So we got 4 hours in Washington D.C...

Hello hello! So it’s been a while becauseeee Mercury retrograde is a hot JOKE. This time has made me think and reflect and get all my words in order so I can present this fabulous blog for you (hehe). It's June 5th, and Mercury is finally in direct motion. Praise be.

I’m thinking of switching things up a bit. This blog will have great tips and tricks but I also I'm going to be real. Here you won’t find cookie cutter answers or only positive vibes. I will be telling you all the good and all the bad because the point of this blog is to share it all. I like to use this platform to be transparent. Life isn’t rainbows and butterfly’s. You can though, try to make the best of every day. And that’s what you will see from my blog!

Okay let’s rewind! Walkers road-trip 2022 - first stop - Washington DC. We left on Friday, May 6th, 2022! I haven't introduced my husband yet and figured I should since I say we/us a lot, and you will be seeing pics of him in some posts! Like this super tired picture of me leaving our driveway - haha. His name is Ben and he is the best road trip buddy, mostly because he is my best friend. Alright lets go! Google Maps said it was about an eight hour drive. We left Hooksett, New Hampshire around 6:30 AM. We made sure the night before we had breakfast/lunch and snacks so we didn't have to stop too much, only for bathroom breaks. We drove through Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Delaware, Maryland. The sights through all these states weren't anything special. It was mainly trees and highway the whole time. I don't know what I was expecting but I thought it was going to be like magical new sights I've never seen before. A few years ago we did a trip from Arizona to California and our highway drive was definitely different. I think I am just used to the East Coast! Also what was surprising to me is that there weren't any "hey there, welcome to this new state that you have never been to before" signs. Luckily, driving through all the other states after North Carolina made up for that (more to come in the NC blog).

We got to D.C. around 5:00 PM. Our reservation for the night was at The Mayflower Hotel. Let's talk a little about the streets in D.C. In the heart of the city it is almost impossible to make a left turn. Truthfully, we weren't super prepared for the valet parking. Now we knew it was valet and had cash prepared but our car was like a hot mess after spending 8+ hours in it and things were a bit all over the place. The hotel was right on the main street in city so you are expected to get out

and go as soon as you pull up to the valet. I recommend if you ever stay at this hotel, be ready to do so. So we decided to pass the hotel, had to circle around the city a bit to get back to the hotel, pull over to the side and get organized. So we got there, I checked us in and WOW. As soon as you walk in it is just gorgeous. I was under dressed to say the VERY least. My leggings, sweatshirt and sneakers absolutely stood out to the guests that were also staying at the hotel AND the interesting part is that it wasn't even that expensive. About $350 a night (we booked on Bookings.com) and that included valet parking and unlimited waters. I've stayed at hotels in Boston that were $450+ a night without parking and they weren't as fancy as this one. Also the staff was just so kind.

Alright, we are checked in, car is with the valet, we get up to the room and it exceeded my expectations! The bed was SO COMFY. It was very quiet too which was a plus. So it is around 5:00 PM. It is raining, we want to see the monuments, we only have a

few hours here before we have to go to bed and we are leaving early in the morning for our next 8+ hour drive. We were truly contemplating not going to see the monuments because of the weather but we were like, screw it, we have to go! We are in D.C! We quickly get dressed, pick up an umbrella at the bell station and off we walk. The walk was really nice. It was only 20 minutes to the National Mall, where everything was that we wanted to see for the most part! Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting pool, and Washington Monument. We were very lucky that we could walk everywhere that we wanted to and still being close to our hotel. We took some pictures along the way, it was drizzling a bit but nothing crazy. As soon as we walked inside the Lincoln Memorial it started torrential downpouring (truly we were so lucky because we saw everything we wanted to and took some pictures). We decide at that point to take an Uber to pick up some ramen before heading back to the hotel.

We Ubered to Jinya Ramen Bar. Super cute Ramen joint only 8 minutes away from our hotel. The Uber there was only arpuns $14! Ben got the Crispy Chicken and Pork Gyoza (he isn't a ramen/soup fan). I got the Flying Vegan Ramen and Vegan Gyoza! When we got back to the hotel we were so hungry at that point. I have not one single photo because we unpacked it all on the big king bed and inhaled it. The food was so good! Definitely recommend! I do though have to point out that if you don't like chili oil, the Flying Vegan is not for you. I asked for the chili oil to be left out but they forgot so I had to eat everything but the broth because it was just way too spicy which was really disappointing! The noodles/veggies and vegan Gyoza was too good. That made up for me not getting the full ramen experience.

After we ate we passed out of pure exhaustion. That's why I say we only really had four hours there. Getting to the city around 5:00 PM and after seeing everything and eating it was around 9:00 PM. Our first day was a success. It wasn't what I pictured or expected, but it ended up just working out. The rain didn't stop us from getting in the sights, the hotel was fantastic and our belly's were full. How could I complain? We woke up the next morning and it was raining so instead of grabbing breakfast in the city like we planned we decided to hit the road to hope the rain wouldn't follow us. (Spoiler alert, it did not :D ) The valet was very quick, and we were on the road by 9:30 AM, off to North Carolina!

Well that's all for now. I realize I don't have any photos of the hotel! Head to my Instagram page to see the video I took! Also, tune into the next blog post to read about our time in Charlotte NC! Sneak peak- I found an another amazing vegan restaurant/bar, and hugged my brother for the first time in like 4 months.

Until next time,

Bee

(PS I recommend this jumpsuit from Amazon. It was my go to outfit for the long car rides!)