A History Vacation -- Day One

Dome on the United States Capitol

Day One of a History Vacation:

Five years ago I went with the girls (my daughter, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter) on a History Vacation to Washington D.C. The granddaughter was 12 and old enough to enjoy and benefit from a vacation that focused on museums and monuments.

My grandsons are now 14 and 9, so it was time for them and their father, my son, to go on their own History Vacation. In June, I flew from Denver and they from Dallas for a week in our beautiful Capital City.

Washington is definitely a walking city. There are so many people from out of town and what little  parking there is is pricey, so driving is not only fiscally disheartening, it is emotionally daunting. I can't imagine trying to navigate an unfamiliar town in heavy traffic where most of the other drivers are also trying to navigate an unfamiliar town in heavy traffic. With the Metro, D.C.'s subway system readily available at reasonable cost, there is no need to drive there. It is safe and clean and there are always people ready to help you find your way.

We stayed in a hotel in Crystal City which is just outside D.C. on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. The hotel shuttle runs from the airport to the hotel every ten or fifteen minutes and is free.

Crystal City must be the hotel and apartment capital of the world. Look out any window or down any street and mostly all you'll see is another hotel or apartment building. There is one large shopping mall with little malls and parks scattered about.

My son John is most adept at using his smart phone. He pulled up multiple options for our dinner that evening -- within walking distance, say 15 to 20 minutes. We settled on Nando's Peri Peri. I tend to avoid chain restaurants but Nando's was identified as serving Spicy Afro-Portuguese food. I'd never eaten African or Portuguese food. Well, I had Ethiopian on the previous History Vacation. Which by-the-bye, I enjoyed thoroughly.

We passed the large shopping mall on our walk to dinner. We never ventured inside it. I'm not a shopper by nature and it's hard enough to get me into a mall in Denver much less in D.C. where there are so many other places to spend my time. Places not available at home.



My son John and his son Silas, the nine-year-old, enjoying Peri Peri chicken meals.

According to Wikipedia, Nando's is an "international casual dining restaurant chain originating in South Africa. Founded in 1987, Nando's operates about 1,000 outlets in 30 countries." I can testify that the food at the Nando's in Crystal City is good and reasonably priced. And the people who work there are courteous and friendly.



Outdoor seating for diners is available in the middle of the small square of shops. If you look closely, just beyond the people eating, there are people participating in an outdoor yoga class. The yoga folk also have a shop on the square for rainy day classes, indoors.

There is a bakery, an Irish pub, a Lebanese Taverna, a Zen Bistro and Wine Bar, etc. It's a totally perfect place if you're hungry and looking for someplace to relax after a long day. And travel makes for a long day for me.



The weather was beautiful, mid-60s with golden evening light reflecting off the upper stories of the buildings around us. We ate and strolled around the area before returning to our hotel.

What we call a Convenience Store. Although its
location was "convenient" to our hotel,
its hours were not. It was only open

until 5 in the afternoon.

This sign was just around the corner from our hotel so not only did it give me a chuckle every time I saw it, but I knew where to turn to get back to our home away from home.