Ben's Chili Bowl

While in D.C. we visited Ben's Chili Bowl, made famous by Bill Cosby's patronage, and made even more famous when President Obama stopped in when he first came to the White House.
As with many 'famous' restaurants of this type, I did not have high expectations for the actual food, though the atmosphere was immediately enjoyable.
However, while waiting in line, the smell of the smoked sausages on the grill began to change my mind.
And then, we bit into the famed chili half-smoke dog. Unbelievable. Really a delicious chili sauce, not too spicy and very flavorful. The sausage itself was complex, as well, far beyond any mere hot dog. Though Amy and I visited several high-end restaurants in D.C., this remained our single favorite dish of the entire trip.

Dinner at The Tombs

While in Washington D.C., we had dinner at The Tombs, one of Georgetown University's classic spots. What may not be known to this generation, as it is to mine, is that The Tombs is most likely the inspiration for the bar called "St. Elmo's Fire" in the movie of the same name.
Watching the film today, it certainly does not have the glorious momentousness that it did at the time, and leaves me questioning my own choice to purchase a poster of said film during my freshman year of college, and to hang it on my dorm room wall. However, my wife and I still enjoyed visiting this spot, it being "of our generation," so to speak. I didn't tell her what the place was until we were inside, and I asked her what other film was set in Georgetown (we had just visited the Exorcist steps). She knew immediately...and knew where we were and felt the mystical resonance of the 1980s take hold.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

By far my favorite (new) memorial in Washington D.C. was the Franklin Delano Roosevelt memorial. Unlike the large monuments and Greek temples, this was a nearly interactive experience, in which the viewer walks (or rolls) through the long horizontal monument.
A mix of statues, waterfalls, and carved inscriptions, this memorial brought both Amy and I to tears with its power.

Back from Washington D.C.

Amy and I had a great time in our nation's capitol, visiting the White House, a dozen museums, memorials, and more. We ate at some fantastic restaurants, too. In fact, we packed so much into 6 days that I am absolutely exhausted now. I'll post more about some of the specific things we saw in the coming days.