Our week in D.C.

I took some of JP's chocolate pancakes for the five-hour flight as breakfast in the plane. They didn't last very long though, because they were done even before the flight started!

Val and I arrived at the Dulles International Airport late in the afternoon, leaving warmer conditions, for a week in Washington, D.C. Though he did tell me to bundle up, I didn't realise that spring weather in the D.C. area can be as cold as the winter in San Francisco!

Our hotel is very near Embassy Row and Dupont Circle; it's called Baron Hotel. From there, going to Val's training venue took 45 minutes by foot or 20 minutes by Metro. The hotel's also located near restaurants; with all the embassies in the area, I was looking forward to trying a diverse range of cuisines. 

One of the most notable features of this hotel, in my opinion, is its lift. It's ancient! The concierge told me that it's very durable, and I believed him. To get in, one has to slide open the door and then the metallic scissor gate. The lift is so tiny that luggage space is limited... for groups with many bags, it may take several trips to get everyone's things onto the right floors. But I found the lift charming because I thought that it matched the vintage charm of the hotel, with its brick walls, carpeted floors, wallpapers, and bathroom fixtures. I was reminded of the hotel I stayed at in Lausanne-Ouchy. 

In the morning, Val and I walked either to the training venue or just to the Dupont Circle Metro station. Our days always started breathing in the cold, crisp air of this historic city. We'd see people going to work, already in business suits (and heels for some of the women! How could they even walk?!?), carrying cups of hot beverages. 

Among the places we'd pass by on the way to venue was the White House... yes, we walked in close proximity to the president's residence and office! I wanted to tour the interiors but I learned that it takes a long time to get clearances before going inside, so the White House was scratched off my list of to-visits on this trip.

Aside from the White House, we also passed by parks and other government buildings. If only we weren't in a hurry, I would have loved stopping and learning more about the memorials we walked passed each morning. 

Just a block away from the White House was Val's training venue, The Carr Workplace at The Willard. It's such a fancy hotel... and a historic one too, it turns out. U.S. Presidents took up residence here during their term or just before staying in the White House (including Abraham Lincoln). The first Japanese delegation to the U.S. stayed here as well. On a historical plaque found in a corner, I learned that The Willard was where last-ditch efforts to prevent the Civil War were made. In more recent times, it was where Martin Luther King, Jr. made final edits to his "I have a dream" speech. 

For this week, econometricians were trained. Maybe they would also reach historic heights like the notable people who met there did.

It's from The Willard that I, after seeing Val off to class, I would launch my walking tours of the National Mall, or stroll towards the Capitol or the Tidal Basin. All I had to do was check my map and follow the arrows. With so many places to go, it was really hard to decide where to start.

While mulling over my decision (and waiting for the museums to open), I'd eat breakfast either at the Corner Bakery or at Devon & Blakely along F Street. If I were at the Corner Bakery, I'd end up eating my farmer's scrambler amongst tourists or journalists. If I were at Devon & Blakely, I'd enjoy my lentil soup and whole wheat bread seated in a cozy corner table. 

And then, the real walking would begin. By the time Val's on a lunch break, I'd be seated on an outdoor restaurant at the National Mall, eating a sandwich. By this time, my feet would be aching because I'd walked over five km already, wearing my winter boots.

When a bird or a squirrel would come close by, I'd try to snap a photo of it while thinking about my next destination. While in D.C., I was walking over 12 km, according to my Garmin! In fact, my boots started showing wear on the soles because of all the walking I did!

After my walks and museum tours, it's time to go back to The Willard to meet up with Val who's just finished with the day's class. More often, I'd underestimate how far I was from the venue... it would take me 30 minutes of brisk walking to reach The Willard!

There were times when we'd proceed to dinner at Nando's for its delicious peri-peri chicken (I couldn't believe that there's a branch so close to the hotel; I've eaten in Nando's branches in Australia and in Singapore)... I actually introduced Val to it and he absolutely loves it too. But on other evenings, we had dinner with friends or with his classmates. Because our friends live outside D.C., we'd catch the train at the Metro Centre Station. Admittedly, I made a few mistakes with choosing which train to board, but we managed to get to where we needed to go.

After a week in the nation's capital, it was time for us to fly out again, this time back to warmer weather. I totally enjoyed my first trip to Washington, D.C. and I look forward to going there again!

(Both of us have travelled a lot and we've developed preferences, particularly where we want to sit. He likes window seats; I opt for aisle seats. We're lucky because we got seats on the same row for this flight.)