Category: United States

Impromptu Holiday Weekend Road Trip to D.C.

It was the Thursday before MLK weekend this year and I had no plans for the holiday — unacceptable. After a few texts to a few friends across the country, my destination was set. My friend Lia and Washington D.C. awaited. But how would I get there from Atlanta when it was too late for cheap flights and too far for my old car?

Everything fell into place when I heard a friend say “we’re driving to Philadelphia this weekend,” to which I replied, “can you drop me off near Arlington in Alexandria?” Within half an hour, I had a place and a ride. Go Juan.

And let me tell you — my first trip to the nation’s capital did not disappoint.

The Itinerary

Friday: Get to work two hours early. Leave the office around 4:30 P.M. Overnight drive to Philadelphia with a stop in Alexandria.

Saturday: Arrive in Arlington around 3:30 A.M. “Sleep” before brunch and a full day of sightseeing in D.C. Night out in the town.

Sunday: Brunch in Arlington. Chill day at home. Karaoke and video games with the gals.

Monday: Coffee and cupcakes in Georgetown. Early lunch in Old Town Alexandria. Pick up at 10:30 A.M. Drive back to Atlanta.

Budget

I decided to “splurge” a bit on this trip, so I set aside $200 for the long weekend.

  • Gas: $35 for a tank of gas (four of us carpooled, each person filled up once)
  • Food and beverage: $160 (two road meals, two brunches, one lunch, two coffee breaks, one night out, one night in)
  • Bike rental: $16 (took two bikes all over the National Mall)
  • Metro pass: $5 (roundtrip from Arlington to Washington)
  • Ubers: $30 (from the White House to Arlington and from Arlington to the club)

GRAND TOTAL = $246 (mildly over budget, but worth it)

Activites

Drive-by night tour of Arlington
Lia and her roommate Reggie were kind enough to take the scenic route back home so I could see the Arlington National Cemetery and the D.C. skyline from across the Potomac on our late night drive from Alexandria.

Brunch at Firefly
Chic restaurant in the city serving carafes of mimosa for $15? We’ll take two! I can still taste the delectable eggs Benedict with prosciutto I had. Perfect way to set the mood for this full day of exploring.

Bike ride around the National Mall
Dressed to the tens in fabulous winter clothes on baby blue rental bikes looked so wanderlust-y we were basically a Pinterest post. Best way to explore the National Mall and its surrounding areas.

Getting cultured at the National Gallery
Did you know most museums in the capital have free admission? We took our time to explore this enormous gallery, where I found several paintings by my favorite Impressionist artist, Georges Seurat.

Hot cocoa and pastries at PAUL
The hot cocoa and the pastries were beyond, and the decor made this spot feel like a modern Parisian café — très chic. Much needed stop in the freezing winter weather on our way to the White House.

Walk around the White House
Timing was ideal for me to visit the outside of the White House as Trump was away in Florida for the weekend. Having no chance of running into him kept me at ease, though I can’t deny feeling a bit jealous of the view from his room.

Love notes written with the condensation from the dance floor.

Night out at Nellie’s Sport Bar
Our attempt at a bar crawl turned into a lit night at Nellie’s. The small outdoors area felt like a freezer but the inside felt more like a sauna with all the heat we crazy kids were leaving on the dance floor.

Brunch at Tupelo Honey in Arlington
I can’t believe I ate half a fried chicken. And drank several drinks. Everything was so good. I felt like the guy in those old Alka-seltzer commercials saying “I can’t believe I ate the whole thing.” We spent a solid four hours here.

Champagne and video games at home
It saddens me to admit that the only champagne we found at the nearest liquor store was Trump champagne. It saddens me even more to admit that we bought it and actually enjoyed it. Not bad, Trump.

Cupcakes and coffee at Baked & Wired
Stupid good cupcakes. Like HELLO, Georgetown. Bacon maple syrup flapjack happiness in my mouth with yummy coffee was all I needed so start my last day in the DMV area.

Nando’s hands down serves the best chicken in the world.

Lunch at Nando’s PERi-PERi in Alexandria
My mouth is watering as I write about this. Chicago and the D.C. area are the only two places in the United States that are home to Nando’s. This was a must-visit on my list for this trip, and the life-changing chicken I had did not disappoint.

 

Relfections

America is beautiful and its capital is one of its best features. No matter the length of your trip or the stops you make, you are sure to come back inspired and cultured after a stay in the capital. Be sure to bring cute clothes and chic walking shoes, keeping the weather in mind as the seasons can be intense in this area.

Despite the quick planning and the unforgiving cold weather, this weekend was exactly what I needed to get back into the groove of life after the holidays. There is so much to see in the Washington metropolitan area that one weekend is not enough. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly destination, find a cheap flight and a cheap Airbnb and you’ll be set — here’s a chic apartment near Capitol Hill for under $90 a night. There are plenty of activities to do and plenty of delicious restaurants, both for reasonable prices.

Happy exploring!

DIY Napa Wine Tasting Tour on a Budget

As per usual when traveling with my friend Cheralynn, our plans to visit Napa came into discussion less than 24 hours before the trip. As per usual when traveling with my friend Cheralynn, we killed it.

It took only a few minutes of searching for deals on Groupon and sorting through reviews and locations on Google Maps to devise a comprehensive three-stop wine tasting tour — for under $30 a person. And of course, what is a DIY tour without a little DIY competition? That’s why we developed our very own scoring model to determine which of our three stops offers the best wine tasting experience overall.

The Itinerary

Whoever sits in the passenger seat of Cheralynn’s car during a road trip bears the responsibility of calling places and planning the day — this is why I always volunteer to drive. After several calls with very kind people, our day was set:

1. Heitz Wine Cellar
Free tasting, choose two wines from a list of three

2. Rutherford Ranch Winery
$35 chocolate and wine pairing for two, four wines and four pieces of chocolate

3. Sutter Home Family Vineyards:
$5 tasting for premium wines, five wines with a few snacks

The Scoring

After passionate discourse over several glasses of wine, we concluded there are four criteria that determine the quality of a wine tasting: the venue’s wedding worthiness, the wine’s tastiness, the overall learning experience, and the bang for our buck.

The three wineries we visited scored all over the scale:

Heitz Wine Cellar Rutherford Ranch Sutter Home
Wedding Worthiness

5

 4

1
Wine Tastiness

5

 5

2
Learning Experience

1

 5

3
Bang for Buck

3

 4

3
Bonus

/

 4

3
FINAL SCORE

3.5/5

 4.4/5  2.4/5

The Breakdown

IMG_2288
Heitz Wine Cellar
Free tasting, choose two wines from a list of three

This first spot was magical. While the staff was rather unbothered by our presence, the two wines we tasted were absolutely delectable. And the views of the vineyard with the Northern California mountains in the background made the whole experience breathtaking. The lady pouring our wine didn’t care enough to give us any significant background into the wines we were tasting, so we read their descriptions on the menu and left the rest to our imaginations. Overall, this was definitely a stop worth making.

IMG_2287Rutherford Ranch Winery
$35 chocolate and wine pairing for two, four wines and four pieces of chocolate

This was undoubtedly the winner. For starters, we found a deal Groupon, so for only $35, the two of us got to taste four delicious wines paired with four chocolates that were specifically crafted for each wine. While the view from the tasting room is not quite as breathtaking as it is at Heitz, Rutherford Ranch has several venues that look ideal for weddings — we weighed those into its final score. Plus, our insightful sommelier gave us a bonus round of Cabernet Sauvignon, so it’s no surprise this was our favorite stop on the tour.

IMG_2289Sutter Home Family Vineyards:
$5 tasting for premium wines, five wines with a few snacks

Coming from a non-wine-connoisseur like myself, this might sound slightly unfounded, but the experience at Sutter Home Winery was just a step above the taste of its most popular wines — just “meh.” Not remarkable, simply acceptable. The free tasting includes all the brands we knew and loved as college students, so we opted for the $5 premium wine tasting. The “better” wines were okay, but we got good insight into their origins, which, along with the delicious snacks available for sampling, brought this place’s final score slightly above zero.

Reflections

We strongly recommend not leaving your planning to the very last minute. Get on Groupon and on Google Maps and start looking for deals to redeem and brainstorming for wineries to visit. But even with our last minute planning, we were still able to visit three wineries for under $30 each.

Paying full price for wine tastings can hurt any budget, but you don’t have to hurt your wallet to live it up in Napa. You’re guaranteed to have a good time even if you get there with no plans — there are plenty of wineries with free tastings all over town. Be sure to bring good food and better snacks for a full day of activities, and don’t forget to make time for sightseeing stops through the vineyards and around downtown. Happy wining!