Day One: As OTR considered some shorter trips for this fall we realized that we had not visited Washington DC since our sons were just youngsters. We also thought that it would be fun to try the Amtrak NextGen Acela in lieu of driving or flying.
We boarded the Acela at Union Station in New Haven for the approximately five hour journey to Union Station in Washington DC. While the Acela is billed as high speed it can attain high speeds for just two short stretches along the crowded Northeast corridor. We could have driven in under six hours but we avoid the I95 corridor like the plague. We booked in business class which is not inexpensive but it was quite pleasant to just sit back and relax.
This was our first stay at a citizenM hotel. The company is based in the Netherlands and has 17 boutique hotels scattered around the globe. We were drawn by the proximity of the hotel to the National Mall area and The Wharf District and the very reasonable room rates.
In addition to the location, we enjoyed the very convenient (and tasty) breakfast buffet (legit specialty coffee as well) in the morning as well the roof top bar which serves excellent cocktails and affords wonderful views.
The one drawback for some guests would be the small size of the rooms. One of the ways that citizenM keeps their rates lower than other hotels in central areas is that every room is identical. We are not bothered with a smallish room (the bed is quite comfortable). Additionally, we enjoyed the tech approach that utilizes a bedside iPad to control climate, lights, curtains and media.
We recommend the citizenM for travelers looking for a casual but friendly experience, and wish to be within walking distance of many of the central attractions (and who are, of course, okay with smaller rooms).
We walked the short distance (under ten minutes) from the hotel to the Wharf District for our first evening’s dinner in the nation’s capital. The Wharf sits along the Potomac River which provides a lovely setting for outdoor dining. With the weather so delightful throughout our stay and so close to the hotel we found ourselves back at the Wharf each evening for cocktails and dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants along the promenade and river.
Since we were on the waterfront, we felt it was appropriate to begin our dining journey enjoying local sea food at Hank’s Oyster Bar. We were not disappointed – the local oysters were quite tasty. We heartily recommend the Wharf location for fresh seafood, excellent cocktails and the outdoor dining. Hank’s operates three locations in the area. This location at the Wharf is the newest having opened in 2017.
Day Two: We were fortunate to have terrific weather for our stay , allowing us to view the city by foot during our forays from the citizenM.
The National Museum of African American History (NMAAH) was our first museum visit of the trip. This was also our first visit to the NMAAH, which opened in 2016.
The building’s design is quite distinctive and reflects many architectural elements from Africa. The museum is much larger than one might anticipate from the exterior as it extends three stories below ground where the history galleries are located.
We started at the lowest level of the museum (Slavery and Freedom) which chronicles the years between 1400 and 1877. The next level up covered the period between 1876 and 1968 (The Era of Segregation). The final level within the history galleries is devoted to 1968 and beyond (A Changing America).
We have previously visited a number of museums which chronicle the history of slavery, racism and the civil rights movement in the United States (Birmingham Civil Rights Museum, Rosa Parks Museum, Legacy Museum). We found the distinguishng feature of the NMAAH to be the keen focus on the many countributions made by African Americans to the development of the United States even as they lived and died as enslaved individuals. African Americans served in the Continental Army under George Washington and the Union Army during the Civil War making substantial contributions to the outcomes.
We spent a full four hours exploring the museum. The floors above ground have a number of community and art galleries. The photos and curators notes below are some of the art we found interesting. We think that the NMAAH is an essential part of a Washigton visit if you have not been previously.
After our museum visit we ventured north to the Union Market District in the NoMa (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood. After re-charging with a stop at Blue Bottle Coffee we toured the neighborhood. The area has served as a food market dating back to the 1870s. Today it is in the midst of a large scale gentrification although there are still a number of food wholesalers operating in the neighborhood.
After expolring the market area we went back to the citizenM to freshen up and then set out to the Wharf for dinner at the Pink Tiger. We dined al fresco, enjoying another beautiful evening and the Tiger’s Asian fusion offerings.
Day Three: The International Spy Museum was our first agenda item of the day. The museum is an independent non-profit organization which first opened in 2002. The current facility opened in 2019.
The current edition of the museum is very much oriented to the use of technology and gaming – visitors can can adopt a secret code name and pursue an undercover mission as part of the tour of the museum. This museum was about a 90 minute visit for us. Fun and easy.
After successfully completing our undercover missions at the spy museum we journeyed north to the Adams Morgan neighborhood for fika at Tryst DC | Coffee House & Bar. Tryst is a fixture of the neighborhood having opened in 1998.
After our caffiene refueling mission was completed, we walked through the neighborhood taking in the colorful row houses and interesting shops. We decided to grab some additional steps by walking back to the hotel via the White House. There was not much happening outside the White House grounds other than a protest – does four people qualify as a protest? As our assistance in safeguarding the White House was not required we took the obligatory selfie and returned to the hotel for our pre -dinner lie down.
Day Four: We filed our flight plan to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. After our short flight and on time arrival we spent several hours exploring the museum. The Washington location houses mostly commercial and experimental aircraft with the exception of the WW 1 gallery. We were also treated to an enhanced version of the IMAX movie following the Blue Angel team from winter training through to the end of the show season. As we are aviation fans the Air and Space will always be considered an essential stop during any visit to Washington.
After earning our wings at the Air and Space we spent the afternoon at the National Art Gallery East. We visited exhibits of paintings by Modigliani, Braque, Picasso and a quick pass through the Rothko gallery (for Chris).
We closed out Day Four enjoying a cocktail on the rooftop and the spectacular view of the Capitol and a Blood Moon.
Day Five: Since our train was departing mid afternoon we put the morning to use visiting the NGA Sculpture garden, followed by a visit to St. Dominic Catholic Church.
St. Dominic Catholic Church is under the guidance of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). While the church was established in 1852, the land was owned by Catholic families as early as 1735.
After touring the church we returned to the citizenM to grab our luggage and head to Union Station for our return trip via the Amtrak Acella.
Be seeing you!
P.S. We observed regular patrols of National Guard soldiers in the tourist areas of downtown and en masse at Union Station. We did not observe any soldiers while we were exploring neighborhoods. The Trump posters pictured above are prominently and frequently on display outside of the downtown area of the city.
ON THE ROAD with Maria + Stephen 