This post is part of a 6-day series of the things that my family of four did while we were in Washington D.C. in November of 2021. I will give an account of the things we liked and things that we didn’t like as much. In this way, you can plan the best trip to Washington D.C. (and surrounding areas)!
November 21, 2021
Dear Adventure Avenue,
Today we ventured out of Washington D.C. to Old Town Alexandria in Virginia, but first we had a nice breakfast in the hotel restaurant, North Gate Grill where we met our soon to be favorite server of the trip.
North Gate Grill Breakfast
My mom, dad, and I all got the breakfast bundle with the egg and cheese sandwich. My brother got pancakes. Our lovely waitress brought us some strawberry jam to put on the English muffin style sandwich which was delicious!
Day Trip to Old Town Alexandria
My mom had heard about this little town from a friend who thought I would like this travel destination, and it did not disappoint my history loving heart. There were a couple of little museums that you can go into, but they didn’t open until 12 or 1 on that Sunday. It was a cool crisp day, so we walked around and enjoyed the brick facades and the small town feeling.
Carlyle House
The Carlyle House is a great example of Georgian residential architecture. During the French and Indian War General Braddock had selected Carlyle House as his headquarters.
We were able to explore much of the house and it was very cool to see so much of this historical house.
Gadsby’s Tavern
We did the self-guided tour for Gadsby’s Tavern and looked at all the various dining and meeting rooms, and the bedrooms where guests would pile in. Interestingly, the place to sleep was often cheaper than the meal as the Tavern was required to offer a place to sleep. If you were wealthier, there were more private rooms with beds, but you still would have to share the room.
After we toured Gadsby’s Tavern, we walked over to the Apothecary and bought tickets for the guided tour, but it didn’t start until later, so we decided to have a quick lunch at Gadsby’s Tavern. As it was Sunday, the menu was fairly limited, but the food was good. I had the (giant) burger, my dad had the French dip, my mom had a salad, and my brother chicken tenders.
Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary
We went on the guided tour, and it was great! On the guided tour, you get to see the upstairs which is what I think of when I think of an old apothecary. The reason it looks so realistic is because it is set up exactly the same as it was back in the 1930s when it was bought at an auction by a historical society who kept everything the same – the contents in the jars still contain what they say on it!
Uber Ride home
We decided against the water taxi on account of potential rain in the forecast and it was cold. Although had it been hotter, I think it would’ve been a fun experience.
On our Uber ride home, we saw two helicopters heading to the White House which means the President was probably landing at the White House.
Back at the Hotel
We rested in the room for a bit before my dad and I went out to explore D.C.
Exploring D.C.
We headed towards the White House, but as we were walking people with Ethiopian attire and signs walked past us. We thought they must be heading somewhere, but for some reason we didn’t realize they could be coming from the White House – which of course they were. Luckily, they soon took off without issue and I convinced my dad to go around the other way.
We passed by the Dwight D. Eisenhower Office Buildings which in my opinion was a lot more impressive than the White House.
We also walked near the Washington Monument and went to World War II memorial. Then we felt like we were in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds because they were flying everywhere. I later determined that my poor jacket had indeed been pooped on. I’m just surprised we weren’t covered in poop because there were SO. MANY. BIRDS.
We then stopped at what appeared to be a World War I memorial for the Second Division, though we never were able to confirm that.
Afterwards we went to the World War II memorial which was very impressive. Such a great tribute to the brave men who fought and gave their lives to aid, as on of the flag poles said, “AMERICANS CAME TO LIBERATE, NOT TO CONQUER, TO RESTORE FREEDOM AND TO END TYRANNY”
It was growing dark now, so we decided to head back and find a place to eat. As we walked back, the protesters rounded the corner, so not wanting to swim upstream, we crossed the green and ended up getting a great look with relatively few people in the way of the Washington Monument.
Another more impressive building than the White House was the Treasury Building.
Dinner at Via Sophia in the Hamilton
We loved the Parma pizza, Margaretta pizza, and a Sausage pizza from this restaurant. They cooked it in a real pizza oven!
For dessert we loved the Affogato which is chocolate ice cream with expresso poured over it. I don’t normally like coffee, but this was delicious!
Walk back to the Capital Hilton
We stopped at CVS to get my brother some dessert i.e. Oreo’s. The CVS right next door to the Capital Hilton.
After that stop, we called it a night!
Until tomorrow,
A
Capital Hilton Hotel and Room Tour
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