Third business of the year, this time to Washington, D.C. I took the Amtrak again, but from Trenton to Washington Union Station. It’s a short 2.5 hour train ride, and this time, I got Business Class. What does that get you? More leg room. I unfortunately couldn’t get a decent hotel room in D.C., so I ended up staying way out in Falls Church, Virginia, at the Hyatt house Falls Church. Not my preferred option, but I could take the hotel shuttle to/from the nearby Dunn Loring-Merrifield Metro station about 10 mins away. The Metro ride to the stop in D.C. was only about 30 mins or so, which is not terrible. The hotel turned out to be really nice, located in a very nice, recently constructed neighborhood called the ‘Mosaic District.’ Lots of apartments or condos, restaurants, and shopping within walking distance.
The first night after failing to get a SmarTrip card, I got some other paper slip that I was able to put $20 on, transfer at Metro finally figuring out the Metro SmartFare, transferring, and finally reaching Falls Church. I tried to get the hotel shuttle to come pick me up, but I got tired after waiting a long while in the cold, and grabbed the first cab. I checked in, changed my clothes, then went to look for something to eat. I ate at a pretty decent spot nearby called Matchbox. Got a nice chicken sandwich, and kind of wished I had some company — lots of people were here, all chatting with friends or colleagues. Oh well. I ate quickly, and went back to the hotel to finish prepping for the next day.
The next evening, I walked around a bit after work to get some pictures of DC for Josh, like the White House, then I went to catch the Metro. I decided to walk to the nearby Five Guys restaurant. Never been to a Five Guys, so this would be a good possibility. Damn, it was sinfully good.
The 2nd day and the train ride home was fairly uneventful, which is a good thing. I got home around 9pm.
