East Coast Trip Finale-
Our final stop, Washington DC
For never having been there, to being there twice in one year, this place has quickly become one of our favorite places to visit.
Our first night stay was at the Hotel Helix. Very quirky for a Kimpton Hotel! We loved it! Our room could have fit a 50 person party, it was huge. Enough sleeping room for 20 or so too! And my favorite part of the room...the mini bar had a Pez in it! A little disappointed in the room, but only because I knew they had a bunk bead suite and wanted it so badly! Unfortunately, it was unavailable for our stay. :(
We stayed local to Logan Circle and picked up dinner at Whole Foods and returned to our room to enjoy.
We waited for darkness and then took out the Public Bicycles, Kimpton offers for free, for a night ride. We had wanted to see the monuments at night last trip but never made it back (long walk, didn't want to do it twice!).
The bikes were great. Probably the highlight of the trip in DC. Very easy to do in DC- They are a bike friendly city. I was probably a little over eager... biking in the dark in a park, not my best idea. But once we found where we were going we got to hit the White House, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial.
I made it back after a 6 mile bike ride, feeling accomplished and cultural.
Since I was so motivated to get out and do stuff we headed over to Georgetown. Thinking the bike idea was going to be too difficult in Georgetown (which it totally would have been!) we walked the 25 blocks to our favorite cupcake shop, Georgetown Cupcakes. They open at 10 am every day and knowing they are a small shop and have limited seating we headed over early. We arrived at 9:25 am and found we were first in line! Less than 5 minutes later a line had formed. We ordered our favorites (mine are PB Fudge and Chocolate3) and sat in the little cute shop.
Just 2 blocks away are the Exorcist stairs!
You know, where the Priest fell to his death...
Yeah, I walked up. Only 1 short break.
Getting vertigo just looking at this photo! And yes, that small shadow at the base of the stairs is a person! Creepy!
The next stay was at the Donovan House. This hotel is my favorite in all of DC. It's new, modern and fabulous. And they have a great Asian-fusion restaurant, Zentan! Oh and a gorgeous roof top bar/pool area! The area is located perfectly- good eats, parks and a view of the White House, which is only 3 blocks away!
We spent the morning before we left at the National Cathedral. Beautiful inside and out! You could spend an entire day here and not see everything! We only spend 30 mins because we had Roxi with us.
Now for some rest!
Enjoy your stay- Melissa
To continue on our East Coast Road Trip...
The drive to Philadelphia was easy but don't forget to have cash available for all the tolls! We took a bridge that was $15! Fifteen dollars!?!
Coming from California, I just don't understand it.
We stayed at the new Hotel Monaco in Center City, across the street from Independence Hall. Our room over looked the Independence National Historic Park, currently home of the Liberty Bell. Nice park- great for Roxi, she was able to do her business looking at the Liberty Bell! Hotel and the area felt like a small urban city with so much history.
Back to the hotel- Great location, fantastic staff, and eclectic furniture- everything I want in my Kimpton Hotel!
We started the evening at Raw Sushi & Sake Lounge. It's almost across the street from where dinner was and with the hour+ wait we decided to hop over to get a drink and some appetizers. Dan and Wes got a Sake flight, Melissa got an apple martini and I was boring with water. We also shared a vegetarian roll and something else (I didn't eat it, so I can't remember or comment on it). What I did have was great and a perfect light snack.
While waiting at Raw El Vez texted us to let us know our tables were ready. First time I've ever had the restaurant text you "your table is ready" but what a great idea! At El Vez, "Mexican-American meets East LA in a Tijuana Taxi" we met up with more friends for an Engagement Party. I can attest, best Mexican food I've ever had anywhere outside of California! And the place is fun and quirky too! Great ambiance for food and friends! Oh and they serve Margaritas by the pitcher people! And it was conveniently located only a couple of blocks from our hotel.
In the morning we ate at the hotel's restaurant, Red Owl Tavern. Good food, although I've come to expect it!
Off to DC...
Let the East Coast Road Trip Begin!
I try to do too many thing on my vacations! This trip includes NYC, Philly & DC, 5 Friends, a meet up with Family, FOOD and a wonderful dog Roxi.
To start our adventure we'll begin at the beginning.
We left out of LAX at 3:45 with 1 bag and 1 dog on jetBlue. jetBlue is great with the Pets! Your dog or cat must be under 20 lbs with the carrier and able to fit under the seat. We attempted to get her on the plane without purchasing her a ticket. At $100/way it adds up fast...and it's not like she nor I are getting anything for it. We had no issues but I was quite nervous. Watching Dan carry a moving/vibrating bag on a plane, even if I knew what it was (Roxi), still made me uneasy. No one questioned anything! And we were all set to go. I gave her some doggy drugs to make her more comfortable, which made me less comfortable! I spend the entire 5 hours looking at her every few minutes to make sure she was ok and still breathing!
What made the flight slightly enjoyable (when I wasn't panicking I OD'd my dog) was Breaking Bad!
--Breaking Bad. I do not like shows that are trendy, critically acclaimed or generally liked by many. This show is Bad, bad meaning good! I won't bore you with my thoughts here, I'll save it for another post. But damn what a show!
We got in at midnight which worked out really well for us, other than the cost of one of our free night stays at our favorite hotel! We were meeting a friend who drove up from DC there so he was able to pick us up at the airport. Getting from the airport to the City is truly the worst part of flying into New York (JFK). We typically take the airtrain ($5) to the Jamaica Station and hop on the LIRR (Long Island RailRoad) to Penn Station ($7-12 off-peak & peak). This is usually the cheapest and quickest way in. Still takes about an hour+ but cost is generally much less, unless you have a large group (at least 5 people), taxi's are way over priced.
We stayed at the Kimpton hotel Ink48 (48th and 11th Ave) and had another
wonderful experience. Upgrade! Inner Circle Treats! Roxi Friendly!
What's great about this hotel is it's beautiful rooms and interesting history. It was formerly a printing house! They've kept the printing theme going to their restaurant PRINT, and rooftop bar The Press Lounge (amazing rooftop views! day or night you must check it out, even if you aren't staying at Ink48 and grab a cocktail while there!). We were able to sneak a peak at the view but they were closing up so we couldn't sit or drink.
In the morning we hit the streets early! New York is known for it's great food and as a formal local I miss it. We went to the best bagel shop, Absolute Bagels (UWS, take the 1 train to 103 and a few blocks up, 2788 Broadway, between 107th and 108th). I get the sesame seed bagel toasted with cream cheese, Dan opts for the egg bagel toasted with butter (couldn't be more different!). And don't just take my word, they have a 4.5 review on yelp! out of 492 reviewers! Everyone else I know highly recommends the everything bagel (I fear change).
Then we took a leisurely walk down to 82nd and Amsterdam for a snack at the Gin Mill (UWS, take the 1 train to 79th St and Broadway or the B&D to 81st St and CPW, 442 Amsterdam, between 81st and 82nd). Great drink specials, my personal favorite buffalo chicken strips and seasoned tater tots! We headed back the the hotel to pick up our dog Roxi and check out.
Hello Brooklyn! On our way to our next stop we hit up the bestest, cheapest, hottest, Sicilian slice of pizza! L&B Spumoni Gardens (take the N to 86th St, the D to 25th Ave or the F to Avenue X, 2725 86th St, Brooklyn). This place is deep in Brooklyn, might take an hour to get there depending on where you are coming from- I think it's the 2nd to the last stop! But oh so worth it. Pizza is fresh (because everyone is buying it up!) and cheap. You have a choice between Round Slice or Square (Sicilian) Slice. The square is so good, I haven't tried the Round! It has a thick bread-y crust piled with mozzarella cheese, a layer or sauce, some parm and extra virgin olive oil. I am sad thinking about how long it will be before I get another slice! Did I mention cheap? It's $2.50 a slice and $1.50 for a can of soda. Get 2 to start.
Next Stop...Philly!
We waited for darkness and then took out the Public Bicycles, Kimpton offers for free, for a night ride. We had wanted to see the monuments at night last trip but never made it back (long walk, didn't want to do it twice!).
