We pulled in to a very busy DC last evening…right around the end of rush hour. Honestly, I think it is always rush hour here!! We had navigated several difficult C&O detours and poorly marked/routed directions for people who are at the end of a 60 mile day, riding (and pushing up the stairs) a 50 pound rolling stone. We were tired, dirty and a little cranky. Between JB’s bike crash and not being familiar with bike/traffic patterns in the city, I was at a melting point. After a brief pity party and a couple tears, JB convinced me that we had already done harder things than this. He plugged in the address for the B&B, and we made our way to this little pearl.
I can’t say enough about this Airbnb—Adams Morgan One Bedroom Retreat. Highly recommend it for any DC stay. It was even better than we expected and a great way to end our trip
https://ddot.dc.gov/page/bicycle-maps
The following pictures show how we navigated through the city. We planned to hit some sights on the Mall and collect stamps in our Passport book. https://americasnationalparks.org/passport-to-your-national-parks/
We’ve had an extremely enjoyable day tooling around Washington DC on our bikes. They have made the city so easy to navigate with bike lanes and bike paths. Seems rather quiet in the city today, but it may be that it is more off-season and a Friday.
As we moved away from the front of the White House, we were stopped by what appeared to be a presidential motorcade. We’ve been able to collect the monument stamps to reflect what we have seen today and places we’ve been in the past. Because we have the bikes, we are not going into any of the buildings. We enjoyed a spot of shade in front of the Capitol.
We happened upon a ceremony at the Korean War Memorial. The ambassador from Korea was presenting awards to several Korean War Veterans.
I’ve never really had train experience. Union Station is absolutely gorgeous inside and out.
It’s a little difficult to navigate with the bikes but people seem to be pretty understanding. The escalators are not necessarily meant for two bikes and two people, but we were able to make it work. One thing that is extremely important if you are taking the train back to Pittsburgh after this through trip is purchasing tickets for the bikes. We heard stories of people who had purchased train tickets, but did not consider their bicycle. The next available opening for the bike car delayed their return trip by four days. People watcher and thoroughly enjoy watching the bustle of the station.
Well, as with most travels, there is a delay. Our train, which was supposed to depart at 4:05 PM, is now departing at 6 PM. And unlike air travel, there are not many options to make a change. You either wait for this train or you try again tomorrow.We will arrive in Pittsburgh around 1 AM. So, we took another stroll around DC and found one more stamp— The women’s suffrage museum. We also enjoyed the architecture and old churches.
The train station has a lot of stores and restaurants to explore. It is difficult to negotiate with a bike in tote. There are multiple levels and a beautiful circular staircase. That was a hard pass…We decided to attempt the elevator first… it was a little tight but we did it (Helpful hint— Back the bicycles in and suck in your gut). Next, we attempted the escalator with the bikes. JB didn’t do too bad but my form and landing would have only earned a 6.0. At this point, it is going to be easier for us to sit in the ticket in passengers, waiting area and pass the time people watching.
Congratulations on your wonderful journey!
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