Mission: DC Getaway, pt. I

So missing out on a trip to Philly with my girlfriends ON TOP of all the crap that was going on that made me miss out on said trip in the first place put me in quite the funk.  It was a good call on John's part to jet off (or, um, drive down) to DC for a few days.  I must say, the spontaneity of the trip was a big mood-lifter in and of itself, so my spirits were definitely on the rise when we set out on a Friday morning.  After a smooth ride down with almost no traffic until we reached the city itself, we checked into the Grand Hyatt (1000 H Street NW), a nice hotel in a great area.  It was pretty standard as far as hotels go but the location made it a great, last-minute find.  The atrium was huge and while the decor was a bit outdated, it was really pretty and reminded me of a cruise ship.  

A view to the elevator bay from the entrance of the hotel.

A view from the 9th floor.

The layout of the hotel was abysmal.  There were plenty of elevators, about 5, but they were all located in a single elevator bay.  The design was such that the rooms encircled the center atrium so if you were at the opposite end of the elevator bay, it took forever to go to your room...such was our case.  The room itself, while weirdly shaped, was decently decorated, standard hotel fare.  It looked clean enough, as did the bathroom, and the bed was comfy so I was satisfied.  

From the little nook where our window was.

After resting up and settling in, we set out for lunch, as it was already past 2:00 and we hadn't yet eaten.  Adrie had long been raving about this place called Nando's so I decided that we should check it out.  We hit up the Chinatown location at 819 7th St. NW.  It was fantastic.  Although they had a pretty well-spread menu, we chose the chicken, since that was their claim to fame...and for good reason.  The chicken was juicy but not overly greasy, and the seasonings were OUT OF THIS WORLD.  We chose the Portuguese rice as our side and I have to say, while it was quite delish, the chicken was definitely the star of the show.  As much as we wanted to get ourselves another order, we refrained, not wanting to be bogged down while we walked. 

Great decor

Amazing food.

Our friend Mike had moved down about a year ago for work and we decided to meet up with him before he started his shift.  On the way, we passed by the Treasury (1500 Pennsylvania Ave.) and the White House (1600 Pennsylvania Ave.).  We met up with Mike at a Potbelly's not too far away.  It was great seeing him as we hadn't seen him since he left and the feeling was mutual.  We chatted a little bit as we walked him to work.  He pointed out some things in the area that were of interest, then made plans to meet up after he got out of work.  

The north side of the White House.

The Treasury Building.

John and I continued walking towards the Washington Monument but the 90 degree heat and humidity got the better of me -- I started feeling dizzy and lightheaded and John had to made a quick run to a nearby snack stand to fetch some water and an ice-cream bar.  It was exactly what the doctor ordered, as I started to feel better as soon as the water touched my lips.  I should have known better but I'm glad that dizzy spell was as far as it got.  Anyway, after a quick rest under the shade, we went on our merry way to the monument.  I should mention that John hadn't been in DC since he was about 15 or so, so it's been about 10 years.  I think he appreciated it more now than he had back then.  The Monument is smack-dab in-between the U.S Capitol  to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.  The distance between the Capitol and the Lincoln Memorial is 2.5 miles, and would you believe I've walked it before? I hope so because I have.  

Frolicking towards the Monument, right before I got sick.

Finally at the monument, looking eastbound.

It is so tall.

After the monument, we headed westward towards the Lincoln Memorial.  On the way, we hit the National World War II Memorial on 17th St between Constitution and Independence Avenues.  It is gorgeous and my second favorite memorial in DC.  We took yet another breather there and just enjoyed the calm and beauty that the memorial resonated.  

The opposite end, the Atlantic side, a mirror image of the Pacific side.

Each column has a state.  I found mine.

View of the monument.

After about half an hour, our journey to the Lincoln Memorial resumed.  At this point it was getting to be about 6:00pm so the heat was subsiding.  We walked in the shade alongside the reflection pool where it was blissfully much cooler than had we walked in the open sunlight.  Finally, oh finally, we reached the Memorial.  I must say, it is quite majestic.  Its platform at the head of the Reflecting Pool is simply quite beautiful and the ginormous statue of Lincoln is grand.  The main reason why I don't hold it in higher standards is because of the sheer volume of people that crowd it.  As it was getting later on in the day, there were less people, but past experience still holds me to that bias.  In any case, we briefly soaked it in -- although I'm not sure how much John did since he was excitedly talking my ear off about his newest obsession, Weeds.  

Walking in the shade.

Our destination, finally!

President Lincoln, himself.

The reason it's called the reflecting pool.

We decided to catch a cab rather than walk or take the Metro back to the hotel but before that we made a quick stop at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, located NE from the Lincoln Memorial through the park, not too far away.  I've been many times and every single time, the sadness is overwhelming.  There are thousands of names on the wall, thousands of lives lost, even more thousands of lives affected by these losses.  There is a famous picture depicting the poignancy of this memorial that I'll include further down.  It truly is very moving.

Fantastic statue.

To this day, people still remember.  As they should.

Speaks volumes.

Upon finally reaching the hotel, we collapsed onto the bed and rested, though while John napped, I played a game on his iPhone called Sally's Spa.  It is sooo addicting!  We allowed ourselves a couple of hours of rest before we had dinner at Capitol City Brewing Company, right across the corner from the hotel at 1100 New York Ave. NW.  To be honest, I can't remember what I ordered.  The food was satisfying but not memorable, I guess.  The beer was good but nothing we couldn't find at home at any other microbrewery.  It didn't even hold a candle to Basil T's beer.  I had ordered the house red which was a decent choice.  All in all, it filled our stomachs but it was pretty forgettable.  We went back to the hotel to wait for Mike to get out but our full stomachs combined with the entire day's sojourn hit us like a ton of bricks and we decided to stay in that night.

day 2, coming up.