Our last full day in DC and we were up and off, onto the metro (where Ken managed to put $20 onto his fare card) and into the city centre. We found a coffee shop as we got off at Archives, one of the French Paul chain. The coffee was average, the croissant was good and the little birds were cute.
Into the Natural History Museum just after opening at 10. We didn't need to wait, but it was already busy inside. The beautiful foyer was loud with many people arriving. As it is summer holidays there are a lot of families in town and this is one of the favourite destinations. We joined a tour. Our guide was a retired NASA astrophysicist with a big brain. He did a tour of the history of the world, taking us to see meteors from Mars, explaining the shifts in the continents, some impressive gemstones and the evolution from early life forms to the supreme beings we are today. It was informative and he was enthusiastic, though I think some of his talk may have gone over the heads of the little kids. The whole museum was packed and noisy. After filling our heads with facts for 90 minutes we checked out the shop and headed back out into the heat.
A final look at the beauty of the Mall, the grassed area stretching between monuments and monumental buildings, and we were back onto the metro. We got off at Foggy Bottom. This is the George Washington Uni and Hospital stop and where we were to begin our afternoon walk. We made our way to the Georgetown Waterpark. This is a pretty waterfront with alfresco dining and views over the Potomac River and Theodore Roosevelt Island. We watched rowers and paddlers and some excited, shirtless, loud, patriotic guys in a rubber dinghy who started yelling "USA! USA! USA!" when they saw an man in a uniform having lunch with his wife.
We had lunch at Tony and Joe's (alongside the navy man who got very bad service) , Ken a burger and I had the house specialty- crab cake sandwich. It was very good, washed down with iced tea. We paid the bill,still trying to work out this whole tipping thing. 15%? Before tax? That's our formula, hope it's right!
We started walking again, through the historic Georgetown District. The old buildings and factories are beautiful, with their red brick and chimney stacks. They are used for commercial and residential purposes now. We found M Street and the shops! This is the first shopping precinct we have seen in the city. We wandered up and down, popping into some. It was really hot out and nice to cool off inside. We found a great gourmet grocery deli - Dean and Deluca (apparently a chain) and checked out the delicious food on display. Shame we had just had lunch. Ken bought a cold pressed coffee and I bought a vanilla latte in a can - it was pretty good, maybe the best coffee I'd had in DC. Somehow, I think that is more of a reflection on the standard of DC coffee that the can.
Back out into the heat and along the Potomac towards the Kennedy Centre, a big performing arts centre. There was a free concert in the Eisenhower Theatre. There is one every day of the year and it is broadcast on the web. We were early, so we had time to explore the building. The air conditioning was magnificent! It is a pretty nice place, plain on the outside, but lovely inside. There is a big terrace the whole way around with views over the city.
The concert was the James King Jazz Band. King is Double Bass player accompanied by a pianist, drummer and saxophonist. The seats are first come, first served and doors open half an hour before. We were at the front of the line and got great seats. The band was sensational. Great sound and they enjoyed themselves. There was a full crowd and everyone got into it.
They also provided a free shuttle back to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. There is lots of free stuff in this city. We caught 2 trains and were back in our neighbourhood, ready for dinner. We chose to go back to Esposita Mezcaleria, where we had eaten on our first night. We sat outside, not as vibrant as inside, but we could watch the comings and goings of the locals. We shared a salsa and tacos before having dessert. This is the first dessert of the trip! It won't be the last, it was yum. Ken had a passion fruit, meringue and I had a tres lèche cake.
We had lunch at Tony and Joe's (alongside the navy man who got very bad service) , Ken a burger and I had the house specialty- crab cake sandwich. It was very good, washed down with iced tea. We paid the bill,still trying to work out this whole tipping thing. 15%? Before tax? That's our formula, hope it's right!
We started walking again, through the historic Georgetown District. The old buildings and factories are beautiful, with their red brick and chimney stacks. They are used for commercial and residential purposes now. We found M Street and the shops! This is the first shopping precinct we have seen in the city. We wandered up and down, popping into some. It was really hot out and nice to cool off inside. We found a great gourmet grocery deli - Dean and Deluca (apparently a chain) and checked out the delicious food on display. Shame we had just had lunch. Ken bought a cold pressed coffee and I bought a vanilla latte in a can - it was pretty good, maybe the best coffee I'd had in DC. Somehow, I think that is more of a reflection on the standard of DC coffee that the can.
Back out into the heat and along the Potomac towards the Kennedy Centre, a big performing arts centre. There was a free concert in the Eisenhower Theatre. There is one every day of the year and it is broadcast on the web. We were early, so we had time to explore the building. The air conditioning was magnificent! It is a pretty nice place, plain on the outside, but lovely inside. There is a big terrace the whole way around with views over the city.
The concert was the James King Jazz Band. King is Double Bass player accompanied by a pianist, drummer and saxophonist. The seats are first come, first served and doors open half an hour before. We were at the front of the line and got great seats. The band was sensational. Great sound and they enjoyed themselves. There was a full crowd and everyone got into it.
They also provided a free shuttle back to the Foggy Bottom Metro station. There is lots of free stuff in this city. We caught 2 trains and were back in our neighbourhood, ready for dinner. We chose to go back to Esposita Mezcaleria, where we had eaten on our first night. We sat outside, not as vibrant as inside, but we could watch the comings and goings of the locals. We shared a salsa and tacos before having dessert. This is the first dessert of the trip! It won't be the last, it was yum. Ken had a passion fruit, meringue and I had a tres lèche cake.
Back home to pack and prepare to leave in the morning.
15.2 kms
19,777 steps
19,777 steps
2025-02-15