For our honeymoon back in March 2006, my wife and I visited Washington DC and Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. It’s probably quite popular to revisit honeymoon destinations, and for our 20th anniversary we would be doing exactly that!
What larks eh, as we set out at around breakfast time stopping at McDonalds for McMuffins along the way. A pretty nice drive, we went the route skirting Brooklyn and Staten Island, then through New Jersey. In the latter, Marie had asked A.I pre-trip for a good, rustic coffee suggestion for a road break. Off an exit to the quaint village of Allentown (not Allentown, Pennsylvania but Allentown, New Jersey) and we loved Moth coffee house & cafe which is in an old mill. From our window view with our cappuccinos and bakery bites we watched an older couple taking their dog out in their scenic pond (lake?) garden. We enjoyed the vibe of the cafe and we’d go back to Allentown, NJ in a heartbeat too if passing close by.
Marie is a brilliant driver and completed the around five hour journey smoothly, through Delaware and Maryland. Our hotel in DC was a boutique hotel, coincidentally just two or three blocks from the White House though you’d never know or see it from there, and we didn’t care what was going on at the White House especially with a lot going on around us. It was a beautiful hotel in the Dupont Circle area, the Yours Truly – from the Vignette Collection – and with two other businesses next door in an open plan so you could walk through the lobby into them without even stepping outside: a restaurant-bar ‘Mercy Me’ and a Jewish bagel cafe, ‘Call Your Mother’. The hotel is pet-friendly and there’s even a barber on site.
The friendly young chap on the desk brought us up a free, full size bottle of Prosecco to our room after we had mentioned it was our 20th anniversary!
The hotel has a quirk too: vinyl records everywhere in the reception area and beyond in cabinets, They’ll bring a record player and your records requests up any time. We weren’t to bother on this visit, but a fun addition.
One of the breakfast places I’d listed in my research beforehand was a chain bakery cafe, Tatte (in the French style) and by pure coincidence there was one right across the street as we admired our window view.
Tatte
Marie had chosen Founding Farmers restaurant (another small chain) for our first evening meal a short walk from the hotel. It’s a big restaurant and bar on two levels, and we had reserved which helped because the place was hugely popular. It took a little while to get seated, but in a beautiful second floor space. Marie ordered up a house-made jasmine soda and me a coconut infused, old-fashioned bourbon cocktail. To start with, very delicious brie and apple toast. My cocktail was intensely strong, but I loved it. For mains Marie had sage and mascarpone ravioli and me cedar-plank salmon with mash. Both excellent. And we bought a box of Founding Farmers chocolates to go. We were impressed with the meal, everything, and greatly looking forward to the next few days.
Marie’s sage and mascarpone ravioli
my salmon
Day 2 – first full day
Breakfast at the big, bright, white-tiled Tatte. A black sesame latte for Marie, and a pistachio and lavender latte for me as we sat in. Both coffees very rich and very nice. And a couple of pastries including a pistachio and cherry slice. Oh okay, I’ve not mentioned the “Queen Aman” pastry because I always forget how to spell it! We’d first discovered those in Bloomsbury, London. I just wasted about ten minutes looking on the tinterweb trying to find out again, and even A.I was playing hard to get. Kuiman? Oh, its Kouign-amann! We had one of those.
When we’d been to DC on our honeymoon in March-April 2006 we just had a couple of days back then. I only remember a few things, like a nice tour on a free trolley ride around Dupont Circle. We had walked briefly through Georgetown, and Marie pointed out the famous ‘Exorcist’ steps where the body was thrown in the film. Georgetown is one of the most well-to-do, prettiest parts of Washington DC and Marie went to the university there between 1994-1998. On our honeymoon she had been a little less about nostalgia but this time she really wanted to soak it all up! She was going to show me a lot of her university days today, and Georgetown in more detail.
It was an easy walk from our hotel this morning. We started around the canals on the edge of Georgetown. Then down the long ‘M’ Street and past many beautiful, tasteful and desirable houses and many shops and cafes. Even Marie was surprised at how extra posh it had become. Past the Exorcist steps again, and then onwards and – yes – upwards towards the university (after I had posed next to some giant Transformers outside a science lecturer’s house). I forget to mention that we had then gone into a down-to-earth, “bodega’ style sandwich place that was very much part of Marie’s nostalgia: Wisemillers. Marie and friends got the “chicken madness” sandwich many times each week back in the 1990s. She hadn’t much spare cash back then so it was a treat, and often they would fill up on that before heading to their favourite, Goth-y, alternative night club Tracks which has long since closed down. Wisemillers is still there, as are in fact a few cafes and student shops from her student days.
Of course we got the chicken madness to eat soon.
Anyone can walk through Georgetown University, though it’s very hard to get a place there. Marie had done so through a full scholarship back then. Today we found out that not only is it tougher than ever to get a place, but in 2026 it costs around $90,000 a year in student loans!! It’s just outside of the “Ivy League” of American universities, but close.
So we walked in, wandered around and everything was bustling and busy. Of course loads of students relaxing on the grass, but also some tents and stalls because it was a kind of prospective recruitment day for next year. Fresh barbecue food was being grilled up too.
Marie posed outside her old dorm room! The first time she had stood there for 29 years!!
We also ate our sandwich in an open, casual canteen-y area, we browsed the merch shop and she bought an updated G.U long sleeved t shirt, and we skirted the library. We relaxed on a roof terrace with a great view, where Marie told me she had once spent hours talking with a fellow student one evening until late and when he came to kiss her she got nervous and she just shook his hand (“he never spoke to me again after that”! ).
We’d had an immensely enjoyable day. Back to the hotel on the bus through delightful residential streets.
A hotel regroup, we read our books a little then back out on another bus to a place we had reserved a table at, The Alchemist cocktail bar. There is a chain of cocktail bars in the UK also called the Alchemist but this was not related to those.
We got off a little early to get a kebab Marie had earmarked. At the Alchemist they don’t do food but you can take in your own. We always appreciate a kebab somewhere on a trip.
The area was absolutely fine, nice enough.
The Alchemist was small and popular and we had a fun time for a couple of hours trying a few concoctions. We both went for alcoholic experiments. Lots of science tricks, exploding large bubbles, smokey clouds etc. Drinks were tasty, though expensive (there are no prices on the menu – you just go for it). It’s a little more gimmicky than it is the classiest cocktails we’ve ever had. But we really enjoyed it and it rounded out a memorable day when Marie had really got the full DC appreciation going again.
We had to stop for hot-fried chicken on the way back to the hotel, at a Roaming Rooster!
Day 3 –
This time we got bagels from ‘Call Your Mother’ for breakfast and ate them in the casual bar area of ‘Mercy Me’. Marie an everything bagel, myself a za’atar.
Washington DC is well known for its many, large free Smithsonian museums including big art galleries. Marie had left it for me to research which gallery to visit before we left for DC. I chose the Phillips Collection, which as it turns out is not free and is in Dupont Circle not far from our hotel. At only $20 each, she didn’t mind one bit and we also saw it as a nice way to steer clear of crowds.
We were to really love the gallery, and was definitely one of our best gallery/museum visits ever. Relaxing, no sore feet, no crowds, a beautiful eclectic collection of art etc. It’s mostly modern but somehow we loved that about it too – I even somewhat enjoyed the Joan Miro exhibition, of whom I don’t particularly understand – because it’s deliberately mixed in with representational art too. A El Greco painting from the 1700s is displayed in an open area next to a modern painting of a rainbow.
a Miro wall print
There is a whole room full of Pierre Bonnard paintings, whom I’ve always loved since my art class in Bournville in 1981 and Marie loves the Nabis group too (from around the time of the Impressionists).
‘Woman and Dog’ – Pierre Bonnard
The gallery cafe was wonderful, the best quiches we’ve ever had and probably close to the one I often wax on about, in Denia Spain. And a flourless chocolate cake.
The metro train system in DC is also very genteel, very clean and safe too. We did then get the subway train to the ‘Smithsonian Mall’, a large green park grid of the museums (kind of resembling the European Commission area of Brussels a bit). Just to see it, and soak up the vibe and also to hopefully see a little of the cherry blossoms. As it happens, they hadn’t quite budded yet so it was more like mild colours than wild colours. The, I think magnolia blossom in white were more full. We enjoyed sitting outside though, and a wander into the Thomas Jefferson memorial hall with the steps all around and a view of the river and obelisk monument.
on the walk to what there was of the cherry blossoms, and also to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial
Weather throughout this holiday would swing from very warm to very cold, and we were glad we packed a lot of various layers of clothes! This was one of the nicer weather days.
We like Ethiopian food and there are a multitude in DC, so we had to try one! In the evening we got a bus to trendy Adams Morgan to try Effigne for which we’d reserved. A casual place. In the past we’ve eaten at Ethiopian restaurants a few times, notably Awash in the village in Manhattan, Ghenet in Brooklyn and…I think it was Nile in Orlando, Florida. It’s a little like Indian, but the small curries are served on a large injera bread which is a spongy sourdough bread. You don’t use utensils, but you tear pieces of the bread and pick up your curries that way. We like it a lot, though we like Indian more.
Anyway, a very nice meal which we couldn’t quite finish because Marie has such a small appetite. We’d chosen a sampler of 4 small meat curries, and 4 vegetarian. As many diners did. When we left every table was taken.
On Tuesdays in the 90s, Marie used to often go to Adams Morgan with foreign student friends from university. We enjoyed looking around the happening street. We dropped into Lost City Books, which was great. I bought the British comedian Bob Mortimer’s novel ‘The Hotel Avocado’. We had both really enjoyed his ‘The Long Shoe’ – a lighthearted mystery – despite its time scale flaws.
At the hotel, the bar in Mercy was hoppin’ and pumpin’, and we didn’t want to wait so instead we opened our Prosecco in the room and watched something good on youtube.
Day 4 (Sunday) –
Breakfast at Tatte again, but we avoided the delicious but overly rich flavoured lattes and went for classics.
We had two plans today, the zoo first then later to try a British eatery I had researched called Aboveground out in a neighbourhood Marie didn’t know, NOMA.
The zoo is free, and Marie hadn’t been to DC Zoo since forever but always loved the area its in and, well, everything.
Partly of course because it’s free, it was a little chocka with visitors but not too bad. It took us a little while to start getting the best views of the animals but we had a very pleasurable two or three hours. We saw animals you don’t see in zoos, such as humble beavers which we were enraptured about.
I took a tonne of photos! I like to create animal art sometimes, and it’s also useful source material.
Then the bus to NOMA, another area that Marie said was a bit of a no-go back in 1998 but is now thoroughly gentrified. Aboveground is in a large food/dining market – Union Market.
It’s just an open eatery cutely displayed in a tiled, London underground theme and it does the classics like fish and chips, sausage rolls, steak pies…the works, plus British chocolate and gifts. A chef learned how to cook British food from Marco Pierre White and set it up. We got a steak and ale pie, an accidental but scrumptious 64 ounce bucket of triple cooked chips (of which I ate most), mini battered bangers which Marie was in love with and a sausage roll. I got a full size can of Speckled Hen beer and we ate on a bench table. Fantastic!
We looked around the market a bit, and got a lift up to the roof deck thinking the views might be great (not especially).
Back at the hotel, we sat at the classy bar downstairs. You get a $15 voucher for the bar from the hotel. My umami old-fashioned was absolutely delicious and unique. And Marie’s shiso-to mocktail was a big winner too. We took all the time in the world, and watched the busy, head mixer make up a lot of old-fashioned’s and espresso martini’s.
Shiso-to
SEEDLIP GARDEN, SHISO CANE SUGAR, LIME, FEVER TREE CLUB SODA
Umami
t e r n e t a RYE WHISKEY, EAST INDIA SHERRY, RIPE BANANA, TAMARIND, MISO, CINNAMON PALM SUGAR
We had immensely enjoyed DC, and it’s among the most graceful and also happening cities that I’ve visited in the U.S. And, unlike in the past, it felt safe in all areas we went to. And for choice and quality of cuisine it can probably give Manhattan a good contest!
Old Town, Alexandria/Williamsburg, Virginia
As we left DC – chatting to the two nice car valet guys about English football as we checked out of the hotel – Marie had a cunning plan for us on the two and a half hour drive to Williamsburg, Virginia. She had been to Old Town in Alexandria, Virginia before she knew me and always loved it and knew that I would enjoy it too. It’s just 8 miles from DC, on the other side of the Potomac River and is one of the original old settlement towns. Marie said she would love to live there but that it’s very expensive.
It is a lovely town, and we had light meals of croque monsieur and a delectable cookie sat upstairs at a quaint, French style bakery and cafe – Maman – a chain bakery which collaborates with the celebrity chef Martha Stewart and uses her recipes.
at Maman
We then walked around the riverfront and then into a large, fantastic art centre in the former torpedo factory!
Well, let me add a bit from the website. It’s a genius idea and gives local artists a brilliant opportunity to get their work seen…
“The Torpedo Factory Art Center is home to the nation’s largest collection of working-artists’ open studios under one roof.
An Alexandria landmark for nearly 50 years, it’s the highlight of the Potomac Riverfront, attracting approximately 500,000 visitors annually.
Find artists actively creating work in a wide variety of media–including painting, ceramics, photography, jewelry, stained glass, fiber, printmaking, and sculpture–in 71 artists’ studios. Observe the creative process and ask questions. Purchase original work for your own collection.
The mission of the Torpedo Factory Art Center is to foster connections among artists and the public that ignite the creative spirit. We provide dynamic interactions with the arts through our community of visual artists, exhibitions, and programs. We offer art up close, in person, and in progress.”
the Torpedo Factory arts centre
There’s nowt like that back home in Long Island. We chatted to a mature artist, who was very sweet and generous with her time and advice. And we just moseyed around a bit, and looked in several of the studio shops at the art. In the one in which the old lady was, they used a printmaking method to make smaller prints from original art. It had a different yet faithful quality to the original but at the same time offered buyers a chance to purchase art without paying a lot of money.
What else did we do…? We got a fresh sourdough bakery loaf which would serve us well on our next leg of the trip, for example. Anyway, it was a perfect bonus to our DC visit despite it being a little on the chilly side this morning as we got back into the car and headed to our home for the next few days: Williamsburg, Virginia.
Colonial Williamsburg (an introduction)
The historic part of Williamsburg is a 300 acre “living history museum”, with the main thoroughfare being Duke of Gloucester Street with large squares and prominent buildings leading off here and there from it. It’s beautifully done, with some buildings being preserved exactly as they were and in the same location, some original buildings that were moved a little from their original location and some having to be rebuilt completely but faithfully recreated using blueprints from the period when the British colonised the area. Williamsburg was the colonial capital of Virginia in the 18th Century before the capital then became Richmond.
Most of the actors portraying the original important figures, tradesmen and so on are impressive. The tradespeople like blacksmiths, wig makers, dressmakers, coopers etc etc etc are highly skilled, naturally, whilst other employees are recruited carefully and have masters degrees. The cast who are responsible for other roles like government figures, palace guides, stage actors and so on can be real characters and play their parts with zest and zeal. It’s a big attraction, but definitely in late March is nicely relaxing. You buy day passes to get in to any of the buildings with a colonial flag outside but anyone can walk through this very open historical area whenever they want. There are of course shops and taverns too and you can have a meal or a drink at the latter without having to buy any tickets.
We were also in Williamsburg to enjoy mod-fangled life too! To see our friend, Rachel, who moved to Williamsburg from Queens, New York with her family about ten years ago and to try some of her favourite restaurants and coffee houses and to spend quality time with her.
So we planned to do 21st Century Williamsburg and 18th Century Williamsburg!
We arrived mid afternoon at the apartment Marie had reserved for us for a mere $75 a night!! Williamsburg was certainly quiet after DC. The apartment was great and with loads of space! We put almost everything out, and certainly no need to live out of a suitcase!
Our first stop in the small town was the DoG (“Duke of Gloucester”) pub. We loved it. Superb array of food options, and drink options. We chose to sit at the bar, arriving at about 7.10pm. We talked a bit with the friendly barman of about late fifties. He’s lived in Williamsburg for 3 years but has never entered the colonial district!! One big surprise though, now being in a small peaceful town, is that the pub closes at 8pm!!! We asked our man, “are last food orders 8pm or the does the pub actually close at 8pm?”. He replied “we close at 8”. I think they went a little past 8pm though. Anyway we enjoyed meals (fish and chips was very good) and drinks.
No matter though, because the brewery very close by was open until 9pm. The Precarious Beer Project is funky, and spacious. I must have been full and struggled even with three 6oz sample beers including a Terry’s Chocolate Orange porter!
Day 6
After our usual sourdough buttered toast breakfast, we took a leisurely stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street and the colonial section. Such fresh air, and so calming it was a nice lead-in to a longer visit in a couple of days. It felt good to be back after 20 years!
peaceful Duke Of Gloucester Street
good to know treasures are still being uncovered!
We met Rachel for lunch at her favourite Indian restaurant, Amiraj ‘ Modern Indian Kitchen’. You would never know. We all had a terrific long lunch, caught up on news and conversation and she even introduced us to the very friendly restaurant staff. The food was excellent and very spicy.
at Amiraj
Marie and I then went on to another brewery, The Virginia Beer Company. The DoG pub had had a few of their ales yesterday evening, of which I tried one.
There was a food truck outside, and we had the best chicken wings we have ever, ever had!
We liked the brewery very much too. Two real characters serving, with broad Southern accents and a lively sense of humour.
VBC
And a golden retriever Marie fell in love with. The retriever was actually throwing the ball (on a pink leash) to herself to retrieve! Back at the ranch, we watched an episode of the Young Ones classic comedy, the episode ‘Sick’. Marie was hysterically laughing!
Day 7
Our 20th anniversary!
We picked Rachel up and went to another of her favourites, for Chinese lunch at Ichiban.
Both Rachel and Marie had the “addictive, crack kung po chicken” and I very much enjoyed my lightly battered duck! We had a long, leisurely time there.
Marie and I then bought Colonial tickets and enjoyed several sites, but our main day for that would be tomorrow.
In the evening was our special anniversary meal, which was steeped in candlelit splendour at the historic Christiana Campell’s Tavern just a short way from our hotel (but also on the edge of the colonial section). Whilst we ate a performer wandered in and played a traditional folk song (one I like, about a beggars life being the best life because you don’t have to worry about paying the rent!) and the waitress gave us some history. Marie had the fried chicken, me the small but hearty, delicious seafood pie and we had dessert and I a glass of port following on from a beer. The food overall is varied, my pie very good but Marie wasn’t crazy about her chicken. The true attraction of Christiana’s is the rarefied atmosphere and that made it especially memorable.
George Washington wrote in his diaries that he dined at Christiana’s “on 92 occasions”! After a fire, it was accurately rebuilt in 1956. It feels exactly 250 years old though!
at Christiana Campbell’s Tavern
Day 8 – our big history day
After sourdough hot buttered toast again, we also drove to try another coffee place on the edge of town – Hohl. We liked it a lot. Australian, even though it sounds like a Scandinavian name. Then we were straight down to the Colonial parts!
The other day, we not only watched the tradespeople and craftspeople do their thing, we also asked a lot of questions and we always got an enthusiastic response. As in times past, we watched the Blacksmith, the dressmakers, the wig makers etc. Today we would try some some different things.
We started at the home of a lawyer George Wythe and teacher of law, enticed in by the energetic guide.
Then a tour of the large Governor’s Palace, from 1722. This burned down back in the day in 1781, and had to be rebuilt. Again based on blueprints. There was an acting governor originally because George Hamilton the Earl Of Orkney never got out there, so says wikipedia! It was designed to look very stern and impressive, and overwhelm Americans who entered with its display of weaponry. Later on though, in post-colonial times Thomas Jefferson was one of the governors.
Before we and parties of schoolkids went in (though they asked intelligent questions and were very well behaved), Marie and I lolled over to pet some horses in the stables next door!
We then watched a small outdoor play, a farce written in 2025 but based on staged farces of the day. It was fun, and not too long. And then back to the garden of the Governor’s Palace to try a hedge maze!
It was actually a little tricky! You end up in the middle, and then make your way out.
And we did a lot of other things, including watching a court case re-enaction (oddly, the so called professional employee was terrible and mumbled and stumbled his words, whereas the woman audience volunteer from amongst our proletarian lot, acting as the “Sheriff” on the stand, was absolutely commanding and brilliant). We spent about five or more hours there, stopping for snacks, and had lapped it all up but we were ready for the 21st century again by just before 5pm.
an in-between moment
at the Governor’s Palace
Back out to the DoG pub, and it was very busy at 6pm (I suppose it would be, since it closes at 8!). We had an excellent, generous bangers and mash and I had a stout.
Then back to the Precarious Beer Project, where we had one of our best late evenings. Marie had a soft drink, myself a flight and we played pin ball (not very well) and skee ball (we did very well at that).
It’s a great place!
At the apartment, we finished a cherry truffle haggen daz pint and watched Anna Maggliano on Russell Howard’s entertaining podcast “Five Brilliant Things” on the kindle.
The next morning, after a hotel breakfast (but not too much) we picked up Rachel and gave her mom and her friend a hug and then we went with Rachel to a really great coffee place, ‘1607’. Marie and I had their version of mcmuffins and also biscuits and gravy and great coffees.
Oh, we had glanced in an estate agents window and the taxes on houses here are only about $1,500 a year!! A snip compared to New York property taxes.
We also had an additional two nights in Philadelphia before heading home. I’ve covered Philly quite a bit on the blog already, from past visits. Two highlights were Pera Turkish restaurant in Fishtown where we met our friend, Sasha for lunch. Staff and food at Pera are wonderful (I even had liver!), and one evening we had a classy couple of hours in Jack’s in Fairmount which is a mostly wood, nicely old fashioned pub-restaurant. A great drinks range, we sat at the bar and enjoyed the fried chicken so much we only left a few specks of salt and pepper on the plate and even then I tried to devour that too.
at Pera
We like Philly very much, but it can still be a little rough around the edges. It could be safer, and needs improvement so you just need to choose your spots, where to go and how to get about!
at Jack’s
we’d never seen Reading Terminal Market so crowded (we didn’t stay long!)
TravelHoglet 