In protest of airfares that were unjustifiably expensive for a mere hour’s flight, we embarked on another eight-hour road trip to DC last weekend. Unjustifiable to me anyway, since we could fly almost twice the distance to NY for much less.
It also helped that we just traded in Scott’s 17-year old Acura Vigor for a new Subaru Outback. Compared to the Vigor which had no working radio or plug to charge our phones (a can of Coke had exploded on the media console) and that the only working component was the cassette deck (yes, cassette deck,) the drive in the Outback was downright luxurious. Satellite radio, USB port, Bluetooth, cupholders. It was like trading up to high speed after years of dial-up.
A couple of hours into our drive we stopped at Shoney’s for dinner. It was the least evil option out of KFC, Peking Palace, Pizza Hut and Dairy Queen. We wisely opted out of the all-you-can-eat all-day breakfast and fried chicken bar and had meatloaf and grilled chicken, the latter of which was surprisingly tasty and moist. (In fact, it was better than the grilled chicken from the trendy Madhatter in DC a couple of nights later.) We were fascinated by their indestructible pewter salad plates, which could be the very same ones in use over 60 years ago when the restaurant chain got started.
The next day, aided by my foodie friend, we kicked off our gourmet weekend with lunch at Tabard Inn – a charming historic inn that housed a popular restaurant. My seafood gumbo with fried oysters was AMAZING and I suddenly realized how long it’s been since I’d tasted innovative cooking.
Other culinary delights included Rasika – not a simple feat since Ms. Foodie had to make a hard-won reservation over two months ago. It was fancy Indian and our group of five shared excellent appetizers, but the entrees were unremarkable. The next day we had dim sum at Ping Pong, a modern and business client-worthy take on the old noisy push-cart variety in Chinatown. Our favorite was the steamed pork bun but we were disappointed that one of our favorite standards – rice-flour rolls stuffed with shrimp or other fixings – was not even on the menu.
Speaking of Chinatown, which boasts an impressive pagoda gateway, runs for exactly one block. Unless you count all the businesses surrounding that block that proudly display their Chinese heritage: AnnTaylor Loft, Vapiano Pasta Pizza Bar, Starbucks, Verizon Center, Fuddruckers.
The real reason for the trip was not to gorge ourselves but to participate in the annual Cherry Blossom Run. The scenic route looped around the Tidal Basin near the Jefferson Memorial and ran along the riverfront, circling the East Potomac golf course. As the ultimate false advertisement, 15,000 runners showed up with no cherry blossoms to be found. We were 10 days late in one of the earliest blooms in recent history. As consolation, hearty pompoms of pink apple blossoms appeared along the way to cheer us on.
Despite inadequate training, Scott broke his personal goal and finished the race in 1h27m. It took me 18 more minutes but I succeeded in not stopping. Our friend Jenn finished well ahead of expectations, and Ms. Foodie finished the 5K with a 9:51 minute mile with no prior training, then took off promptly for brunch.
With that under my belt, who knows, the Nike Half Marathon in San Francisco may be next. I heard they give out Tiffany necklaces. That’s gotta be a step up from the T-shirts we got, which Scott may just use to wipe dirt off our Outback.
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