New York (bear with me here) is on the bucket list of almost everyone I have ever met! The iconic buildings, statue of liberty, Staten Island, 5th Avenue… there is just so much to experience and savour.
Every year I try and take my dear mum away somewhere nice for a few days. Not for any real reason, just that she put up with me having invaded her home and her personal space for the first 19 years of my life, and from time-to-time since!
I chose New York and Chicago as a nice little twin centre trip, and told her we were spending the week in London (shh!) to go and see a few shows, partake in some open top bus tours, do some afternoon tea with Lizzie, and basically be tourists doing tourist things.
I was excited at the prospect of taking my old dear to the Big Apple. Not only had she never been before, but I know she had been trying to organise a trip with a some of her cronies for the last few years, but hadn’t quite brought the whole thing to fruition. I was also looking forward to seeing her face when she realised at Heathrow, terminal 5 that she wasn’t so much headed to Leicester Square, but instead, Times Square.
We were scheduled on the lunchtime flight from Inverness to Heathrow with BA, and due to head to New York after a couple of hours sipping Champagne in BA’s home of Heathrow Terminal 5.
Fate had other ideas…. Approx. 21:30 the evening before, I got a phone call from BA. New York was under a severe weather warning, and all air traffic in and out had been suspended. Initially, I thought it was a joke, gave a nervous laugh, and waited for the punchline, Unfortunately, it never came.
The very nice gentleman explained the situation, told me to turn on the news, and I resigned myself to the fact that my top secret trip of wonder was now nothing more than a pair of cancelled flight tickets, and I contemplated my next move…
He gave me my options. I could instead fly to Washington. Of if I didn’t fancy Washington, I could fly to Baltimore. Given that I may as well have been given the choice between Heathrow and Gatwick (the airports are very close together and both serve Washington DC), I told him to change to Washington, and then settled into what on earth I could plan in the Capital that could possibly live up to a few days in Manhattan.
I have to say, Washington has never appeared on any bucket list I have ever seen… ever, but it absolutely should. It is an incredible city – so clean and well planned out. My mother loved it, as did I, and here is a few things to consider doing if you ever decide to take the trip yourself.
Having had to spill the beans to mother about what was going on, the atmosphere was one of elation. Who cares if NYC is off, because there wass plenty still on! We managed a couple of drinks in the lounge before we boarded, enjoying a nice complimentary upgrade to the club world cabin for the flight LHR-IAD.
We checked into the Darcy hotel. It was an exceedingly quirky hotel, with nooks, crannies, and bizarre but pleasing sculptures and artwork. It was boutique – so not a faceless sleep factory – and the staff were friendly and helpful. It is located not far from Dupont Circle, which is one of the historic neighbourhoods where you will find a whole array of restaurants and small shops to explore.
Arriving quite late, we checked in with little fuss, dropped our bags in the rooms which were every bit as quirky and semi-opulent as the public areas. Well appointed with decent toiletries (a must) and a good, powerful shower (also a must).
We had a couple of drinks in the bar, which happened to be their seafood restaurant. This meant we sat at the bar which was topped with elegant troughs of crushed ice, where hitherto the catch of the day had been displayed. The drinks were boozy and delicious, and we decided that 2 was probably our limit and headed to get a good nights rest ahead of our days exploring.
After an early start, we headed out in search of that true American symbol – a decent diner breakfast. Unfortunately the hotels breakfast offer was poor (a $5 voucher towards coffee and croissant at the café) so we went exploring.
We happened across “Luna Grill & Diner” and were a little taken aback by how quiet the place was. It was however exactly what we were looking for. A departure from the likes of Ellens Stardust Diner in NYC, this was a true American institution with the cracks and blemishes you would expect from years of public enjoyment.
We had eggs in their various guises, and of course the ubiquitous bottomless filter coffee to take the edge of the jetlag which was threatening to kick in at any moment.
Feeling suitably full, and carrying enough caffeine to make a Cartel boss reconsider his product of choice, we headed towards Capitol Hill, which is where you will find the iconic Capitol building (not to be confused with the Whitehouse) where we were hoping to catch a glimpse of Donald, but to no avail – perhaps he had some foreign dignitary to abuse at the time. It took just over an hour and 15 minutes to walk, but the scenery, architecture and parks along the way made it a much better choice than taking a cab or uber.
From Capitol hill we explored the area, and managed to take in the Whitehouse (still no sign of big Donny), the Washington monument (the big needle), and the Lincoln memorial. Obviously you can’t just rock up and ring the doorbell and ask if Donald is coming out to play, so we respectfully took in the sights from the safety of the lawns and took in the views.
Standing on the snow dusted lawn on a fantastically sunny morning, there really was an awe about the place. Believe it or not, the scale is not what I imagined – the buildings all look a lot smaller in person. But the thought that clearly went into planning the city, from the buildings, positioning of the green areas, even where they fly the flags… all culminate in this beautifully choregraphed arrangement befitting of any postcard or painting.
We were getting hungry, and the caffeine was wearing off, so we took about 45 minutes to walk the 2 miles to Penn Quarter, taking us past the Smithsonian, J Edgar Hoover FBI building (unfortunately closed to the public these days), past the Federal Triangle and National archives, and settled on… the Hard Rock Café. I make no apologies for this – I have a tradition of buying a small glass from each city I visit. We didn’t stay too long. Some finger food and a glass of wine, and we were off again.
This time we made our way to the Spy Museum. Can’t say that mother was as excited as I was, but that all changed when we went inside. Not so much a museum, this place is filled to the rafters with memorabilia from films, genuine artefacts from the cold war era and beyond, and so much more. It was cavernous, and every corner we turned, there was an opportunity to learn more about the likes of the CIA, MI6 and KGB. It was anything but stuffy, and the experience was great fun. They made sure that there was plenty to keep you amused, and again the staff were great, and played their parts to perfection. A total hidden gem!
Dinner that evening was at “District chop house” which is famed locally for both its cocktails and steaks, and for its location. Inside a cavernous colonial building, complete with chintzy furnishings and grandiose columns. I started with a “smoked rosemary aviation” – their twist on the classic cocktail. Served under a dome of smoke with the dried rosemary filling my nostrils, it was a delight! I had another.
Our steaks were cooked perfectly (I like mine blue, she likes hers medium well), and were accompanied by mountainous portions of grilled onions, fries, salad, vegetable and sauces. All washed down with some magnificent Malbec, and finished off with their speciality dessert – the All American Chocolate cake (4 layers of calorie-filled, food-coma inducing loveliness).
Back to the Darcy, where, being a Friday night, the bar was in full swing with tourists and local trendies vying for the attentions of the opposite sexes, while dodging the fish-water laden bar tops. As avid people-watchers, we decided to stay a while, and see what would unfold. Not much as it happened, and we called it a night.
Next day we opted for a walk around the Air & Space museum (I sure know how to show a woman a good time!). Now I almost want to caveat their use of the word ”museum” – they are resorts, attractions, experiences. Not an octogenarian, librarian-style custodian in sight, these places are true havens of knowledge and fun, inspiring awe and intrigue at every step.
Opened in 1946, it is the third most visited museum in the US, and houses the original Apollo 11 command module. It is also home to many historical aircraft, and acts as the official centre for research of the history and science of aviation and spaceflight, among other things.
Once again you could be fooled into thinking that it was going to be stuffy and boring, but nothing could be further from the truth. As a self confessed aviation geek, I kept a keen eye on mother in case she started to dwindle, but after 4 hours, the only reason we left was to cram in some more sight-seeing.
Had we made it to New York, there were front row tickets for the musical Chicago on Broadway waiting for us. My mother love music in all its forms, so with this in mind, the search was on to find a suitable alternative.
I booked tickets at the John F Kennedy centre for the performing arts, where the National Symphony Orchestra were playing Verdis Requiem with a choir of 100. A little heavier in taste than “All that jazz”, however proved to be a popular choice indeed. The building, again, was monumental in scale, and the acoustics were terrific. The NSO were tight, and played an exceptional performance from start to finish. Most of all, mum was delighted!
That evening we dined at a small Italian restaurant just 5 minutes from our hotel. By this point, the blisters on our feet were taking their toll. In 24 hours we had walked over 14 kilometers throughout the city, so staying local was a must!
Ghibellina was a funky unassuming restaurant, with a brick and steel interior, reminiscent of a prohibition-esque, pseudo-industrial era. The food was simple yet exquisite, and the atmosphere was perfectly relaxed – just what we needed after 2 days of traipsing around the United States Capital.
We chose not to join the trendies tonight, and let them peacock their night away which we got some much needed rest before an early start where our car would be waiting to take us back to the airport to continue our trip. This time to the windy city of Chicago. But that’s another story.
If you, like me, have never considered Washington DC as a viable city destination, you are missing out. Easily commutable from inverness, with great flight connections, it is a very reasonable choice for a city break with a bit of history and culture thrown in. The Federal Bureau of Engraving, where they print the nations currency, is the only thing we didn’t get to see as it has a waiting list. It is highly regarded as one of the top attractions, so make sure you book in advance… and let me know how it was.
