Our Washington D.C. Location – The Perfect Choice!

Location, Location, LOCATION! Never has that old adage been truer than it was for us during our short stay in our nation’s capital.

If you follow me on my Meemaw Eats Facebook page, you have had a tiny glimpse of our amazing trip last month. (And if you don’t follow me there…you should!)  So now I’m about to share the details about all of those August adventures as we headed East!

I know it’s hard to believe, but neither Peepaw nor I had ever been to Washington D.C. And since we were only allowing ourselves several days to explore the city, we decided that a comprehensive guided tour would be the best way to see the most in the shortest amount of time. That turned out to be the smartest decision ever! 

Let The Planning Commence

Our 8.5 hour tour was scheduled to begin at 8:30am, and we were to meet our guide at Neptune Fountain. I had absolutely no idea where that fountain was located, so of course I Googled it. 

My next dilemma was to find the best hotel location.

A friend had suggested that we stay in Alexandria, Virginia, and take the water taxi across the Potomac River to D.C. But I discovered that the water taxi didn’t run until afternoons. And the thought of trying to Uber across one of the crowded bridges during morning rush hour made that hotel location less than desirable. So it was back to the drawing board for me.

Remembering My Travel Agent Days…

As I researched hotels online I couldn’t help but remember my days as a travel agent. If I was researching hotels back then I would drag out a HUGE hotel book and simply begin turning those tissue paper thin pages until a location sounded promising. Then I would pick up my desk phone and call to check rates and availability. But those days are long gone! I simply jumped online and I scrolled through hotels located near the Capitol. And that’s when I found what turned out to be the PERFECT hotel. 

Traffic? You Bet! 

Everyone warned us about the traffic in D.C. so we gritted our teeth and began our drive into the city. I counted on Stella (my phone GPS) to show us the best path and she came through with flying colors! We began switching from one freeway to the next and merging with cars coming from all directions. Good old Stella…and good old Peepaw too! His driving skills are second to none. (In fact, he was once honored in the USA TODAY newspaper as one of the UPS drivers who had driven millions of miles…without an accident.)

First Impressions

My first surprise was the number of trees in and near Washington D.C. The city is filled with them! And my next observation? The streets near our hotel location were super narrow. And finding a parking spot was almost impossible. (But we had already planned on that.)

That’s another reason I chose our hotel location since they offer valet parking. I can’t imagine what traffic and parking is like when Congress is in session, since the city supposedly clears out in August when the elected officials take the whole month off. But the streets were still filled with parked cars and not a spot left open anyway!

Our PERFECT Location

The Capitol Hill Hotel turned out to be the PERFECT location for us.

From the moment we drove up to the door we were treated with amazing hospitality and great service.

The doorman greeted us with a huge smile as he opened the door for us.  And the front desk staff was welcoming and helpful. We purchased parking for $50 per day to save us the headache of searching for a parking ramp in the area. (Another good decision!) Plus, the hotel also offers an Amenity package that includes a full breakfast in their hotel annex next door. (More about that later.)

The valet quickly whisked our car away and we headed up to our room to settle in. 

It was a beautiful room…

And the view from our window? The Dome of the Library of Congress! So that’s when I knew I had picked the perfect “walking” location for our whirlwind visit.

After a short rest we headed out to walk to Neptune Fountain to make sure we knew where to meet our guide the next morning. And as soon as we turned the first corner, we realized we were smack dab in the middle of everything…including The Library of Congress!

Meet Officer Williams

I headed up the steps to the door, but it wouldn’t open. I tried another door. Same result. And that’s when Officer Williams showed up on his bike.  He greeted us with a mile wide smile, and he asked if it was our first visit to the city. (Was it THAT obvious!?)  I thanked him for his service, and we chatted for some time. And it wasn’t long until he asked to take a selfie with us. And that’s also about the time he asked me if we would adopt him!

LOL!! We assured him that we would be happy to! I told him he would be joining our two sons, and I was sure they would love to have another brother. Such a funny and friendly man!

It was much later that I realized we had been trying to enter an EXIT door. Plus, it was for STAFF ONLY! So I now think Officer Williams was herding us away from that entrance while trying not to embarrass us with our mistake. Like I said…such a kind man, and a great D.C. Ambassador too.

Neptune Fountain – We Found It!

It only took about a block of walking to realize most of the buildings in our neighborhood were HUGE. And most structures fill entire blocks! So it was easy to get confused as to which direction we were headed.

But suddenly, there it was! Neptune Fountain.

I glanced at the Library of Congress building behind it.

Then I looked across the street. And there was the United States Capitol! So now we had a clue that we would be visiting that iconic building first on our tour the next day.

Happy Wine Thursday!

Since we had skipped our usual Wine Wednesday the day before, we were more than ready to celebrate our safe arrival in Washington D.C. So we headed back toward our hotel to plan our evening. We remembered seeing a neat outdoor dining area very close to our hotel, so we retraced our steps and soon found ourselves at Bullfeathers On The Hill. Their motto says it all…

“Enjoy Yourself. The Rest Is Bullfeathers”

The late afternoon had turned warmer, so we decided to head into the bar to sip our wine and cool off. As I looked around at the clientele, I could only image the lobbyists and all of the “movers and shakers” of government who probably broker deals there every single day. So Bullfeathers seems like the PERFECT name for that bar!

There was a cool vibe at Bullfeathers, but we decided to move on to another spot I had scoped out online. It was a perfect time of day to take a stroll, and the town homes lining the tree-shaded streets near our hotel were absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t help but wonder what famous politicians might live behind those ornate doors.

The Hawk n Dove suited us perfectly, and it was right around the block from our hotel location.

Located right on Pennsylvania Avenue, it reminded us of our college town bars we love right here at home. Their Happy Hour menu was priced right, so we decided to jump right in.

These meatless $8 Nachos were absolutely delicious!

Next, how about some $8 Chicken Tenders? Yes Please!

And just how good were those appetizers??

What a cool location!

Check out the Hawk n Dove motto…

“In this political town we don’t pick sides, we just have a drink and enjoy the satire!”

Speaking of drinks, we finished our food, and we took our wine outside to sit and enjoy the view on Pennsylvania Avenue.

We loved the hustle and bustle of pedestrians who were strolling to all the outdoor dining spots up and down the block. It was a wonderful evening to be out and about.

But we decided we’d better stroll back to our hotel and get a good night’s sleep so we would be bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed for our full day tour the next day. And what a wonderful day that would turn out to be! 

Just wait and see…