Washington, DC

My BFF Pri decided to get married on January 2, 2010, which meant we got to spend New Years Eve in Washington, DC. Our excitement was diminished though when we realized there were no fireworks shows or anything special going on in our nation's capitol for the holiday. Nevertheless, we had a fun filled week in Washington, DC and tried to cram in as many activities as possible.

We had been hearing good things about the Kimpton Brand of hotels and found a great deal on the Hotel Madera near Dupont Circle and decided to give the hotel a try. We were impressed with the hotel as soon as we walked in. The hotel was dog friendly and the staff was beyond nice. Each evening the hotel hosts a wine and appetizer happy hour, which is extremeley popular with guests. The location was also great, a few blocks away from the metro train. We had also rented a car and had little difficulty finding street parking around our hotel.

While in DC we took in the Holocaust Museum (AMAZING), the Smithsonean American History Museum (fantastic) and a very cool museum, called the Newseum, which is the museum of journalism. It also happens to be the museum Pri works at, so we received the VIP treatment with a behind the scenes tour from her. We also toured the famous monuments: Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, WWII Memorial, and others. Also on our agenda was a trip to Ford's Theatre, which I loved, since I'm facinated by the story of Abraham Lincoln. Washington, DC was a fantastic place for a history buff like me. We were able to see the White House, but couldn't get on the list for a tour, despite calling our Congressman way ahead of time. We were however given a tour of Congress, which was facinating and full of history.

Also on our agenda was eating really good meals while we were in the city. We enjoyed appetizers at Firefly, the restaraunt in the lobby of our hotel. We also made a trip to Centrale by Michel Richard for New Years Eve and I had the most incredible fried chicken and macaroni and cheese. I still dream about that meal. Mmmm.... The hubby also reserved us a table at the Beacon Bar and Grill, which was billed as the best brunch in DC. It certainly didn't disappoint, although it was a little pricey. We also enjoyed a meal at POV at the W Hotel, a restaurant on the top of the W hotel, which had amazing views of the city.

The trip was capped off with a beautiful wedding followed by a trip with the bride and groom to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington. Even though it was beyond freezing in DC, the trip was a blast and I look forward to going back someday soon.