Of Power But Familiarity, How Washington DC Is More than Politics
A city of power and influence, Washington, DC has been the center of US domestic politics, international relations and global influence for decades. Espionage films, presidential movies, and documentaries have all put the capital of the United States as the center of their screenplays. But the DMV (DC, Maryland, and Virginia) as it is known for the political façade that the world sees, it’s so much more. It’s full of quaint neighborhoods, top notch hotels, impressive shopping, some of the best collegiate institutions the world has to offer, waterfront views, restaurants that would sweep any foodie off his or her feet, and activities that keeps families and tourists occupied for hours without a need to look at ones watch for the time
Of power yes, and influence, Washington, DC can be like a small town with an air of familiarity. These are the best places that are open during the pandemic to visit, stay, and eat at when in the United States’ nation’s capital. While the world is still finding its way, this city is too, slowly opening up, and anxious for the hustle and bustle that it’s used to.
When to visit
Though the capital of the United States, it’s really just a quaint town and if you know how to navigate it right, you will feel like a local if you know the best places to go to. The ideal time to visit is March-May, when the weather isn’t hot or humid yet. Washington, DC is not the US’s first capital, it is its ninth after Philadelphia, Baltimore, Lancaster (Pennsylvania), York (Pennsylvania), Princeton (New Jersey), Annapolis (Maryland), Trenton (New Jersey) and New York City.
Its centrality between the southern states and northern states was key in establishing it as the nation’s final capital city, and, the land was cheap swamp land to set up, hence the extremely hot sweltering summers the city is used to, so a springtime visit is ideal. Or autumn, around late September to November is also doable.
Where to stay
The Mayflower Hotel, located downtown Washington, DC at 1127 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036 in the Farragut North Metro area is the place to stay. It’s central making it easy to get to various landmarks in the city, it’s clean and its luxury elegance.
A Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, it’s filled with 581 rooms and filled with history, fabulous design and amenities that makes one feel at home. Former US President Harry Truman called it the “second best address in Washington, DC.” One of the noticeable things upon arrival is the friendliness and kindness of the staff, a Marriott trademark that can be found in Marriott Hotels worldwide. Despite the age of Covid, the staff is helpful to direct guests to the best restaurants nearby the hotel that are open. Pre-covid, the Mayflower was the center of DC events in a social city with events every night of the week, and he Mayflower has hosted some of high-society DC galas, balls and receptions.
The deluxe one bedroom suite, one king bedroom suite rooms are cozy, spacious, modern, yet classic. A living room with a flat screened TV, desk, mini kitchen with a sink, along with a sizeable closet, large bedroom with city views and large flat screened TV, and a walk-in shower bathroom filled with luxury amenities makes the stay at the Mayflower all the more relaxing.
“When you think about all the different hotels in DC and the history of politics in DC, we’ve had so much large policy reforms here,” says Kori Johnson, the General Manager of the hotel. “The GI Bill was signed here, the Peace Corp was developed here with the Shrivers [President Kennedy’s sister and her husband], we had all the presidential inaugurations here until Reagan at the Grand Ballroom before they just got too big, the restaurant downstairs is named after J. Edgar Hoover, who ate here for twenty years straight when he was director of the FBI. A spy turned himself into Hoover when he was here dining.”
The one key difference the hotel can boast is the history within the walls, which other DC hotels can’t quite speak as much for. Even the name is historical, as the main builder for the hotel went into bankruptcy while building it, the insurance company that stepped in, one of the heads’ forefathers had sailed on the original Mayflower ship. “DC is politics but the Mayflower has this other side to it, which is scandal. The Monica Lewinsky and former NY Governor Eliot Spitzer incidences all happened within these same hallways in which these major things happened in the world,” says Johnson.
Almost a century year old, the Mayflower opened in 1925 and is a classic of the city boasting timeless elegance and modern style hosting guests like Sir Winston Churchill and former US President Ronald Reagan. In 1933 former US President Franklin Roosevelt wrote his inaugural address the day before he gave his inaugural speech in room 776. And in 1957 the King of Morocco, Mohammed V hosted a dinner for former US President Ike and Mrs. Eisenhower.
Hosting guests from around the world, it’s the Middle Eastern nations that are the 5th most market staying in the hotel. “I’ve found the international presence of this hotel is driven by the presidential administration in power. Prior to Presidential Trump being in office we had many Canadians, Mexicans, Chinese, Germans and Middle Eastern visitors,” notes Johnson.
From April – August 2020 the hotel had to close. “We had been open for ninety-six years and the hardest thing for us was closing the hotel and it was a labor of love to open it. On August 24, 2021 when we reopened, I had a team of fifteen associates, when I’m used to a team of four-hundred and seventy-eight associates, to where we are now of a team of sixty to seventy associates. I don’t want to ever see that number dwindling, I want to see it going up. This building takes up a full block and I’m so used to it being busy and people laughing or debating.”
Due to the pandemic the hotel is not serving breakfast, however there is a morning to early afternoon complimentary coffee station every day. The Mayflower will be picking up with services that the DC mayor permits hotels to. But despite the slow pace of business, the hotel is fully open for your hotel room needs with a friendly staff ready to serve.
How to get around
The easiest way to get around is with the underground Metro, which gets you to where you need to get to with the DMV area. Downloadable Metro maps are available; and fares range from a one-day pass being 48 dhs ($13), to a three-day pass being 66 dhs ($28), and week-long pass being 213 dhs $58. With trains running every 5-7 minutes during the day it’s the most affordable way to get from one monument or site to the next without stress.
What to see, what’s open
The National Mall is free and lined with Smithsonian Museums and Memorials. With two miles of walkway, it’s the best place to walk and bike as you walk from the Capitol Building to the Lincoln Memorial.
The Smithsonian is the place to go with nineteen top notch museums, galleries, gardens and a zoo. And guess what? They’re all free to enter, with some special exhibits maybe costing a fare to enter but all museums are thoroughly filled with the best facts. During the pandemic under stringent health precautions, all Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo were temporarily closed, but, the outdoor gardens and exhibitions were always open to the public with no passes required. The various Smithsonian museums gradually opened on May 5th and are operating with free but timed entry passes. To keep up with the Smithsonian’s reopening schedule, check out this website.
The Lincoln Memorial
The Memorials from the Lincoln, to the Jefferson, to the Washington, the Vietnam Veterans, the Korean War Veterans, War World II, Martin Luther King, Jr., and FDR are all free and must-sees. Just as you go to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, you go to Washington, DC to see all the Memorials. Off the National Mall they are all relatively close and easy to access. And, they’re all also free!
Arlington National Cemetery is a sight to behold and is always full of tourists. With over 630 acres, it’s the place to visit of former US soldiers who served in the military. Also, famous graves of former US president John F. Kennedy and his wife former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, boxer Joe Lewis, and former president William H. Taft are all buried at the cemetery. It’s a moving and educational experience. The cemetery is open for tour buses to drive through and for tour groups to visit.
Located a few blocks from the National Mall is the newly created Museum of the Bible, which is open and ready to take you on a journey of the Middle East, through Egypt’s Red Sea and ancient Israel, Jordan and other sites with interactive adventure, entertainment, and knowledge-filled fun of Bible accounts and history.
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is a moving museum in the city. It’s not free but it’s worth the ticket. Re-opened in May of this year, it tells the story of 6 million Jews killed during World War II.
Georgetown’s M Street and side streets is the place to go to for shopping from quaint stores to larger retails stores from J. Crew to GAP, Ralph Lauren and TJ Maxx. The area is filled with restaurants, coffee shops, and shopping and cannot be missed for the latest seasonal sales.
Union Station is the city’s largest train station with Amtrak operating up and down the Eastern seaboard. It’s a two-hour train ride to Philadelphia and a four-hour train ride to New York City. Even if you don’t have a train trip, the architecture alone is worth the visit to Union Station. Filled with restaurants, shops, and coffee shops, it’s a must see and exciting place to visit.
The White House and the Capitol Building are pillars and must-sees of Washington, but due to unrest from 2020 with riots and the Black Lives Matter movement, it’s not possible to get close to these magnificent edifices as they are blocked off by large fencing. Usually open for public tours, it will be a while before this is possible but they are noticeable from mile off distances.
Where to eat
For breakfast Ted’s Bulletin is the go to place of the best American breakfast with omelets, pancakes, grits, toast and their famous homemade pop tarts. The waits can be long but are well worth it with good quality food and friendly staff.
505 8th St SE, Washington, DC 20003
Founding Farmers is quintessential DC and in its own right an establishment. Made up by American family farmers from places like North Dakota. “We try and make every decision in the company with a decision-making philosophy we call Through the Eyes of the Farmer,” says co-owner Dan Simons. Their best-selling items on the menu is the fried chicken and waffles, and the Cornbread with honey butter as an appetizer says Simons. “When the guest walks through the door, they encounter employees who feel cared for and respected, when they taste the food and drink they appreciate the commitment to all-natural and made from scratch, continues Simon.
To not be burdened by Covid, the crated a 700-item menu for a new market of curb side pick uppers and home delivery customers, which allowed for getting their staff back to work. They also created Founding Famer Chocolates, and created sweets and spirits as they have their own bakery and distillery. Farmers are the backbone of any nation and of the US economy, so his partner Michael Vucurevich, and farmers combined their brilliant vision and mission and abilities as restaurateurs and team builders, by joining of forces and brought together many synergies, most important of which was the pure belief in the mission to create a restaurant that has purpose and vision.
1924 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006
Mezcalero Cocina Mexicana
Mezcalero is for when you have a hankering for antojitos, Mexico City-style street tacos. By Chef Alfredo Solis and his sister Jessica, the sibling duo bring authentic Mexican cooking to DC’s Columbia Heights neighborhood. Their second restaurant in the city after El Sol, Mezcalero offers burritos; enchiladas; gorditas- traditional corn tortillas stuffed with chicharron or carnitas, onions, cactus salad, queso fresco and cilantro; fifteen varieties of tacos; and, ceviche- fish marinated in lemon juice with onions and fresh habanero. With outdoor dining for warm summer DC nights, the restaurants draw large crowds of people wanting real Mexican food.
3714 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20010