Weekend in Washington DC

The zoo had to be the highlight of the trip. It's a great zoo. The hotel (Wyndham City Center) was also a big highlight. We did a lot of walking around and bar hopping. ESPN zone was a cool place to visit.

Quick Tips:

Taxis can be expensive there, and they don't use meters, they go by zones. Whenever possible, see if you can share a cab to reduce the fare. The Metro is another good way to travel. It's open until 2 am on the weekends, and I believe midnight during the week. It's usually cheaper to stay in DC on the weekends. The hotel rates go down due to the # of business travellers. Check around to get the best rates.

Best Way To Get Around:

The metro subway was an easy, great way to get around. Other than that we used taxis which got a bit expensive.

We stayed at the Wyndham City Center hotel. The hotel was fabulous! We got an excellent room rate of $99 (the rates are ususally cheaper on the weekend).
In advance, I signed up for Wyndham ByRequest program (you can sign up on Wyndham.com). The ByRequest program allows you to select your room preferences. You can select your favorite non-alcoholic beverage, beer, bed and pillow type, what kind of soaps you want, and other things. I selected a high-floor room, smoking, king size bed, bath and body works products, feather pillows, extra pillows and towels, water as my non-alcoholic beverage, and Bud Light as my beer choice. The ByRequest program also gives you extremely easy check-in, late check out (2pm), free high speed internet access (normally around $10 a day).
We checked in around 9pm on a Friday night. I showed up at the reservation desk, gave them my name, and the man said, "We have your room all ready, we''ll use your credit card # on file." He handed me the key cards and away I went. My room was on the 9th (highest) floor. Well that was one thing on my list that was correct. When we got to the room, the bed was a huge California king size bed, and there were literally too many fluffy feather pillows. A cold beer on ice and a bottle of water was waiting for me. I could get used to this!! We had extra towels, the right bath products, and the room was fabulous!
It had a 32" TV, desk, and two phones. I had forgotten to pack toothpaste, and one call, and a tube was brought right to my room in minutes.
My only complaint about the room was that there was no fan in the bathroom. After taking a shower, the bathroom mirrors were all steamed up. There was, however, a heat lamp in there which was nice.
The hotel staff was all very courteous. We did indeed have late check out which was nice. Check out was a breeze. You could either check out through the TV or in person. I did it in person, and it was smooth sailing all the way.
They have several restaurants in the hotel, but we didn''t dine at any of them. One of them was Shula''s steak house. It did seem to be very crowded. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I would definitely stay at the Wyndham City Center again, and their ByRequest program is fabulous. Note there is more than one Wyndham hotel in DC...there''s also the Wyndham Washington as well.

Getting there
Take the Metro Red Line To CUA\Brookland. When you come out of the metro, take the staircase to your right. The one to your left leads to Catholic University...
Why this place was so cool
I loved this place. The decor was absolutely wonderful. It was like stepping into a Caribbean beach bar. The walls were painted in a Caribbean motif. There were lush greens, tropical palm trees, and even an outside area with white sand on the ground. Jimmy Buffet and other tropical music could be heard, and the frozen drinks were spectacular. They have a huge chalk board with all their frozen specialties.

What we ate We had an appetizer of peel-and-eat shrimp, island style. They had a spicy sauce all over them, and they were fabulous. A generous portion for two people, $8.95. Make sure you ask for extra napkins for these!
We also had the jerk chicken sandwich and the shrimp salad sandwich. Both were very good, and served with fries.

What we had to Drink
I had (several) Bahama Mama's. You can get these frozen or on the rocks. I chose the "on the rocks" version. A fabulous concoction of rums and fruit juices. As good as any I've had in the Bahamas! We also tried a strawberry colada, which was really good too.
Total for 2 sandwiches, 1 appetizer, and 6 drinks $60.

National Zoo is part of the Smithsonian Institution and offers visitors glimpses of more than 5,000 animals. Home to many rare and endangered species, the zoo shelters its residents on 163 acres of natural habitats. The newest big attractions are the giant pandas, which were introduced to the public in January, 2001. Informative displays are scattered throughout the zoo, and special events, lectures and shows are frequent.
Getting there
We took the metro. It's the Woodley Park Metro station. After you get off, it's about a 1/2 mile walk to the zoo.

Wear comfortable shoes because there's a lot of walking involved!