Monday, February 16, 2009

DC on Day One

OOooooooof! We had an early flight! The hub had business in DC and I jumped on board after Miss Sherrie told me she would stay with the kid and mom. Yay! I was really ready for a weekend away with the hub. And, it just so happened to fall on Valentine's Day. How nice is that?

I didn't tell a soul until I actually got there and even then there were some I didn't have time to see. It's always a whirlwind, as you know, when you only have a few days to do everything. The hub's business meetings were downtown so we chose to stay at the Hotel Monaco. My brother had shown me where the old F Street post office had been transformed into this wonderful new hotel when I was there last January when Johnny was in the hospital. This is our old stomping grounds while growing up. Our photo studio was at 6th and F Streets, NW and there were many a day I had to bring the postage meter up here to have postage installed. It was built in 1842 and was designed by Robert Mills, the same architect that designed the Washington Monument. It was the first all-marble building in DC. The old neighborhood has changed so much. No longer is the big Hecht Company that took up the corner of 6th and F, nor is there Woodward & Lothrop's flagship store. F Street was the shopping district with all the big department stores in the 60s. This is where, at Christmas, the store windows would be full of beautiful Holiday scenes much like the NYC store windows. Later, in the 70s, this area became a little on the ragged side. But now, it's hopping! I could barely recognize anything! That's hard. Makes you feel old.

Across the street is the Portrait Gallery. I had many a lunch up in the little cafeteria here. Thank goodness, it looked the same!

We grabbed lunch in the hotel's restaurant, The Poste, while waiting for our room to be cleaned. Yum.

The hub had the special of the day, fish and chips, all wrapped in The Washington Post. I loved it!

I ordered the Serrano ham and manchego baguette. It was sooo good, except the little anchovy in the middle. Ew.

We did a little exploring while we waited a little longer and was just amazed at the beauty of the old place. This is the lobby.

A little side nook.

A side entrance.

A lounging area.

And the most gorgeous staircase I have ever seen. I wish I had gone to the top and taken a photo looking down. Next time.

When we finally made it to the room, it was spectacular. I showed you the hallway in my first post. And our little fish, Bill Cosby. So much fun. Thomas Jefferson kept an eye on the place at all times.

The ceilings were so high. I suppose these were all offices back in the day. You can see where they walled in the addition of a bath. I was dying to see what was on top of it. Do you think people throw little mementos up there? I thought about doing so but didn't. tehe.

Look at the robe and socks they supply! Reeeer!

And the bed was scrumptious!

The hub had to work so I went out to Arlington and visited my brother Johnny. It was good seeing him and he was doing well!

That night we had dinner at Jaleo, my favorite tapas restaurant. The hub had not been here, and it was a true treat for both of us. We just ooh'd and awed all night at chef Jose Andres' concoctions. BTW, he now has his own TV show, Made in Spain! Too bad we missed when my bf Tony Bourdain was running around town with him! That would have been fun to spot those two carousing the streets.

We walked back across the street to the hotel and crawled into bed and fell into a tapas coma. It was wonderful being home. So good for the soul.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

fantastic in-flight photo!! and that staircase..i'm afraid i would have been spiraling around there for hours with my camera getting all dizzy and missing dinner.
i'm hungry. that tapas restaurant would be yummy about now.. too much peanut butter toast these days :(

Snap said...

You are a wonderful travel guide! Thank you (taking notes like crazy)!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Wow Rosa... I know it has to be nice going 'home.' Your flight must have been good and the hotel is gorgeous. I love those old luxurious hotels.

Thanks for sharing.
Hugs,
Betsy

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

What a nice trip! Thanks for sharing these awesome pictures with us...

Cheers,

rosa

Linda said...

I love old hotels like that with feelings from the past. We stayed at a fun one in Durango, Colorado. Just loved the decor.

Carole Burant said...

You sure you weren't in Chicago??? Cuz that's what I guessed and I wanted to win! hehe Seriously, though, what a fun trip you had and sometimes it's those last minute plans that turn out so well. The hotel you stayed at looks just gorgeous and I loved seeing pictures of the inside. Glad you were able to go visit Johnny at the same time:-) xoxo

Queenly Things said...

Without a doubt you are the gal who knows how to have a great time. I love traveling with you!!!!

Sara's Sweet Surprise said...

What a fun spontaneous Valentine trip. You certainly covered quite a bit in a short period of time. Oh my,I got dizzy looking at the stairwell....I have acrophobia.
When I was in Seattle for my B-day, we visited the Mall (where the Nordstrom flagship that my Daughter in-law works at) that's four stories. I had my son take the pic looking down. I couldn't walk up to the railing, let alone lean over it to capture the shot. I did manage a picture from the glass tunnel overlooking downtown.

Come visit,
Sweet Wishes,
Sara

Lena said...

I love visiting DC and know what fun it can be to visit. It sounds like your time was a wonderful one. It's good to get away sometimes.

Happy Birthday wishes to your sweet mom.

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