We started early with a long walk (14 miles if you ask Lindsey) from the hotel to Eastern Market, and had breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien, which was more expensive than it should have been, but tasty. I had an omelette and Lindsey had an egg scramble. The best part was the dark chocolate spread for the bread.
Then we perused the flea market, outdoor booths, and indoor food offering at the Eastern Market. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the temperature was approaching the mid-50s. Very comfortable. We met a small Saint Bernard.
We took the metro to Arlington Cemetery, which was a calculated risk because the metro trip the night before made Lindsey a little nauseous. We made it up to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier just in time to see the changing of the guard and then a wreath switching ceremony, which involved Boy Scout Troup 187. Those little guys looked so nervous. On the way out, we confirmed that the eternal flame of JFK was still going strong.
It was.
The cabbie that was supposed to take us in to Georgetown saw the traffic on the bridge and said, “It’s better for both of us if you just get out there!” That was a wast of a trip, and Georgetown was way to busy to be enjoyable.
Back to the hotel we headed after a thin-crust pizza at Paolo’s, which was my third choice after we found La Madeline to be closed and Martin’s Tavern to be way too busy. I explored the area around our hotel – J. Crew, H&M, Verizon Center, Ford Theater, Verizon Center, Clyde’s, etc. – while Lindsey napped. Turns out we’re in a great area, and we can shorten our breakfast walk in the days to come.
Post-nap, we switched hotel rooms because there was a ticking/tapping sounds atop our room throughout the night, that sounded as if a woodpecker was sending a Morse code “SOS” to no one.
At 6pm, we walked from the hotel past the White House and to Foggy Bottom where we met Ben (Piehl) for dinner at Bobby’s Burger Palace. I had a good burger and fries, and an excellent dark chocolate milk shake. It’s good to start and end the day with dark chocolate!