Washington D.C. Recap Part One

And I’m back! Sorry I disappeared. My only excuse is that I was having an absolutely amazing time here:

On Friday afternoon, Jeff and I set out on a five-hour road trip from Albany to D.C. We had been planning this trip for a while for three very specific reasons:

1. I’ve never been to D.C.  (which is obviously a problem for my Hard Rock Cafe souvenir glass collection)
2. To visit Jeff’s family in Virginia
3. To look at the University of Maryland in College Park (I’m thinking of getting a second degree in nutrition after I graduate in December)

I had limited internet access while I was away so I decided to take some time off from blogging. Since I have a lot to talk about, I am going to break my recaps into parts.

After five hours of playing road trip games and stopping at I-95 rest stops, we arrived in College Park, MD. We were definitely ready for dinner and Franklin’s Restaurant, Brewery & General Store seemed liked a good choice.

When at a brewery, it is imperative to order beer (duh!)

I chose the Miami Weiss, a Orange Blossom Honey Wheat with orange zest. Yum.

For dinner, I devoured a whole bread basket

Just kidding. I ordered the Vegetarian Flatbread

Roasted red peppers, roasted artichokes, grilled and diced eggplant & portabello mushrooms, hummus, feta and field greens all tossed in lemon-herb vinaigrette on top of slightly crisp flatbread.

I left out the mushrooms and could have done without the vinaigrette but other than that, I really liked the flatbread. I was really impressed by vegetarian options on Franklin’s menu. If you’re ever in the area, I recommend checking it out.

Random Rant Time:

I’m a little sad to say that we frequented Starbucks on our trip a little more than I would have liked to. I’ve been going to Uncommon Grounds at home because I think Starbucks’ prices are ridiculous and I like UG’s coffee better. I also prefer to support local businesses. That being said, I was also very disappointed that the only food available at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum was McDonald’s. How ridiculous is that? It’s disgusting.  I HATE McDonand’s and refused to eat there but I digress. That’s a story for another post.

Back to what I was saying:

Jeff and I stayed in a hotel in College Park, MD the first night. We took advantage of the free continental breakfast in the morning.

I tried to stomach the hotel’s flavored oatmeal. Gross. After a few bites, I ditched it for cheerios and a banana. Not a great breakfast but oh well-it was free.

From the hotel, we drove  to the Metro (D.C.’s Subway- which is so much nicer than New York’s) and spent the day walking around D.C.

We spent a million years trying to find somewhere we wanted to eat for lunch. We were apparently in the wrong part of the city because everything was closed. We finally found a sandwich shop where I ordered PB&J. Don’t think I need to post a picture of that.

After touring D.C. for most of the day, we headed to Jeff’s aunt and uncle’s house in Arlington, VA, where we stayed for the rest of our trip.

Jeff’s aunt and uncle took us to a nice restaurant called Lebanese Taverna for dinner.  After I ate my weight in hummus, I ordered the Yogurt Casserole with Eggplant for my entree.

Chickpeas, Toasted Pita, Warm Yogurt Sauce, Pine Nuts, Garlic

The dish was flavorful and delicious. I really enjoyed it. Thanks again to Jeff’s aunt and uncle for taking us there!

Our breakfast on the second day was much better than the first.

Jeff’s aunt made us french toast. It was amazing. I wish my french toast tasted this good. Don’t you just want to eat the screen? I do.

After breakfast, we set out to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. I ate a soft pretzel from a street vendor for lunch because I refused to order anything from McDonald’s.

For dinner, we headed over to see more of Jeff’s family in Alexandria, VA. Jeff’s little cousin, Chloe, helped prepare a fabulous dinner and dessert.

Isn’t she adorable? We had stuffed shells with spinach and garlic bread.

It was so good! I love stuffed shells. Chloe did an awesome job!

We had homemade chocolate pie with whipped cream for dessert.

Yum!! I also stole a few of the cookies you see Chloe holding above.

Thanks again to Jeff’s family for the fantastic dinner!! It was great to finally meet everyone!

I have a million more things to talk about but I’m going to stop here before this post becomes a book. I’ll try to write another recap post before the end of the weekend.

Where is your favorite vacation destination?

Have a great Saturday!