DC Trip
25 March 2014A couple of weeks ago, Heather was off to a conference in Washington, DC, so we drove down. We left early on a Wednesday morning since a snow storm was predicted. We got to the border at Fort Erie in a brisk hour and a half. Our travels through New York state were very snowy and we saw almost no other cars until we got to a relatively short hill that was covered in trucks that could not get up the gentle incline. We also got stuck behind a train of cars led by a pickup with a trailer. Eventually, we made it into a town where we could pass the train.
Our route took us past the Allegheny National Forest which was obscured by fog on the drive down but quite clear and visible on the way back.
I spent most of my 3 days, while Heather was at her conference, walking around Washington. My first day took me from our Airbnb in Adams Morgan down to the White House, to the Freer Gallery and the Air and Space Museum. I enjoyed a delicious from Bahn Mi @ 608 and met up with Heather. We had a delicious dinner with one of her co-workers at Madam's Organ.
My second day took me to the other side of the Washington Monument to visit Lincoln followed by a walk up to Georgetown in search of new shoes (that I never did find). We had a tasty dinner at Regent Thai before attending some progressive parties.
Saturday, I once again found myself around the Smithsonian museums. I went to the Natural History Museum in the morning and marvelled at the full patios everywhere I walked. Heather and I returned to the Natural History Museum later in the afternoon when her conference was done. I had an amazing piece of strawberry cheesecake from Sugar Daddy's Bakery. We also met up with other Canadians from the conference for dinner at Tono Sushi on Connecticut.
On Sunday morning after a large breakfast bagel from Bethesda Bagels, we headed out on the road for a quick stop a Trader Joe's before continuing home. The weather was clear and the roads were nice for the drive home. We only had to wait for 15 minutes at the border and got home without being slowed down by bad traffic or crashes.
It was a fun trip and a good place to mark my first visit to the US. I would recommend the route we took. It was scenic, when the fog was gone, and the hills make for a fun drive.
Trip info:
Driving Trip from Toronto, ON to Washington, DC
Total Distance Driven: 1640 km
Fuel used: 127.291 L (4 fills)
Tolls Paid: US$2.60 (x2) for Penna Turnpike, C$3.25 for Peace Bridge