Capital congestion and a moment of reflection

Saturday started with a bright and sunny morning as we kicked things off with a delicious breakfast from the hotel, had to go for the scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns, would have been criminal not to.

We were all refreshed after our travel day yesterday and ready to go out and explore. 

The plan for today was to explore the area near tidal basin which is where you’ll find the Washington monument, Lincoln memorial, capitol building and White House.

We took some very picturesque route down there with nice houses one side and a lake on the other.

The countryside gave way to the hustle and bustle of the area, the cherry blossoms were out in full bloom and with it being the last chance to see them, the area was packed with tourists. Plus there was a kite flying festival on which made things even busier. 

This made parking nigh on impossible in the area so we decided to switch tactics and head across the bridge to visit Arlington cemetery, I had previously visited but for Sam and Jill it was their first visit here. It was very peaceful and respectful walking round there, we walked right up to the top where we had a view over the whole of Washington DC. 

Whilst walking back down we were lucky enough to experience a wreath laying ceremony for the unknown soldiers killed in all wars. This was done with a full military honours and was very well drilled. 

Once back to the car we realised we were now getting used to the operations of the accessible vehicle and how each door opens, we were still struggling with getting the phone to pair up with the in car dash however so we could use the map directions. So we ventured in to a shopping mall right near the pentagon to get a US SIM card so we could use unlimited mobile data.

We had a great view of  the pentagon en route.

Once we parked up we decided to grab something to eat, which we did in a nice little sports bar right by the shopping mall. Jill asked one of the waiters to see if they could find the Man Utd v Brentford game on TV for me but they couldn’t so I was spared the agony. 

So in the mall we managed to grab a SIM card then Jill couldn’t resist a brief shopping trip before we headed back to the hotel.

The journey got off to an interesting start as it was now dark and our rear lights weren’t on, as we were told by a passing by motorist. We then figured there was a separate switch for the rear lights!

After getting back to the hotel we decided to de-stress by having a cocktail in the hotel bar before heading to bed. 

Sunday we move south to Richmond, which is about a 2hr drive, where we’ll be attending the NASCAR Cup series race, let’s hope the weather is kind to us. It is Sam and Jill’s first nascar race so let’s hope it’s a good one 

 

Welcome to DC

 After a nice chilled out day on Thursday, the day we had been waiting for had finally arrived!

Got up at 8am and went through the whole ritual of making sure everything was packed in the cases, then checking it all again!

Started the day with a lovely breakfast which included a traditional full English, I was good though and had fruit as well.

That set us up nicely, the next thing to do was to check out of the Sofitel which was amazing it has to be said, the service was second to none. There was a very generous free mini bar in the room as well!

So from there we had 2 trips with the cases from the rooms down to the lobby where we were just a short walk through a corridor into terminal 5.

The staff were amazing at the BA check in desk with all our luggage and Sam’s things.

We were then fast tracked through security, this time I got through the scanner without needing to be frisked and it was all straightforward. 

After a quick stop in WHsmith to buy some essentials it was straight to our gate via a subway train where we pretty much boarded straight away. I think it’s the quickest I’ve ever been through an airport.

We were first on the plane as Sam was helped into his seat  and we got everything else sorted.

The premium economy seats were fantastic, more space and legroom, a welcome drink….and proper cutlery to eat dinner with! The flight itself was 7hrs 45mins but with the choice of tv shows and films to watch that just seemed to fly by (if you excuse the pun) pretty quickly. 

The food was good as well, had chicken breast with carrots and mash as well as a chocolate mousse dessert which had a mini egg on top! Shortly before landing we had a chicken and veg pastry. Hardly any turbulence all flight either so it was all very smooth.

We were last off the plane so that Sam could get off more easily. The staff were great with him and we were chatting with them about our plans for the trip. One of them was very envious that we are going to Wrestlemania.

US customs was easy as we were again fast tracked through. I managed to get through without any issues this time and no further questioning much to my relief!

We then had to board a shuttle bus to get us to the main terminal. This resembled something out of thunderbirds and was a big coach sat about 20 feet off the ground on tractor tyres, which enabled it to dock with the terminal building. This was called a mobile lounge, or so we were told by the captain of our aircraft who was also on this vehicle along with the rest of the cabin crew.

As soon as we got the bags it was a short walk to the rental car which is amazing, feels more like a spaceship. Once Jill and I had played Tetris trying to get all the suitcases in the car around Sam we were ready to go and find our hotel, the Embassy suites about 20mins from the airport and city centre. Jill drove and I navigated as Sam sat in the back and was mesmerised by everything, even a set of roadworks!

Found the hotel with ease and checked in, before heading down to the restaurant for a quick snack (shrimp with nachos and sauce) as well as a refreshing cocktail.

After that we were all very shattered as it had been a long day but were now ready to kick things off and hit the capital!

Here we go!

 So then, let the adventure begin!

It’s just over 7 years since I was over in the states and in some ways it feels like yesterday.

This trip has been a long time in the making and now it’s here.

Just over 2 weeks of travelling around the east coast of the USA. This trip will see us fly out to Washington DC before travelling down to Richmond VA for a NASCAR race. We then take in the amazing sights of Niagara Falls in Buffalo NY before travelling over to Philadelphia for 2 days of Wrestlemania. The trip ends with 2 more days of sightseeing in the capital, who knows, we may even drop in on the president!

The holiday started at 10am when Sam and and Jill picked me up before we made our way to the Sofitel hotel in Heathrow airport. We fly out on Good Friday but decided to stay here the night before to cut out all the stress of an early morning airport run.

We dropped our 400 cases off with the hotel staff who sent them to our rooms whilst we headed for a lovely afternoon tea. 

Later on Sam and I decided to have a tour of the hotel, which is very nice before heading down the walkway and into the airport terminal, to suss out our route for Friday. We stopped for a cheeky beer at the bar before heading back.

In the evening we had a lovely cocktail in the hotel bar before heading to a nice French restaurant for dinner. The food was lovely and it was a really nice way to round off day 1. 

Next stop, Washington DC. See you there!