I figured I would treat myself to breakfast to start the day. The hotel offered a reasonably prices breakfast buffet, so I headed down. Even at 10:30 AM, there was a wait. It was only a few minutes. The hostess came over and got me and brought me to my dirty table, assuring me that it would be clean once I brought my food back. Luckily, it was. Out of all the encounters I have had throughout the trip, she was the first one that seemed to look at me differently for being alone. The last place I thought I would have a problem was a hotel restaurant. I would imagine they get solo business travelers all the time. The waiter was fine, but the hostess awkwardly game back over to see how I was doing. She seemed sad for me almost.
After breakfast I embarked on my first adventure of the day. I was heading on a beer adventure. First stop was a liquor store recommended to me by the bartender at ChurchKey. It was in a really nice neighborhood and I was lucky enough to find parking easily. Connecticut Avenue Liquors was a little hole in the wall. I expected a larger beer selection, not to say what was there wasn’t good, but I expected to see isles of beer, not a little corner. A picked a few interesting beers that I had never seen before and moved onto part two of the beer adventure, DC Brau.
It was a 20 minute drive to the brewery, putting me there just in time for a tour. I grabbed a sample and headed on the tour lead by one of the brewers. He was very flat and bland. He just went over the basics that I have heard from every other brewery, although I do find it interesting to hear the differences in the process from one brewery to the next. I tried to engage him in conversation after the tour but he was like a brick wall. Maybe I was just out of practice, not really speaking to anyone for a few days.
After getting back to the hotel, I started the next part of my day, the many museums of the Smithsonian. I really only had interest in three, The Postal Museum, the Museum of American History, and the Air and Space Museum. The Museum of American History was the closest, so I started there. What a mistake. I knew it would be packed full of whiny children, but I expected the content to be worthwhile. Wrong. An elementary school history class might have been more accurate. I’m not sure what was the worst part. It could have been that the Articles of Confederation didn’t exist, or that WWI was only a skirmish, or some guy telling his children of the 6 countries in the Axis powers during WWII (he was not counting the minor countries). I had to get out of there quickly. There wasn’t much else worth even looking at. A very poor job at representing the history of our country to the thousands that visit every year.
Up next was a choice I didn’t want to be pressured in to making. I could rush the mile to the Postal Museum and have a little bit of time to explore it, or head straight for the Air and Space Museum and have plenty of time to take it in. I elected to go the Air and Space Museum, something I have wanted to see since I was young. It was impressive from the moment I walked in. All the life size items give you a really interesting perspective of things. Many planes, rockets, and other things to stare at in awe. It is really place that I would struggle to describe, but definitely a must go.
I hadn’t preplanned a place to go for the night like I had for my previous nights. I ended up picking a place that I had researched a bit, Meridian Pint. It was far enough that I needed to take a cab for the first time this trip. It was packed, as everyplace seemed to be. Somehow, I was lucky enough to get a seat at the end of the bar which was perfect for me. The beer list was all domestic craft, with many good looking choices. I had a few pale ales that were good. I also had a burger – my standard issue burger with bacon, cheddar, and BBQ sauce. It was very good and so were the fries. Something about the place didn’t seem welcoming. I had no real conversation with the bar tenders and was extremely tired, so I headed back to the room fairly early.
After day 3 I can say that I still would travel solo again, but maybe for a shorter period of time. Not having a conversation with anyone for this long is just strange, and I really didn’t like how the hostess at the hotel restaurant reacted to me being alone. I love that I can do whatever I want I my own schedule, but I do miss having company in certain circumstances. It also makes me wonder how many people would think that what I am doing is totally weird. I don’t think most people would be as successful. My distain for people really pays off sometimes. I never feel alone during any of my activities, but during meals it sure would be nice to have someone to sit with and talk to.