DC
Just after leaving Manila, I went to DC for a conference. Ironically, I left one rainy area for another while having the federal government in shutdown mode. I flew into Dulles Airport on United Airlines uneventfully. I was hoping with the shutdown that DC hotels had lower occupancy rates and I would be able to get into my room earlier than norm. Unfortunately, the Hampton Inn & Suites Reagan National Airport was not able to do so. At least breakfast was still being served and I was able to hang out in the restaurant and business center until the room was ready. The front desk girl was nice enough to track me down and let me know the room was ready.
After settling in, I headed out to the conference at L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Being in Arlington, I was two stops away on the Yellow line which made the commuting time around 20 minutes. The good thing about the hotel is it sits above the L'Enfant station. The hotel's options for eating is limited but the promenade level more than makes up for the lack of food venues. So for a late lunch, I grabbed a sandwich from Sandella's Flatbread Cafe. Of all the food options, Sandella's offered discounts to government employees so I decided to save my employer some money and take up their offer.
After meeting up with colleagues at the conference, I headed out to eat dinner at Clyde's. A colleague really enjoyed their crab cakes and I've always enjoyed eating at Clyde's so it was an easy decision.
The next day, I checked out of the Hampton and switched to the Doubletree Washington DC-Crystal City. I originally did not plan to stay as long as I did and couldn't find the same rates as the Doubletree for the extended stay so I opted to switch between hotels. Bigger and slightly more structured than the Hampton, I was given an apartment style room. The only downside with the Doubletree is that they have two shuttles that run on specific routes and times. The Hampton was more flexible in regards to local transportation. The breakfast option at the Doubletree is either the breakfast buffet or regular menu. As my breakfast voucher was for a dollar amount, I opted to have something off the menu. I was tired of breakfast buffets and ordered the French Toast Bread Pudding. It was pretty tasty for a hotel restaurant even though I'm not a fan of raisins.
For dinner, I went to Cosi. I usually like going to Cosi for their sandwiches and my colleague had never heard of this chain. The girl who took my order forgot to make my coffee and gave me a free muffin for the delay. Lately, I've begun to have a greater appreciation of people who are clearly friendly and acknowledging delays in service.
On the next day, I had the benedict waffles which is basically an eggs benedict but the muffin is replaced by waffles and the ham replaced by bacon. I was not able to eat the entire dish as it was very filling. For dinner, I went out to Seventh Hill Pizza after seeing very little "real food" at the conference reception. The pizza was really good and I was sad that I forgot it in the hotel's refrigerator when I checked out.
The next day, I checked out of the Doubletree and went to the Hilton Crystal City at Washington National Airport. Recently renovated, the Hilton was the cheapest of my hotel stays but still the same quality in terms of amenities and room. The bathroom is slightly smaller than the other two hotels but I still enjoyed my stay. The executive lounge was closed but it looked pretty nice inside when I walked past it to go to the restaurant. It was your typical continental breakfast options but the staff seemed a little frazzled. Unusual for a hotel restaurant but maybe the recent renovations disrupted some of their morning processes.
After settling in, I headed out to the conference at L'Enfant Plaza Hotel. Being in Arlington, I was two stops away on the Yellow line which made the commuting time around 20 minutes. The good thing about the hotel is it sits above the L'Enfant station. The hotel's options for eating is limited but the promenade level more than makes up for the lack of food venues. So for a late lunch, I grabbed a sandwich from Sandella's Flatbread Cafe. Of all the food options, Sandella's offered discounts to government employees so I decided to save my employer some money and take up their offer.
After meeting up with colleagues at the conference, I headed out to eat dinner at Clyde's. A colleague really enjoyed their crab cakes and I've always enjoyed eating at Clyde's so it was an easy decision.
The next day, I checked out of the Hampton and switched to the Doubletree Washington DC-Crystal City. I originally did not plan to stay as long as I did and couldn't find the same rates as the Doubletree for the extended stay so I opted to switch between hotels. Bigger and slightly more structured than the Hampton, I was given an apartment style room. The only downside with the Doubletree is that they have two shuttles that run on specific routes and times. The Hampton was more flexible in regards to local transportation. The breakfast option at the Doubletree is either the breakfast buffet or regular menu. As my breakfast voucher was for a dollar amount, I opted to have something off the menu. I was tired of breakfast buffets and ordered the French Toast Bread Pudding. It was pretty tasty for a hotel restaurant even though I'm not a fan of raisins.
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| Doubletree Crystal City - living room of junior suite |
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| Doubletree Crystal City - bedroom of junior suite |
For dinner, I went to Cosi. I usually like going to Cosi for their sandwiches and my colleague had never heard of this chain. The girl who took my order forgot to make my coffee and gave me a free muffin for the delay. Lately, I've begun to have a greater appreciation of people who are clearly friendly and acknowledging delays in service.
On the next day, I had the benedict waffles which is basically an eggs benedict but the muffin is replaced by waffles and the ham replaced by bacon. I was not able to eat the entire dish as it was very filling. For dinner, I went out to Seventh Hill Pizza after seeing very little "real food" at the conference reception. The pizza was really good and I was sad that I forgot it in the hotel's refrigerator when I checked out.
The next day, I checked out of the Doubletree and went to the Hilton Crystal City at Washington National Airport. Recently renovated, the Hilton was the cheapest of my hotel stays but still the same quality in terms of amenities and room. The bathroom is slightly smaller than the other two hotels but I still enjoyed my stay. The executive lounge was closed but it looked pretty nice inside when I walked past it to go to the restaurant. It was your typical continental breakfast options but the staff seemed a little frazzled. Unusual for a hotel restaurant but maybe the recent renovations disrupted some of their morning processes.
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| Hilton Crystal City guest room |
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