Washington, DC has been getting more than its fair share of headlines in this time of political and seemingly social revolution.  Is there anyone in the world who does not know where Washington, DC is and/or the fact that the city is synonymous with politics?  It is after all the heart beat of the United States.  But what many may not know is that the city itself has a lot to offer.  And, while tourism to the nation’s capital may not exactly be trending right now, don’t let the politics of the day keep you from visiting.

The best laid plans.  I’ve always embraced the belief that life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.  A well-known phrase quoted by many, but a guiding force in my life.

The Classic Catalog

If you’re of a certain age there’s a pretty good chance you grew up with a copy of The Vermont Country Store catalog in the house, or maybe you discovered it as an adult.  Either way, the catalog is filled with pages of wondrous treasures that find one happily reminiscing and thinking, “Oh, I remember those!”

The best testimonial I can offer about visiting Vermont, in the autumn, is that I’m already planning our next visit. That’s how much we enjoyed ourselves. Heck, I’m betting Vermont is beautiful pretty much year round, but there is just something amazing special about autumn.  Maybe because it’s my absolute favorite time of the year, or maybe because it’s the glorious colors of the fall foliage, or maybe because it’s just Vermont.

Our fourth and final stay with the Library Hotel Collection was at the lovely Hotel Giraffe; a sleek, tall, and beautiful hotel, just like a Giraffe!

The Hotel Elysee. It’s a tricky business to write a hotel review. I mean, think about it.  How much can one say?  There is a room, a bed, bath and hopefully, it’s clean and comfortable with a sense of style. That about wraps it up, don’t you think? But every now and then we come across a hotel(s) with a little something extra that makes us sit up and take notice.  And that’s the case when it comes to the 4 boutique hotels in the Library Hotel Collection in New York City; each offering the finest in accommodations. 

Meandering through the One World Trade Center, 9/11 Memorial Museum, I had a moment of realization that there is now a generation of children who were not alive on 9/11, and as such had no real concept of what they were looking at in the museum, other than was was told to them by their parents.  Amazingly, it has been 15 years.

Just over the bridge from the sleepy seaside village of Brigantine Beach, New Jersey, lies the shore of Atlantic City’s Beach and Boardwalk.  It’s an American classic, Atlantic City. One of those places that most everyone has either visited, or is curious about doing so.  I can now say we’ve done both.  We’ve been curious and we’ve been there.  We’re good.