Travel: 6 Reasons I’d Revisit Washington DC

If I had to summarize my visit to Vegas in one word, it would be hedonism; my trip to New York, diversity; my trip to Nashville, music (naturally); my trip to DC, power. You can almost touch it. Another word, of course, would be traffic *straight face*. Nevertheless, DC has become my second favorite city in America! Boston, still at the top. During this trip, I explored DC with my dad, who was in town at the time. My explorer genes are all from him, so it was a superb adventure!

Einstein chilling with a book and no shoes #nerdgoals

~~Unfortunately~~ Fortunately, we couldn't complete my exploration of DC during the visit and so I will be returning soon. Here are 6 reasons I'm sure I'd be returning:

1. Museum sugar-rush: If you love museums as much as I do, DC is the town for you. It has a wide selection of Smithsonian museums located within the area called the National mall and also at other locations. Here is the part which would tickle the soul of any museum-lover. Admission is free. If you didn’t utter the expression “Muhehehe”, then you don’t love museums. You would love the experience. We could only complete 2 museums and a bunch of memorials, so I definitely will be returning! You can find the list of museums here!

The new National Museum of African-American History and Culture designed by Ghanian architect, David Adjaye

2. Political celebrities: DC is like the Beverly hills of politics. I'm sure we was about 1000 feet away from Michelle Obama at some point, when a motorcade that looked very "first-lady-like", drove past us near the National Museum of African-American History and Culture (photo above). One evening though, I saw John McCain (Republican nominee who ran against Prez Obama, in 2008) walking down the street! I had little chill.

3. To revisit Ab: I’ve always wanted to see Abraham Lincoln's memorial for some reason. There’s a scene from a movie where the protagonist is standing in front of Lincoln at night…and speaking to him… Wait, am I making this up?Lol. I just checked: Legally Blonde 2. Anyway, I’ve always been infatuated, so to speak. Yeah, so, finally I saw Ab, he says "Hey". I have to revisit him at night. It must be so spooky in the dark.

4. Partial fulfillment of my Foodie Degree: The best thing about tourist cities is the vast availability of restaurants. After burning ourselves out exploring museums and memorials, we found this Mexican place that served fajitas and plantains. And as the wise men say, "Where there are plantains, there is life." Amen.

5. To live out my espionage fantasy : Exhaustion and a food coma eventually set in. I'm not the girl with the red cape from Krypton you thought I was. We stumbled on the International Spy Museum at about 5PM. The attendant was brimming over with so much energy, which made me dizzy because I had just stuffed my face with the feast above. Apparently, we were supposed to perform some espionage stints of adventure, perform stunts, slay the villain and rescue the girl. Err...not with this induced food coma we won’t. We made a note to return on our next visit. And this is why 007 never eats. Note: the spy museum isn’t free. It costs about $15- $30 and probably about 2700 calories.

6. To relive the best pancakes of my life: There are a few situations in life, where you experience remarkably memorable breakfasts. This was one of them. My cousin took me for a beautiful breakfast in Bethesda, Maryland, which isn't in DC but really was just a few minutes away. I felt like Goldilocks at Baby bear's table. The pancakes weren't too big, they weren't too small, they were just right. And they didn't give me a food coma, unlike Goldie.

And that was how DC became my second baby. Donald, take care of her for me! I will see you very soon.

DC is listed in the top 5 most expensive cities to live. I stayed at an Airbnb in Palisades, which is on the west side. A peaceful, quiet suburb. An Uber to Union Station costs ~$35. Union Station is your friend, if you plan to travel by rail. It's good to know that DC doesn't have an airport. Dulles and National are in the state of Virginia and BWI is in Maryland but they are close enough and accessible with uber, taxis or the train. We ate here and here. If you visit, enjoy!

What was your last memorable travel experience? What's your favorite city in the world? Tell us!