The United States of America is truly a vast country. It's only been two months living here, it doesn't seem like even two years is sufficient to fully explore the country. We are on a mission to travel the most we can then!
Using our long weekend and the advantage of the glorious summer, my husband and I planned to go to Washington DC with a pitstop at Philadelphia.
May 27th 2016, Friday:
The handsome shining black Audi A4 was charged up and awaiting us. It's far more than just show off statement, this amazing car. For a car ignorant person like me, I began to admire the stability at high speeds and the turning capabilities.
We started off at 3:30pm and joined the weekend traffic at its busiest. Google maps or any computer-based GPS would guide one to use the I-95S for more than three-fourths of the journey, but we found it too busy with frequent traffic crawls or accidents.
Instead(and I suggest) we started off on I-84 East, forked off at Danbury to join I-684 and continue on I-287. Later we joined onto I-95S to reach Philly after about 5.5 hours. Although this deviates a little to the west than a more direct I-95S, it helps avoid the heavily traffic congested junction of New York. We halted for the night at the Red Roof Inn at Trevose. Basic amenities and perfect for a quick stopover.
May 28th 2016, Saturday:
The morning was surprisingly hot. A sunny day with pristine blue skies with no trace of a cloud. I found it mandatory to have breakfast at an "American" style diner. With no dearth of this quintessential diners around, we found one right next door called Andy's diner.
Vegetarians, like most places in this world have limited options. Luckily, I consume egg in most forms. After a delightful breakfast buffet with freshly made double-layered cheese omelette, we drove to Philly Downtown.
Entering the the many one-ways in the city, one can't miss the colourful murals. The street art led us to the Magic Gardens. This place has been beautified by artist Isaiah Zagar and his wife Julia. The mosaic work and the creation of something highly appealing with eclectic pieces is amazing. We were hugely impressed. For art-lovers visiting Philly, this should surely be a stop.
Our next pit stop was the essential Philadelphia attractions such as Independence Hall(viewed from outside) and the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell has historic significance but one must plan to spend at least 25 minutes or more in the queues for a closer look at it. Since we were in a hurry, we caught a lateral glimpse of the bell through a glass window. I'd recommend taking this view instead of waiting in line unless you're a complete history buff.
The last place to tick off on our list in Philly was the Rocky Balboa statue. The statue and the steps Rocky Balboa is seen training in the movies(Rocky series starring Sylvester stallone) is near the Philedelphia Musuem of Art. We reached here around 1pm and not many people were waiting in line for a picture, it was mostly empty. Although we were passively hoodwinked by "the homeless" to take a picture of us and the statue. A bad picture even ! Wriggle and find a way to escape this if you're in the situation when you visit here. (I'm sure there are a lot of other encouraging ways to help the homeless).
Mildly satiating our hunger from a food truck parked by the Museum, we started out 2 hr journey to Washington DC.
Relatively gentle traffic, we checked into the Sheraton Pentagon City around 5pm. (We got a neat deal on priceline to stay for a night here.) Resting the car at their parking lot for 24$ a day, we coordinated to take the bus and then the train from Pentagon station towards Downtown. The station had a vibe of secret excitement, felt like we were part of a secret service boarding our train for a secret mission!
For Dinner we went to Siroc at 15th street NW. We thoroughly enjoyed the wine, food (all three courses) and the service. I highly recommend it! We decided to walk to the rear end of the White house after dinner. The view of the White House from the White House north lawn is about 10 minutes by walk. Not many people at this hour, we were able to comfortably admire the structure.
Choosing our options of travel back to the hotel, we opted for Uber pool, which worked to be equal to or rather cheaper than a metro and bus combination.
May 29th 2016, Sunday:
Sunday was the day to fully engage and immerse in what Washington D.C has to offer.
Nearby was an Ethiopian cafe (Dama Pastry and Cafe) which offered some delicious vegetarian options. My first with this cuisine, I was fascinated the most by the Kinche and mouth wateringly exquisite Baklava. I'm salivating just writing about it!
We decided to split up and I went to explore the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and my husband got off at the next station to explore the National Gallery of Art. In spirit of the memorial day weekend, the entry to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was free and accordingly crowded. The museum is huge with a lot of information and interesting exhibits, I looked up the map and dived into the exhibits that interested me. My favourites in the museum was the walk inside the international Space station, the section on the history of navigation and the aircrafts on display. The crowd though was overwhelming (for USA standards), it's definitely a popular spot.
We met for a quick bite by the lawn after our museum visits. Lots of food trucks are parked in this stretch and a quick bite is necessarily not a quick bite. Huge queues were lined up to each truck, so the easiest seemed to be froyo. Unfortunately, that was the worst frozen yogurt I have tasted and a little over economical. The White lanky washington tower is visible from here. The clouds hung low and all our pictures captured have the white monument hidden in the white clouds.
We walked by to sight the US Capitol, and last one on our list was the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is charming, and the view from it is amazing. This was undoubtedly my favorite visit in DC. Unable to ignore our hunger pangs, we went to an Indian restaurant "Flavors of India" at 2524 L St NW. Service was terrible, the evident disinterest in fellow indian customers was offending and we were pretty frustrated. Clearly disappointed, we were in two minds whether to strike off the the 15% gratuity that was conveniently added in the cheque.
The rains had subsided by now, we took an Uber back to the hotel and had just enough time to head to the DC cruises tour at 8pm. The washed up harbourside looked placid and inviting. Our cruise started at around 8:20 pm and we were toured around on the grand Potomac river for about an hour. The sights were pretty and their reflections on the water. There's a enchanting charm in seeing the city from a boat in the middle of the river. After the cruise, we leisurely indulged in Nick's Grillside and Bar, and I felt indulged the moment I had my first taste of the Cinnamon Fireball, one cracking drink!
May 30th 2016, Monday:
The last day in this entry.
The beauty of nature, as most of us agree is unmatched and hence a vacation isn't considered complete without visiting such a place. We started for the Great Falls Park around 9 am and after a small queue at the parking, we were there in less than an hour. There are three overlooks within short walking distance where one can get marvelous views of the Great Falls. Apart from these three smaller paths, there are a lot more hiking trails this park offers.
Planning our route back home, we decided to weigh our options. Most GPS show the fastest route to Boston which uses 95 for majority of the way. This interstate is often slower because of the density of traffic and more likely to have more accidents. We started on 95 till Wilmington where we then branched out west on 202 Interstate. Around the New Jersey area, we diverged to join 287 Interstate eastward -- 684 north and finally joining to 84 East. Although it delayed us by an hour, we comfortably covered the distance without the frustration of being stuck in heavy traffic.
Using our long weekend and the advantage of the glorious summer, my husband and I planned to go to Washington DC with a pitstop at Philadelphia.
May 27th 2016, Friday:
The handsome shining black Audi A4 was charged up and awaiting us. It's far more than just show off statement, this amazing car. For a car ignorant person like me, I began to admire the stability at high speeds and the turning capabilities.
We started off at 3:30pm and joined the weekend traffic at its busiest. Google maps or any computer-based GPS would guide one to use the I-95S for more than three-fourths of the journey, but we found it too busy with frequent traffic crawls or accidents.
Instead(and I suggest) we started off on I-84 East, forked off at Danbury to join I-684 and continue on I-287. Later we joined onto I-95S to reach Philly after about 5.5 hours. Although this deviates a little to the west than a more direct I-95S, it helps avoid the heavily traffic congested junction of New York. We halted for the night at the Red Roof Inn at Trevose. Basic amenities and perfect for a quick stopover.
May 28th 2016, Saturday:
The morning was surprisingly hot. A sunny day with pristine blue skies with no trace of a cloud. I found it mandatory to have breakfast at an "American" style diner. With no dearth of this quintessential diners around, we found one right next door called Andy's diner.
Vegetarians, like most places in this world have limited options. Luckily, I consume egg in most forms. After a delightful breakfast buffet with freshly made double-layered cheese omelette, we drove to Philly Downtown.
Entering the the many one-ways in the city, one can't miss the colourful murals. The street art led us to the Magic Gardens. This place has been beautified by artist Isaiah Zagar and his wife Julia. The mosaic work and the creation of something highly appealing with eclectic pieces is amazing. We were hugely impressed. For art-lovers visiting Philly, this should surely be a stop.
Our next pit stop was the essential Philadelphia attractions such as Independence Hall(viewed from outside) and the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell has historic significance but one must plan to spend at least 25 minutes or more in the queues for a closer look at it. Since we were in a hurry, we caught a lateral glimpse of the bell through a glass window. I'd recommend taking this view instead of waiting in line unless you're a complete history buff.
The last place to tick off on our list in Philly was the Rocky Balboa statue. The statue and the steps Rocky Balboa is seen training in the movies(Rocky series starring Sylvester stallone) is near the Philedelphia Musuem of Art. We reached here around 1pm and not many people were waiting in line for a picture, it was mostly empty. Although we were passively hoodwinked by "the homeless" to take a picture of us and the statue. A bad picture even ! Wriggle and find a way to escape this if you're in the situation when you visit here. (I'm sure there are a lot of other encouraging ways to help the homeless).
Mildly satiating our hunger from a food truck parked by the Museum, we started out 2 hr journey to Washington DC.
Relatively gentle traffic, we checked into the Sheraton Pentagon City around 5pm. (We got a neat deal on priceline to stay for a night here.) Resting the car at their parking lot for 24$ a day, we coordinated to take the bus and then the train from Pentagon station towards Downtown. The station had a vibe of secret excitement, felt like we were part of a secret service boarding our train for a secret mission!
For Dinner we went to Siroc at 15th street NW. We thoroughly enjoyed the wine, food (all three courses) and the service. I highly recommend it! We decided to walk to the rear end of the White house after dinner. The view of the White House from the White House north lawn is about 10 minutes by walk. Not many people at this hour, we were able to comfortably admire the structure.
Choosing our options of travel back to the hotel, we opted for Uber pool, which worked to be equal to or rather cheaper than a metro and bus combination.
May 29th 2016, Sunday:
Sunday was the day to fully engage and immerse in what Washington D.C has to offer.
Nearby was an Ethiopian cafe (Dama Pastry and Cafe) which offered some delicious vegetarian options. My first with this cuisine, I was fascinated the most by the Kinche and mouth wateringly exquisite Baklava. I'm salivating just writing about it!
We decided to split up and I went to explore the Smithsonian Air and Space museum and my husband got off at the next station to explore the National Gallery of Art. In spirit of the memorial day weekend, the entry to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was free and accordingly crowded. The museum is huge with a lot of information and interesting exhibits, I looked up the map and dived into the exhibits that interested me. My favourites in the museum was the walk inside the international Space station, the section on the history of navigation and the aircrafts on display. The crowd though was overwhelming (for USA standards), it's definitely a popular spot.
We met for a quick bite by the lawn after our museum visits. Lots of food trucks are parked in this stretch and a quick bite is necessarily not a quick bite. Huge queues were lined up to each truck, so the easiest seemed to be froyo. Unfortunately, that was the worst frozen yogurt I have tasted and a little over economical. The White lanky washington tower is visible from here. The clouds hung low and all our pictures captured have the white monument hidden in the white clouds.
We walked by to sight the US Capitol, and last one on our list was the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is charming, and the view from it is amazing. This was undoubtedly my favorite visit in DC. Unable to ignore our hunger pangs, we went to an Indian restaurant "Flavors of India" at 2524 L St NW. Service was terrible, the evident disinterest in fellow indian customers was offending and we were pretty frustrated. Clearly disappointed, we were in two minds whether to strike off the the 15% gratuity that was conveniently added in the cheque.
The rains had subsided by now, we took an Uber back to the hotel and had just enough time to head to the DC cruises tour at 8pm. The washed up harbourside looked placid and inviting. Our cruise started at around 8:20 pm and we were toured around on the grand Potomac river for about an hour. The sights were pretty and their reflections on the water. There's a enchanting charm in seeing the city from a boat in the middle of the river. After the cruise, we leisurely indulged in Nick's Grillside and Bar, and I felt indulged the moment I had my first taste of the Cinnamon Fireball, one cracking drink!
May 30th 2016, Monday:
The last day in this entry.
The beauty of nature, as most of us agree is unmatched and hence a vacation isn't considered complete without visiting such a place. We started for the Great Falls Park around 9 am and after a small queue at the parking, we were there in less than an hour. There are three overlooks within short walking distance where one can get marvelous views of the Great Falls. Apart from these three smaller paths, there are a lot more hiking trails this park offers.
Planning our route back home, we decided to weigh our options. Most GPS show the fastest route to Boston which uses 95 for majority of the way. This interstate is often slower because of the density of traffic and more likely to have more accidents. We started on 95 till Wilmington where we then branched out west on 202 Interstate. Around the New Jersey area, we diverged to join 287 Interstate eastward -- 684 north and finally joining to 84 East. Although it delayed us by an hour, we comfortably covered the distance without the frustration of being stuck in heavy traffic.
