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Showing posts with the label Smithsonian

Smithsonian Zoo for Washington DC Finale

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It was my last day in Washington D.C. and it was going to be a good one. I was able to sleep in at the Embassy Suites Chevy Chase Pavilion and enjoyed their hot, complimentary breakfast. I made up a bowl from the yogurt bar and had a couple of pancakes on the side. My niece, Alea, had some school work to do so we decided to meet directly at the Metro Station beneath the hotel. We took the train to the stop closest to the Smithsonian National Zoo . I love zoos and I was especially excited to see the giant pandas here. This zoo is not only one of the best in the country, but it’s free. The pandas did not disappoint. They were happy to eat and play for the growing audience. We hung around for a while and the kept us laughing and smiling. We walked around and also saw the tigers, lions, and cheetah. I’m always thrilled to see content animals in a zoo.     Alea and I got back on the Metro to head to an interesting spot for lunch. Bayou Bakery is

Smithsonian History and Ethnic Delights in Washington DC

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I woke up for my third day in Washington, DC, well-rested. My room at the Embassy Suites Washington D.C. Chevy Chase Pavilion was large and comfortable. I had come into Washington, DC to spend some time with my niece, Alea, and check out the activities and food in the area. There certainly is an abundance of both in our nation’s capital. While Alea caught up on some school work in the morning I caught up on some writing, after another delicious breakfast. This Embassy Suite has one of the best complimentary breakfasts I’ve ever seen. We met up at the Metro station just downstairs from the hotel in the afternoon and headed to downtown, not far from the White House. Lunch was arranged at the Alfa Pie House , an authentic Greek casual restaurant with more options than I’d ever seen at similar restaurants. Tina, the manager, greeted us and told us about the Greek pies, salads, and other dishes they had at Alfa. Everything looked delicious. It was so h

Flavors and Sites in Washington, DC

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I was able to sleep in a bit at the Embassy Suites Washington D.C. Chevy Chase Pavillion since I wasn’t meeting anyone until the afternoon, but I didn’t want to eat a lot because I knew I had some great restaurants coming up. The hotel’s breakfast buffet of hot and cold food is fantastic. I took advantage of the Yogurt Bar – nuts, fruit, granola, and a few chocolate chips – for a healthy breakfast. Washington, DC Tourism left me attraction tickets and tickets to the circulator bus. From the locations we were going to, we found it easier to stick to the metro and walking, with a few Ubers in between. The Circulator is one of the great options for getting around the Washington DC attractions My first outing of the day was lunch with an old friend. Leonard, aka “Derk” (as I would call him when we were teens) picked me up at the hotel and drove to Cuba Libre. Parking was a bit of a problem, but it was well worth it when we opened the door. Cuba Libre