My husband and I recently went on a vacation to explore our nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. He had visited once before on a school trip, but it was my very first time traveling that far north. We had a jam-packed itinerary to make the most of our 4-day trip. 

We had an early morning flight to catch on Saturday, so we woke up at 4:30 am to ensure we had enough time. Even though I’ve recently been struggling with getting up early in the mornings, for some strange reason, I never have an issue waking up early to catch a flight. 

Once we got to Hartsfield-Jackson, the TSA line was long as always, but it moved rather quickly. As a bonus, the security screening process had changed since the last time I was at the airport, so I didn’t have to remove my jewelry or take my laptop out of my carry-on backpack. That one small change alone made it a much more enjoyable experience. 

Naturally, after passing through TSA, our next stops were the restrooms, finding some food and water, and locating our gate. If you’re ever in Concourse B early in the morning, you should definitely check out the black-owned restaurant Paschal’s for some yummy breakfast.

After grabbing a bite to eat, we boarded our flight shortly afterward. Thankfully, the flight was smooth, with little to no turbulence. It was my first time on an Airbus, and since I picked the seat right over the wing, I got to see it extend and retract when we were landing. As a bonus, since we flew Delta Airlines, we got to use the free Wi-Fi to keep us entertained throughout the hour and forty-five minute flight.

Once we touched down and got our luggage, we were in go mode. We rode the metrorail from the airport to our hotel, and it was such a cool experience using reliable and efficient public transportation. Atlanta is severely dependent on cars, so it was great seeing a city with a convenient transportation system. 

It was super easy to buy and use the metro passes since they integrated seamlessly with our phones. We used Google Maps to plan our routes and which stops and stations we needed. The trains were nice, clean, and not usually packed with passengers. They were also pretty quick. 

We stayed at the Thompson Hotel, and it is honestly one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed in. I’d definitely rate it about a 9 out of 10 and would totally recommend it if you’re looking for a nice but affordable hotel within walking distance to Nationals Park. We got a deluxe king room with a sofa seating area so we weren’t cramped. I appreciated that there was hardwood flooring throughout the room, the bathroom was immaculately clean, and the mini fridge got super cold. 

We decided to walk to a nearby grocery store to pick up some breakfast essentials like coffee, juice, half and half, apples, yogurt cups, granola, and bagels to save time and money in the mornings. That was one of the best decisions we made on our trip, and I will definitely do it again for future hotel stays since it was extremely convenient having food already in the room to start our mornings. 

Later that day, we attended the Rally for Reparations and Juneteenth celebration at Freedom Plaza, and it was so cool to see Tariq Nasheed and Rizza Islam live in the flesh. We also attended a Washington Spirit soccer game and saw our favorite player, Croix Bethune, hit the game-tying goal literally seconds before the game ended. 

On Sunday, we toured the museums and the National Mall. We visited the National Archives, the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian Museum of American History, and the National Gallery of Art. My favorite was definitely the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History because there were so many interesting exhibits. My least favorite was the art gallery since it was a maze and most of the artwork just wasn’t appealing to me.

We also rented a city bike for the first time to cut down on some of the walking around the National Mall, and I was pleasantly surprised by how inexpensive a 45-minute ride was. It was super convenient that you could use the Lyft app to find and pay for a bike. 

For dinner that night, we ate at Buffalo Wild Wings close to our hotel, but their service was…not the best. They tried to use QR codes on the tables to place orders, but I kept having technical difficulties. We eventually got the waitress to take our order, but it was a bit of a hassle. The food was solidly in the middle of the road - not terrible, but definitely not the best we’ve ever had, either. 

We used the hotel’s gym throughout our stay for a few late-night workouts. I was genuinely impressed by how much equipment they had available. There was a full rack of dumbbells ranging from 5 to 50 pounds, a Peloton bike, a couple of treadmills, a bench, some weighted balls, stretch bands, and really plush yoga mats. 

On Monday, we started our day by touring the National Air and Space Museum. I’m not going to lie, it was a little underwhelming since most of the museum focused on commercial aviation and not space. We were definitely expecting to see a space shuttle exhibit, but there were none to be found. 

We grabbed some pizza for a quick lunch before making our way to tour the U.S. Capitol. We initially toured the rotunda and the old House and Senate floors with a tour guide who explained the original architecture, history, and statues in the area. She also gave us instructions on how to get passes to see the current House and Senate Galleries. 

Of course, when you’re only visiting a place for a short amount of time, you have to make the most of your trip. We got the passes from Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Green’s office and planned to come back the next day when the Senate was in session. 

Later that evening, we rode the train to visit the zoo. We got to see a lot of animals that the Atlanta zoo doesn’t have, and since we got there about an hour or so before the zoo closed, there weren’t a lot of children running around. It was such a pleasant time to go, especially since the weather was starting to cool off. 

We ate dinner that day at a restaurant called Silver Diner. I got a delicious BLT and my husband got an order of protein pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon. As my sweet after-dinner treat, I had a cup of ice cream while walking back to our hotel. 

Tuesday was our last day, so naturally, it had to be our best day. Since our 3-day all-access metro passes had ended, we decided to just load $10 on each of our accounts to get us through the remainder of our trip. Turns out, it ended up being much cheaper than purchasing another all-access pass. If we had known it was that cheap, we would have definitely just loaded money onto the account from the beginning to save at least $20 or so. What can you say? Y ou live and you learn.

After eating our breakfast, we caught the train to visit the Library of Congress. It was cool, but the main event was definitely when we went back to the U.S. Capitol and toured the Senate and  House Galleries. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take our phones, bags, or even our smartwatches with us, so I have no pictures of it. We did get to see Bernie Sanders, Tim Scott, Chuck Schumer and many other senators while we were observing. 

Afterward, we ate lunch at the Capitol Cafe since it was conveniently located where we were, but the prices were insane. There were also way too many groups of kids taking up all the tables and seating areas. We quickly finished our food and then caught the train over to the National Museum of African American History.

Your knowledge of history will determine your opinion on the African American History museum. If you don’t regularly consume historical content, you would really appreciate how many exhibits and items the museum includes. On the flip side, if you have a firm grasp of Black American history, and not just the Africanized history that’s often pushed, you might have a couple of complaints about how it’s organized and the language used in certain areas and exhibits.

This was the only place we visited that we didn’t purchase a magnet from. We just didn’t have good vibes from the experience and decided it wasn’t for us. It was cool, but it didn’t do certain topics much justice.

After that, we grabbed some food before going to the Nationals baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. We found our seats quickly and easily, but good Lord, the prices for concessions were insane! Despite having a Tuesday deal where hot dogs were $3, pretzels were $4, and sodas and pizzas were $5, our total for two waters and two pretzels still came up to a ridiculous $19. 

One of the worst parts of attending an MLB game instead of watching it on TV is the high price you’ll pay for basic concessions. In my opinion, bottled water, pretzels, popcorn, and hot dogs should all be closer to $2.50 each. I think meal items like chicken tenders and fries could cost a little more than basic snacks, but they definitely shouldn’t be too ridiculously expensive. 

The Nationals lost 5-0 and gave up 15 hits to the Diamondbacks. I really thought they would have played better, but I’m glad I at least got to see a two-shot home run. Afterward, we went back to our hotel room and started packing up for our flight home the next day. 

After my first trip up north, I can definitely see how northerners have the stereotype of not being as friendly as southerners, but it’s really just because there’s always a lot going on and you never want to come off as an easy target to be taken advantage of. Northerners are also so used to moving quicker than southerners simply because there’s always a train, plane, or bus to catch. Oftentimes, there’s just not enough time for extended pleasantries. 

All in all, I really enjoyed our journey to our nation’s capital. I got to see many of the iconic monuments and museums that the area is known for, while also packing in some sports fun. Even though we just got back, best believe we’re already planning our next big adventure. 

If you enjoyed this episode, let me know by giving this video a thumbs up, leaving a comment, and subscribing to my channel. I’ll see you in the next episode! 

 

Signed, 

Jessica Marie