I’m sitting in the airport with an hour to kill before boarding our flight back to Toronto, and I figured— a great time to get a blog post out to you guys documenting our experience in Washington D.C + Georgetown!
When a mama is away from her kiddos, in an airport, with two free hands, no toys to play with, dishes to clean or bums to change… she writes a blog post :P.
So we travelled to Washington for Josh’s SunLife CEO Awards of Excellence Gala / conference! I was a tag a long spouse… (I assured Josh that there would be other partners join their spouses just to see the city, but I was… the only one LOL) But I thought, what better opportunity to see a city that we may not otherwise choose to visit. BUT after visiting, I would add this to your CHOICE TRAVEL LIST for sure!
A long weekend trip would be a perfect amount of time to take in the sights & sounds of Washington D.C proper, as well as explore some more niche neighbourhoods like Georgetown!
As you fly into Washington D.C the trees are BEAUTIFUL, everything looks so well groomed, beautifully designed neighbourhoods, subdivision, the canal river ways & foliage.
Interestingly enough, the Dulles airport is actually strategically about 45 minutes from Washington, to keep air space clear near the White House. There is a closer airport, but only select flights come in and out. So prepare for about a 45 minute drive to the city. Another fun fact, it’s only a 4 hour drive to New York City! If I had known, I would have considered renting a car, making the drive to NYC and flying back from there!
So back to WASHINGTON. We stayed at the Fairmont Washington D.C and it was beautiful. Great environment, classy, beautiful courtyard full of lights, trees, cute tables to dine, to some work or just grab a coffee. It had a great gym, pool, sauna, steam, & hot tub! The restaurant looked okay but nothing too impressive. The room service I had one evening was also just okay— but otherwise the hotel was great. Bed comfortability, rooms, bathroom a 10/10. AND we were just an easy 2KM walk to the White House.
I highly recommend doing the Hop on Hop Off tour in any city of historical significance that has a lot of landmarks to see. We did the 2 hour tour and saw everything! The White House, The Capitol, The National Mall, The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Monument and MORE. I like these for the convenience, getting to see everything and then choose where you’d like to explore more, and the guided audio tour really helps you understand the historical significance of everything! We loved this tour and then chose a few areas to explore further on day two!
Electric Scooters are A MUST! This was faster than a bus tour, (once you knew where you were going) faster than being in traffic, faster than walking, and no real physical effort, just let the wind blow through your hair as you zip around town! We used these to explore the beautiful Waterfront, Re-visited some key historical areas including the Martin Luther King Waterfront park & memorial, The national Mall, The National Botanical Gardens and the International Spy Museum!
The “WHARF” area on the waterfront has SO many great eats, including one of my all time favs BAR TACO. I also loved Cafe du Parc for an outdoor coffee + work session right next to the White House!
Seeing the must see’s was GREAT, but I have to say, Georgetown was my favourite. Just 1KM from where we stayed, it’s a small neighbourhood that is home to Georgetown University. It’s like euro meets New York in a very digestible area that feels homey! Unique!! There are restaurants dotting the Canal, redbrick streets, unique shops, cafes & good eats everywhere you look. There are so many cuisines to choose from too! I loved exploring this area, and a few favs— Cafe Milano, Blank Space Coffee, Flavio Italian, Rosewood & Cafe Devain!
All in all it was a great quick getaway, but I definitely couldn’t do more than 2 nights away from my babies at this point! Even just having one “me day” where I did some exploring, excising, fresh air, good food at a cute restaurant where you could actually focus on what you were eating, quiet coffees, reading, and a bubble bath— I felt so recharged. It’s important to take time for ourselves to take care of ourselves, to breathe, look up, and around, and reflect on where we are in life, our season, our priorities, what matters, where we’re headed, and that space really creates a full heart of gratitude for all of God’s blessings.
Thank you Jesus for all of your beautiful blessings, your Holy Spirit, and this beautiful life!
