Evan Almighty: A Little Over 24 Hours In Washington

I made a whirlwind trip to Washington this past weekend and although it was very brief, I had such a wonderful time. I boarded a late Bolt Bus on Friday night and our driver Kevin (who I just happened to have on the way back) was excellent. We pulled into DC around 11:30pm Friday night and I hailed a cab to my hotel, The Renaissance Mayflower. I had an amazing room on the 9th floor and it was so nice to collapse into a freshly made bed. But before I was able to do that, I needed something to eat. Problem was, everything was closed. So when I asked a man downstairs what was open, he unlocked a door and came back with some secret menu from a pizza place that delivered. I ordered a salad and although it was too late to be eating, I enjoyed the salad in my room. The next day was beautiful and I was up and out early. I met up with Justine for lunch and we went to Vapiano because it was close to the hotel. We had no idea what this place was and basically, it's an upscale cafeteria. You get a card which you touch at each station when you order. You take a tray, napkin and utensils and you enjoy your meal. Then you head to the checkout where they swipe your card and tell you how much you owe. It's an interesting concept and the places are really nicely designed. I didn't get a chance to eat at any the staples in DC but I plan on going back when I can spend some more time there.

After lunch, I toured the city by foot walking by some of the monuments, The White House, and even stopped off at the Museum of American History where I saw Julia Child's kitchen, Kermit, Oscar, and numerous other cool objects. I continued my journey around the city and ended up back at my hotel a few hours before I had to be at Union Station for a Monuments By Night Tour I had signed up for. A 2.5 hour trolley tour that makes a few stops my favorite of which was the Lincoln Memorial. Luckily we had 40 minutes to enjoy it. Our tour guide on the trolley was Da Vinci, and she was extremely knowledgeable and had some really interesting stories to tell. I was definitely one of the younger people on the tour but I enjoyed taking photos and enjoying the night air. It was a really nice night to be out. Sunday morning I had breakfast and made my way to the Bolt Bus. It was a great weekend trip and I'm already looking forward to going back.

It's June! Hard to believe it's here already! Do you have fun summer plans? Do they include a trip to Coney Island?

While I was in DC, The Obamas were in NYC, dining at Blue Hill and going to see Joe Turner's Come and Gone. I enjoyed the video that David Wain posted..