My husband Jon and I have visited Washington, D.C., many times over the past several years. Our most recent visit was an overnight stay on October 7 this year. Although there was a government shutdown, we had no issues related to this. It was a pleasure not to have crowds of tourists, and all our activities were easy to do. Restaurants and hotels were quiet, but still open. The shutdown’s impact extended primarily to attractions that receive federal funds. In the early days of the current government shutdown, virtually all tourist sites were unaffected.
My in-laws are buried at Arlington Cemetery, and Jon and I try to visit their burial sites at least once a year. The Cemetery was open, and there were funerals taking place when we went there. The weather that Monday and Tuesday was beautiful, in the low 80s.
Since we had already visited most of the attractions and memorials, we decided to spend our time in Georgetown. Georgetown was initially established as a tobacco port town in Maryland. In 1967, Georgetown was designated a National Historic Landmark.
There are historical landmarks, cultural attractions, boutiques, and many restaurants in Georgetown. The intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and M Street is considered the center of Georgetown, where most boutiques, bars, and restaurants are located.
At Washington Harbour, located on ‘K’ Street between 30th and 31st Streets, there are several waterfront restaurants, as well as the Georgetown Waterfront Park and the Key Bridge Boathouse, where visitors can rent a kayak, canoe, and paddle boats. There are also river cruises and water taxis that connect the region’s waterfronts.
From Washington Harbour, we took a 45-minute, nonstop sightseeing cruise with Capital River Cruises, a unique way to see some well-known sights from an open-air boat. Sights on this tour included Key Bridge, The Watergate Hotel, Roosevelt Island, The Kennedy Center, The Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, Curtis-Lee Mansion, Ericsson Memorial, The Washington Monument, the LBJ Memorial, Maritime Memorial, The Jefferson Memorial, and the U.S. Capitol.
Also renowned in Georgetown is Georgetown University, a private Jesuit research university, the oldest Catholic institution of higher education in the United States, and the oldest university in Washington, D.C.
For our overnight stay, we stayed at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia. It is only one subway stop from the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. There are only five stops on the Blue Line subway between Crystal City and Foggy Bottom, which is the metro stop for Georgetown.
In the evening, we went to Alexandria, Virginia, for dinner at the Chart House. It is a worthwhile city to visit and is only seven miles south of D.C. There are only three subway stops from the Crystal Gateway Marriott to King Street Station, which is the beginning of Old Town. The historic center of Alexandria consists of many boutiques, restaurants, antique shops, and theaters. The walk from the King Street subway stop to the Chart House Restaurant is very interesting and worth the exercise. The restaurant was on the Potomac River, and we dined outside, with gorgeous panoramic views of the waterfront and the city. One unique feature of Chart House Restaurants is their famous, very extensive salad bar. During and after the pandemic, most, if not all, of these salad bars were eliminated; however, this one has returned and is better than ever.
