Washington, DC (part 1)

At the suggestion of the individual who encouraged me to take the plunge into blogging, I am beginning this journey with one of my favorite cities. Even for those who are familiar with Washington DC, the amount of things to see and do can be overwhelming. Honestly, I’m not sure I’ll be able to make it any less overwhelming for anyone but I’d like to cover some of my favorites and some that I have yet to explore.

I love food so that seems like the logical place to start, and DC is the home to my favorite restaurant…Jaleo. Jose Andres is the world renowned owner/chef of this amazing Spanish tapas bar. Located at the corner of 7th and E, the menu offerings change slightly with the seasons and there are probably about 70 different menu items at any one time, including a children’s menu. I highly recommend the assortment of smoked meats and the white sangria. They prefer if you make a reservation but gladly accept walk in guests. I could go on and on and on but instead will tell you about another great restaurant, Old Ebbitt Grill. Located on 14th less than a block away from the White House, this restaurant began in the late 1800s as a saloon and has wet the whistle of too many historic figures to count. If you are a fan of oysters, this is a good place to go. Actually, if you are a fan of food so good you have to waddle out when you’re done, this is the place for you too. I suggest using Open Table for all of your reservations, including Jaleo and Old Ebbitt. This free site allows you to earn points towards dining gift certificates for each completed reservation so you can save money on your next trip!

There are what feels like a hundred Smithsonian museums (in reality it’s more like 19). I haven’t made it to all of them yet and some I need to revisit because it’s been too long. My favorite is the Air and Space Museum on the mall and I’d like to get out to see the satellite location in northern Virginia. The National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian group. I was able to visit it for the first time about a year ago and have to say it is well worth it. Admittance is free, as it is with all the Smithsonian museums, but you will have to pay $20 for parking. Because of the cost of parking and the traffic I recommend using the metro almost everywhere, including to the zoo.

One place I really want to get to is the Spy Museum. There are several different tour options including one that allows you to become the spy yourself! …I read too many mystery novels…

Coming soon more on DC!