Washington DC

Came out on United Airlines and stopped over in Chicago. What was supposed to be a 50 minute layover became a four hour stop. It so happened that some crazed person decided to take out the FAA tower and allowed me the luxury of boarding my flight and taxi to the runway to then turn around and hang out in the United terminal. I had some time to kill since I was rescheduled to a flight in terminal 2. I have not flown many regional planes from O'Hare and discovered a new side to the airport and United terminals. I'm not sure how recent the airport has undergone renovations but it did seem fairly new. Restaurants and eateries appear to have been modernized or hipsterized depending on your viewpoint. I grabbed a pretzel dog from Auntie Anne's and a salted caramel hot chocolate from Starbucks instead of the fancier places I saw inside the terminal.

After landing into Reagan National Airport, I took the subway and checked into the Washington Hilton. It has been many years since I have stayed at this particular property. The lobby has been updated and the rooms appear refreshed since last I have stayed. The lobby has public computer terminals and printers for those in need. It was a quiet day given my travel delays. I grabbed a light dinner at Cosi and tried the pumpkin chipotle soup with tandoori chicken sandwich. Bought a raspberry truffle steamer and walked over to The Cakeroom. I was given a suggestion to try a particular cupcakery but after seeing the number of average yelp reviews I opted to The Cakeroom to see the difference. Ordered the dirty red velvet, date, and strawberries and cream cupcakes. Also had the gingersnap and cappuccino cookies. The cupcakes were a little small so the frosting to cake ratio was almost 1:1 and the cookies were ok. Confexion has better cookies IMO. Ended the night at the executive lounge in the Hilton. Looking back, I think this is the first Hilton I have been all year. I think I have forgotten what the executive lounges are like anymore!

The next day, went out to The Tabbard Inn and had brunch. Started with biscuits and gravy which was very good. The fried oysters and grits were yummy. Finished off with house doughnut which was fluffy and warm. Overall, a very good meal.

Nationals Park
Returned to the hotel and took a nap before heading out to Nationals Park. I had initially planned to purchase last minute tickets from Stub Hub but found that all tickets were gone an hour before the game started. After a quick search, found some tickets on VividSeats and ended up with a bargain deal for field corner level tickets. Out of all the sports venues I've been, this stadium is the easiest to get to via public transportation. I would definitely recommend going to a game here. I wasn't sure if I would be in the shade and was happy to find out section 110 is on the shade side. The best part of the stadium is the free wifi throughout and it worked without a hitch despite a full stadium. Very impressive.

After the game, went to Chinatown to check out Red Velvet Cupcakery and ordered the peanut butter and jelly, red velvet, and Oreo and cream cupcakes. The cupcakes were better than what the three atar rating on Yelp would nake you believe. Walked down the street to Penn Social to catch some college football and found it a popular location for out of state fans. Decent food and ok beer prices.

The next day, it was a simple day of brunch at Hans Pedr' Kaffe for some Belgium waffles. I ordered the eggs benedict - their version was with smoked salmon and a potato Belgium waffle. Finished off with a chocolate chip liege waffle before checking out of the hotel.

Did a park and fly package at the Four Points Sheraton LAX. With my newly minted Platinum status at SPG, I was curious what amenities I would get. For the Four Points, they let me check in at 10 am and the breakfast offered was a typical breakfast buffet. It was better than the Four Points Logan Airport but not something I would seek to get again.


Four Points LAX
 

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