This trip started with a business trip to Newark, Delaware which finished on Thursday at about noontime. We had already landed on Monday and rented the car and spent the past couple nights in Newark with me involved in a service focused conference which was a great experience and a lot of fun besides.
After getting dropped off at the hotel by my boss we basically got our stuff and packed into the car for a drive down to DC. Since we were leaving at about 1pm the traffic would not be so bad I hoped but there was going to be road construction I was sure. I didn't bring an actual GPS so we used my phone as a GPS. It gave me a couple of detour around traffic suggestions (I don't have Waze and was just using Google Maps which I think worked fine). It took us probably about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. The ride was basically uneventful. The last 4 miles through downtown DC were basically the lengthy feeling part as we hit a lot of traffic lights and the roads were narrow.
We got to the hotel and drove around the block twice before I settled on a place to park. We had to walk a short distance from there and ring the doorbell but we didn't bring our bags because the sign for the Mount Vernon Square Bed and Breakfast was not very large and we wanted to be sure it was the correct place. We were met at the door by Keith who owns the place. He had me pull the car up to an illegal parking space on the corner to get the bags out then checked us into the room. He gave us a tour of the facility. We are in the Terrace room which does actually have a terrace. He said he does not advertise it because it is not much. Really it is just a nice large place where you can hang out with a small plastic table and chairs. It is starting fall and there are a few leaves and things there. Still it is nice to have access to outside. Technically terrace has access to the roof by a spiral staircase too but he told us not to go up there so we won't. After he got us settled he helped me park the car in a private parking area attached to the building (no charge that I know of). I had to back into a very tight spot but he said we would not need to move the car for the rest of our DC trip because the National Mall is only a 20 minute walk away which was what I was aiming for from the place.
The room is very large. The building is from a bygone era but it adds to the charm feeling like an old brownstone from a wealthier family. He helped me with a map of the area with markings to a few things. We found out he is a hypnotist and gives 2 free hypnosis sessions to guests too. Daniela said he bought the house on auction while it was in really bad shape and he and his wife fixed it up. When they divorced he decided to make it into the bed and breakfast. I think he has done a great job with the decor and feel of the place. The one oddity is that our private bathroom is on the second floor even though the Terrace Room is on the third floor. It is lockable from the inside and I suspect all the other rooms have their bathrooms internally, it is a quirk that there is no room for the bathroom upstairs or something. The bathroom is very large and much nicer than the bathroom we just had at the Embassy Suites in Newark, DE. It has a shower with a lot of options for regular shower head or water pick and more. There is a lot of room in it too. I am willing to bet a lot of people would be bothered by the situation but as of this point it has not been an issue for us.
Daniela had to do some work for a few minutes then we headed to a local restaurant named Busboys and Poets where we had lunch/dinner. I had Ropa Vieja (shredded beef Cuban style) and Daniela had wild rice and beans with grilled chicken. I tried two local beers and Daniela had 2 fresh squeezed orange juices. The food was really good. The Belgian style beer was bland but the amber lager was quite nice.
After dinner we walked back to the hotel where Daniela unfortunately had a bit of work to do so really just called it a night by that point.
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