Guest Blog by Larry
                                                    

Hi guys. We just returned for three days in our nations capital. I must say Washington is a great city to see. The richness of history and its well organized scheme of things makes it a dream for touring.

We flew from ORD to Reagan NS and due to catching a tailwind our take off to touch down time was an astounding 1 hr, 15 min. After collecting our luggage we met a driver who offered to take us to our hotel for $24.00 which seemed reasonable. Now I knew he was a bit shall I say clever because he was driving a hotel shuttle van and we were not going to that hotel but he was making a buck on the side and there was no one waiting for us so off we went. It was only today I found out he had taken us for a ride in more ways than one as a regular taxie fare was only $17.00. Oh well not so bad I suppose. Its not like I bought a time share that vanished into thin air you know. 

We spent day one (Sat.) or what was left of it touring. Places we saw included the Washington monument which by law is the tallest structure in DC, some 555 ft. in height. We also saw the WW II memorial and the White House. What I found very interesting and puzzling is that on the street fronting of the White House were about 10 guys playing skate or roller hockey. I would have thought access there would be tighter and though there were guards everywhere I was amused by this. I wonder who those guys were that they could be doing this so close to the home of our nations leader. Oh well. What I found in DC was that most cabbies I met are from Ethiopia so of course I asked one about a good Ethiopian restaurant. Well as it turns out one was nearby our hotel so our first dinner out was at a local place called Lalabela which was also recommended to us by friends who used to live nearby in Virginia. I must say and this is a matter of personal taste of course we were disappointed. My wife ordered a vegetable dish and I a beef dish. The entrees for both of us came presented over a flat Ethiopian bread on one plate. This part was fine but the bread was actually cool to touch and spongy, a texture we are not used too. All in all it was OK and the Ethiopian beer went well. BTW this place is local in every sense. Don't expect to see many tourists here. This a gathering place for the local Ethiopian community and as such I found that part pretty neat.

Day two, Sun., was a day for us to see the museums. Our first stop was what I think is a must see, the Holocaust museum. The lines are longest here and entrance is, like all the government museums free of charge. No pictures are allowed. What you see here is stunning. Before beginnig you can take an identity card if you wish. This has a bio of a person who was a victim and gives a brief story of the tragedy of their lives.

Our next stop was the Smithsonian castle for a brief tour, the Museum of African Art followed by the Air and Space Museum. This last one was really neat. Inside you will see all sorts of planes and space craft including Sputnik, WW I and WW II fighter planes, the Spirit of St. Louis flown by Lindbergh over the Atlantic, Soviet SS-20 and US Pershing ballistic missles and various types of civilain propeller aircraft from bygone eras. After a nice lunch at a neat Mexican tapas like restaurant it was off to see the room where President Lincoln died. As you may know he was seeing a play at Fords theatre when he was shot by John Wilkes Booth. He was taken across the street to a boarding house where he died 9 hrs. later. You can actually see the room where he took his last breath. The building is still there and only the one next to it, which is now a French restaurant still stand from that time in 1865. Fords theatre has been restored but closed that day.

After that it was off to the Spy Museum, which is private and costs $16.00 per person. It was OK if you like that sort of thing but we were underwhelmed. After that we saw the Lincoln memorial and the Korean and Viet Nam War Memorials. Much of what Washington has to offer leaves one sad really but I think its a must as it is our heritage. We decided to call it a day and cabbed it back to our hotel. Our driver was Indian so of course we asked him for restaurant advice. This time we struck gold. . Now bear in mind my wife is Indian and we have been married for 29 years and believe me I have had Indian food all over the world. Folks the Bombay Club in DC on Conn. Ave. served the best Indian food we have ever tried! The flavors and sauces were unmatched. I have had the same food many times before but never did it taste this good.

Our final day was spent touring Arlington National Cemetary. We saw the grave sites of JFK and RFK and the Iwo Jima memorial but the highlight had to be the tomb of the unknown soldier and the changing of the guard there. Never forget what our soldiers have done and continue to do for us. Thats all I can say.

We had lunch in Georgetown and later found a gem of a local Thai place simply named Rice. Again being from Chicago I had had alot of Thai food over the yrs. Rice was the best I have ever tried.

How about the hotel? In a word very disappointing. We stayed at the Helix, a Kimpton hotel which specializes in boutique hotels. Our only other experience with Kimptons was the Vintage Park in Seattle which was very nice. The Helix was well short of the Vintage Park. When I was booking on Travelocity I first tried for the Westin which was sold out. However the Helix was available at a comparable price so I took it. Big mistake. We walked to the Westin for breakfast and to compare the two which again came in price wise about the same was like comparing a 5 yr. old Toyota Corrola with 75 k miles to a new Lincoln Town car. . Thanks for reading. I hope you could get something out of this and ask if you have any questions. PS I think the hop-on hop-off trolley is a waste of money. A two day pass for both of us would have cost about $200.00. Actually the metra works well there and the cabs which we took everywhere were surprisingly moderate.