours with luggage in tow.
So, Lyft it was!
Rude driver aside, I made it to the hotel.
Maintenance had to come and adjust the loud fan in my room. Once that was taken care of…I was off to la-la-land.
Moral of the story: Cover your own butt and don’t expect Priceline (package or not) to do it for you.
I was trying so hard to be positive after Boyz II Men was canceled! Now, this.
I tried making Celebrez en Rose a Plan B, but that fell through too.
Carolina Kitchen
I missed visiting here on my last trip so I made room for it this time around. To my surprise, there was no dining in.
I had to eat my take-out at a neighboring Chipoltle.
The greens and fried chicken were good. It seems like only the South cuts their greens up into small pieces.
I wasn’t a fan of the Mac and cheese.
One of these days, I will try Ethiopian or Indian food in D.C. but as always I was on the prowl for soul food.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
It was always part of my itinerary to visit the NMAAHC. This year also happened to be their 5th anniversary.
This time, I planned on seeing all of the exhibits I had missed.
The Emmett Till Memorial was the highlight. August 28th marked the anniversary of his passing and that observance was still fresh.
The part of his life they chose to highlight in that room was a staged reality. I couldn’t help the tears.
No photos are allowed in this part of the museum…YOU MUST SEE IT IN PERSON.
It was a perfect day in DC, so I couldn’t resist joining the long lines at food trucks for ice cream. I ate it while people watching before ridesharing to The Wharf.
D.C. Wharf
Despite prior trips to I’ve been to D.C., I hadn’t heard of the Wharf until recently.
I only knew about National Harbor because the concert was supposed to be held at the MGM Grand.
I have until October 1st to decide between a refund or reschedule. The new date falls on a Thursday so that’s not too encouraging!
The Wharf is a nice waterfront but I would have liked to experience it minus the occasional putrid smell of garbage.
I had seafood in mind as my food choice all weekend but except for the fish market, I didn’t find crab legs on the menus I perused.
There was crab everything else if you searched hard enough.
I found a restaurant serving crab cakes (The Grill, I think it’s called) but I wasn’t paying $56 for them.
An Irish pub (Kirwin’s) sold 3 small ones for $18 with coleslaw.
The lemon flavor was welcoming but it ended up overwhelming the simple cakes.
I ordered waffled sweet potato fries to along with (not pictured).
National Harbor
Did I mention the crowds?
I wanted to ride the water taxi but they had an early day and canceled the later times.
I thought the $34 round trip on the water taxi was a bit steep so I looked for discounts.
The first website I found for half price did not work for same-day tickets.
I found an alternative (Trustedtours.com). The third party sends you an untimed 50% off ticket that you redeem at the booth.
Upon redemption, you would make your destination and time selection. I paid it forward by letting some other people know about the discount.
There’s an interesting installation at the harbor called The Awakening (pictured above). It’s a 72 ft. statue depicting a buried giant struggling to rise.
All of the DMV harbors are pretty identical with restaurants and stores lined up their cobblestoned fronts.
National Harbor was the exception with the Ferris wheel, carousel, and the giant.
I ate at Crab Cake Cafe. You can dine in or out but it’s a small space.
I ordered the cream of crab soup which comes with an old bay cheddar corn muffin. The latter had cheddar cheese melted on top so I broke it off and ate the inside.
I was expecting a more of a Red Lobster “cheddar bay biscuit” vibe. The soup was hearty and delicious.
I ended up taking it with me on the water taxi. A mask wasn’t required if you stayed atop.
The ticket booth recommended getting in line at least 15 mins early. This also ensures better seat options on top.
Old Town Alexandria
I wanted to be on the 1st row. Since the tickets were half-priced, I booked a roundtrip to the Wharf.
The main reason was to see the view of the monuments but they were still pretty far away.
I enjoyed the cool breeze flowing through my hair along the Potomac.
I felt like I was in a postcard most of the time. The romantic vibes were definitely in effect. Too bad it was a solo trip!
I ate at Chart House Restaurant. I was more intrigued by Blackwall Hitch’s menu but they closed at midday.
Chart House
Chart House had white table cloths at some tables but I was seated in a more casual area.
I didn’t like the tart “restaurant carpet smell” or the messy open serving area.
My hunger and options would not allow me to be picky. I felt the $50 Chart Your Course (3-course meal) would work best for me.
The entree Caesar salad looked old so I just set it aside. My waiter had the most beautiful eyes but I wish his service was as initially pleasing.
I looked around and every table had a bread bowl. I decided to ask for one. Maybe everyone else had asked.
The bronzed salmon and shrimp were not bad over sticky mango rice.
It was good that I asked for the salsa and corn concoction on the side. It was left untouched like the salad.
The mini lava cake was a perfect dessert!
Ben & Jerry’s is popular here too! I saw one at each of the waterfronts I visited.
I can definitely see myself returning to these spots for a relaxing getaway! Have you been?
~Poof…Bee Gone
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