Washington

Breakfast at 7 when it opened. Love this hotel - it's in a great position, although it's. a bit of a walk to the Mall, but the staff are very friendly, the room is spacious and the 'extras' like all day coffee and water etc are great. Most of the staff are African and always great you with a 'welcome back' when you return.
After breakfast we went for a walk around the neighbourhood to take some photos. The houses are gorgeous and very well maintained and it's a bit like living locally when you stay here.
Stopped for lunch at Indigo Landing, by the river. A beautiful spot, very peaceful.
After lunch we went to the Thomas Jefferson Library of Congress building - what a magnificent building. The ceiling in the dome is stunning and the floors are beautiful inlaid marble. A truly beautiful building. There were several exhibitions on but the most interesting to me was the Jacob Rhiis: How the Other Half Lives, an exhibition of photos etc of the tenement dwellers in NYC. Very poignant photos. We walked to the Mall to the Air & Space Museum. It's easy to see that it is the most popular of the Smithsonians - it was absolutely packed, people everywhere. Walked back through the National Botanic Garden to our room for a wine and to rest our feet as we'd been walking pretty much all day. When we were ready to eat we walked to Eastern Market but didn't find anything there so we walked back to Tortilla Coast, a Mexican Restaurant near the hotel. Really good Mexican food!
Some shots of the Capitol Hill neighbourhood.
The second last shot shows the front of the hotel with free bikes for use by guests and two water bowls by the pillar for four-legged guests!!Read more