The third day of our Washington, DC adventure found us starting our day at the Library of Congress.
OK, call me a geek if you like, but Mr. Roaming Boomer could get happily lost for days in the Library of Congress.
The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world, with nearly 142 million items on approximately 650 miles of bookshelves. The collections include more than 32 million books and other print materials, 3 million recordings, 12.5 million photographs, 5.3 million maps, 5.6 million pieces of sheet music and 62 million manuscripts.
I’ll come back in a later post to tell you more of the details of our visit to this fascinating place.
After three hours or so (far too little time), we were off to enjoy lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
Ben’s Chili Bowl is a Washington, DC institution, and as you can see in the picture to the left, a favorite place for President Obama to enjoy a good chili dog. We also noticed that the inside of the restaurant was loaded with pictures of Bill Cosby enjoying a dog or two himself.
When we approached the little restaurant, we were shocked to see that the line was outside the door and wrapped around the building.
Dismayed at a potential long wait, we learned from seasoned Ben’s fans that we were likely to wait about thirty-minutes. They also assured that the dogs were well worth the wait.
Once inside we ordered Bill Cosby’s Original Chili Half-Smoke. This is their signature dish originally made famous by Ben’s in 1958 and a favorite of Mr. Cosby’s since the early 60’s. It consists of 1/4lb. half pork and beef smoked sausage on a warm steamed bun topped with mustard, onions and their spicy homemade chili sauce.
Holy yummy chili dog Batman! That was GOOD!
Next on our agenda was the National Gallery of Art to view the special exhibit: Gauguin: Maker of Myth.
Again, I will have a separate post on our National Gallery of Art exploration. But just let me say this, we never, ever go to Washington, DC without a trip to the National Gallery of Art. It is a very special place and significantly worthy of your visit.
After another wonderful nights sleep in our Tai Pan Club Room at the Mandarin Oriental Washington DC, we were off for another day of exploration in Washington, DC.
The Newseum — a 250,000-square-foot museum of news — offers visitors an experience that blends five centuries of news history with up-to-the-second technology and hands-on exhibits.
I’ll be doing a separate post on our Newseum experience, but we greatly enjoyed this museum and highly recommend it.
After three hours of exploration, we were off to Cafe Phillips to enjoy a scrumptious deli-sandwich and to meet fellow travel blogger Matt Long (LandLopers).
Matt says, “I am a typical Gen-X professional who has a passion for all things travel. My site brings a unique perspective that is hard to find online. I am not a backpacker, nor am I super wealthy. I am just an average person who has managed to travel the world efficiently and without spending a fortune.”
We recommend that you give Matt’s well designed site a visit.
With our bellies full from a delicious Reuben, we made a drizzly walk over to the National Archives to see the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and a whole host of important documents kept safely in our National Archives and Records Administration.
There was no photography allowed in the National Archives, so I don’t have any to share with you. Nonetheless, the National Archives is a place that every American should visit.
Standing in front of the Constitution of the United States, and the Declaration of Independence is quite an experience.
Next up was a short cab ride back to the Mandarin Oriental Washington DC, where Carol enjoyed a very unique Hot Bamboo Massage.
This unusual treatment uses scent, varied pressures, warm towels, and a combination of hand and bamboo to ease away tension, release joint stress and balance the energy in your body.
Justin is the son of a friend from Michigan, and his soon-to-be-bride, Lauren, is doing a bit of freelance work for us on our website. These two millennials are very much into the whole social media scene and we had a wonderful time visiting with them.
Well, that’s enough for now. Tomorrow we off for even more Washington, DC adventures.
Mandarin Oriental ~ Washington DC – This morning we awakened, in the most comfortable beds ever, in the AAA Four-Diamond, Forbes Four-Star Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC.
We are located within walking distance of nation’s most cherished monuments, Capitol Hill, and the revered museums of the Smithsonian Institution.
We have long heard of the glowing reputation of this international hotel brand, and we were greatly looking forward to our inaugural stay.
Our room is on the 8th floor, enjoys a remarkable view of the Jefferson Monument as well as access to the Mandarin’s Tai Pan Club Room which offers a complimentary European breakfast, all day snacks, and evening name brand cocktails and Hors d’Oeuvres, as well as additional amenities that luxury travelers have come to enjoy.
After breakfast, we donned our hiking shoes and we were off to explore the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Korean War Memorial.
The Reflecting Pool was closed for construction, but we continued on to visit the World War II Memorial and finally the Washington Monument.
I am probably mistaken, but it seemed that the Vietnam Memorial and the Black Patriots Memorial were inaccessible due to the construction.
After our morning of memorial explorations, we were off to enjoy lunch at the Old Ebbitt Grill which is Washington’s oldest, most historic saloon (founded in 1856) now turned restaurant.
Carol enjoyed a wonderful crab-cake sandwich, while I went with the recommended Walter’s Favorite
(hot pastrami and Muenster cheese on pumpernickel bread with Thousand Island dressing and coleslaw). YUM!
After lunch, and a wonderful conversation with a couple from Virginia, we were off to explore the Eastern Market, Washington DC’s oldest continually operated fresh food public market, located in the heart of the historic Capitol Hill neighborhood.
Although Saturdays are the best day to visit, we still found some wonderful cheese and shared a glorious macaroon.
After a very full day, we journeyed back to our room to relax a bit and clean up for our dinner at the Mandarin Oriental’s Sou’Wester restaurant hosted by Director of Communications, Linda Beltran.
I’ll talk more about our dining experience in another post, but for now, take a peek at our Pan Fried Oysters (Smoked Pepper Aioli). YUM!
Well, that was our day. After dinner we watched American Idol from the comfort of our incredibly comfortable Mandarin Oriental bed, and drifted off to sleep.
Here is our live interview with Andy Barness on ABC15’s Sonoran Living program where we discuss unique adventures, luxurious spas, and wonderful dining options for mom on Mother’s Day.
The Roaming Boomers
After three hours or so (far too little time), we were off to enjoy lunch at Ben’s Chili Bowl.
