“A person susceptible to ‘wanderlust’ is not so much addicted to movement as committed to transformation.”
Pico Iyer
As we were having lunch on a rare afternoon without any meetings during a recent business trip to Washington, DC, my friend Mary Ann said, “If you are going to be a travel advisor, you should start blogging about the places you visit.”
There is no shortage of travel bloggers or sites devoted to things to do in any city in the world if you have a week or more or less. But if you are like me – someone who travels somewhat frequently on business, there may not be much time to explore or experience the culture of the city other than a free afternoon the day before a meeting.
So the following pages will describe brief business trips with a few “add on” days of activities.
I have been to Washington, DC on dozens of business trips – never for more than 3 days at a time. I have squeezed in Hop On/Hop Off city tours, museum visits, monuments and memorials, cherry blossoms, National Zoo, Arlington National Cemetery, White House, U.S. Capitol and other federal buildings, Botanic Gardens, neighborhood restaurants and bars, and a few other events over the course of many years.
Our most recent visit coincided with cherry blossom season. After we checked in to our hotel, we walked to the National Mall and Tidal Basin. This year, we were about a week early to see the cherry blossoms at peak. I’ve seen them at peak, and it is a site to behold. Even though the blossoms were not at peak when we were there, but the weather was beautiful, and the white species had bloomed enough to make the trek worthwhile.
We stopped at the InterContinental Willard Hotel, an iconic Washington, DC hotel, to grab something to eat and have drinks at Cafe du Parc, a French brasserie. Since the weather was nice, we were seated at their outdoor terrace which was ideal for al fresco dining.
For dinner, we joined several colleagues at Pappe, a cozy, colorful Indian eatery that we discovered on a previous visit. The menu features samosas, curry and veggie dishes, as well as plenty of meat options for carnivores.
When I’m in DC for Hill visits, I always try to get to We the Pizza for lunch. It never disappoints.
This year after our Hill visits, our crew navigated to Bullfeathers, a longtime DC tavern frequented by lobbyists and Congressional staffers for drinks and pub grub.
For dinner on our last evening in DC, we went to Union Market District, a Food Hall with more than 60 food and retail vendors.
To see and do everything that our nation’s capital offers would take days/weeks and then some. But if you only have a few free hours over the course of a couple of days, get out and explore. The city is walkable, with a Metro system that is easy to navigate.
