It’s Independence Day here in the States, and what a contrast the streets were from yesterdays hustle and bustle; it was like a scene from one of those Apocalypse films, no cars in sight! Granted, we were up bright and early, but even so, it was eerily quiet. With it being a national holiday a lot of the stores and cafes were closed, so instead of the venues we had decided to get breakfast at, we found ourselves in a coffee shop called “Peets” just across the road for the Loews Madison Hotel.
The guy behind the counter cheerily greeted us and took our orders; I had an Almond Croissant and a regular skinny latte, Chickadee had a Pesto and Mozzarella Panini and a latte, and His Nibs had a Turkey and Cheddar Panini with a black coffee. There were already some regulars in, sitting at the tables reading papers whilst they munched and several people came in to order whilst we were seated.
Although it’s only a regular coffee shop, Peets was absolutely spotless and nicely laid out with plenty of seating available. With our tummies filled we headed back to our room for a thorough application of sun cream, and decided on our plan of action for the morning and afternoon.
First stop was the Spy Museum and we had already booked an interactive spy mission, so we learned our new “identities” and began our mission along with several other visitors. The interactive mission lasted about an hour and was an absolute blast; you have a mission to accomplish which is based on a bona-fide mission that has happened in the past. Our group (called the Stars and Stripes team) successfully completed the mission I’m pleased to report, scoring 4 out of 5 from the director of operations :)
We picked up a couple of souvenirs in the gift shop before literally crossing the road and visiting the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. From the outside this is an impressive building, and it is no less magnificent inside. Although it is free to get in to, there is a donation box in the entrance and I didn’t see anybody not contribute.
The artwork on display is very varied in style; quilts on walls sit alongside sculptures of all mediums, as well as canvasses and photographs. Plenty of staff are walking around the rooms so there is always a friendly face to ask for more information.
It was around 1.30pm at this point and the temperature had really rocketed so we made the decision to head back to the hotel and grab lunch on the way. We came across a very stylish place called Proper 21 and headed inside. A lovely young lady showed us to a table and handed us over to the care of a guy called Mike.
Mike poured us some very welcome glasses of iced water and talked us through the regular menu and the lunch specials. I had my main from the specials a salad of Heirloom Tomatoes, with Basil and Mozzarella with Balsamic glaze; The Man Bird also had a specials dish, the ½ smoke (like a beefed up hotdog) with fantastically crisp chips, and Chickadee had the Chicken wings with Sweet Chilli dip.
When our food came we were all eager to tuck in, although both His Nibs’ and The Chicks meals were more of a dinner portion rather than a lunchtime nibble, but they bravely soldiered their way through it all. My salad was lovely and light, crisp clean flavours were dancing in my mouth and I was nicely satisfied and raring to go again.
Tonight we are headed out for the concert (sorry Mummy Bird, the Beach Boys are playing, I’ll send them your love!) and watching the fireworks display at The White House. Dining wise we have made a reservation at The Founding Farmers restaurant, which is another reason I didn’t want to over-stuff myself at lunch.
You may recall that I have done a little introductory piece about this company, but basically they support a lot of America’s farmers and source produce as locally as possible. They have their own brewery (no doubt The Boy Wonder will be having a brew or two!) and also bake their own breads, so I am in no doubt that the food will be fresh, seasonal produce that will burst with flavour. I will be doing a separate piece on the Founding Farmers restaurant, so keep your eyes peeled for that :)
