Today is technically day five of my Spring Break tour to Washington, D.C., and Dublin, Ireland. I have been here at my friend M’s house since Sunday, where Eva and I spent the day at the Smithsonian National Zoo.
Despite the fact that this is a vacation and a visit with a friend whom I have not seen recently, we also both have to work. And once we head to Dublin, hopefully the real vacationing will begin.
The dining has been superb, even though I have not left the house since I returned from the zoo. We all love food here. Sunday we had pasta with a vodka-style cream sauce (without the vodka), Monday we had grilled cheese on rye with gruyere and a lovely tomato soup that reminded me of the Pacific Foods cream of tomato I used to enjoy (which was the only tomato soup I’ve ever liked), and last night we had blackened tofu with cheesy grits and a side of carrots. Breakfasts have consisted of various cheeses on toast– from reaper cheese to truffle cheese.
M. and his family moved into this house eight years ago, and Gayle gave him tea towels her sister had crocheted. They are still in daily use.
On Monday, I never got out of my pajamas. On Tuesday, I showered and got dressed. Today I got up, dressed, and combed my hair. And I packed. I have my ancient carry-on bag with the leopard print exterior, and in that is my man-bag crossover purse, and I plan to take my laptop bag/backpack on the plane.
I have dressed extremely comfortably, and have a sweatshirt for warmth with a raincoat and scarf in my backpack. I try to be practical and prepared without hauling too much shit. Once we get to Ireland, I will reorganize everything so I have my purse ready for outings and my backpack stays at the hotel.
Last night didn’t go exactly as planned… there was a horde of children ages 5 to 8 and even kids in arm floaties in the hotel pool loudly playing Marco Polo at 8:30 p.m.
So Eva and I got our massive can of bar nuts out of the car and watched Treehouse Masters on HBO Max. Apparently, that’s one of her favorite shows from middle school that she used to watch when she slept over at her grandmother’s house.
Departing DoubleTree
We got up this morning and headed to breakfast– which made Eva very excited as they had a nice selection of bread and smoked salmon. I found it rather mediocre, but perfectly serviceable. It was not included with the room, but I paid for the add-on, so it was $25 for the two of us.
The server was delightful, and when I asked him about my breakfast with the room, he asked for my coupons, which they did not give me when I checked in. We went to the front desk and got them. He was very attentive and tried to find Eva dill pickles when she requested them, and he must have thought he succeeded because he brought her a very substantial pile of more bread and butter pickles.
Now, if I had to leave a review for this particular Doubletree, I would give it a three out of five stars. Do not compare this rating to any guidebook or official system. It was a decent hotel. It also smelled amazingly clean. But there are a few things that disappointed me:
They charged me twice for parking. I guess I’m going to have to sort that out.
They forgot my breakfast coupons.
They did not have towels in the pool area, despite stating we did not need to bring ours from the room.
The rooms seemed small.
My past experiences with Doubletree felt more full-service. More amenities, more things to do, better dining and room service, which this hotel did not have.
They had specials at the bar advertised that had ended three days prior.
The refrigerator didn’t seem very cold.
In general, I don’t like the coffee at Hilton. Especially the coffee left in the room.
We did not stick around so Eva could take her swim, and digital checkout (and parking right next to our room) made leaving a breeze.
“Hurry up!” Eva told me. “We have relaxing to do.”
I do lament we could not try the taco truck across the street as it had very good reviews on Google maps.
We checked the oil in the car, and at 9:15 a.m. we headed to CVS. We purchased an eclectic variety of items, not because we needed them on this trip but because we were curious what selection they might have. And they had soooooo many hair products for my curls and I had coupons…
We left CVS at 9:36 and arrived at M’s house at 10:15. By 11, we were in the car because Eva wanted to visit the National Zoo.
Smithsonian National Zoo
The Zoo parking was full, so we set the GPS for M’s old apartment and decided to try our luck at the back entrance to the Zoo. Eva found a spot on street that we thought was nearby. It ended up being almost a mile, and an uphill walk. But we certainly got our steps in!
But we did get to see this beautiful mural of Marilyn Monroe. We passed a Nando’s.
The Zoo was crowded. It was also everything Eva remembered. She spent most of her time commenting about the habitats and how well the zoo provides enrichment for the animals.
The exertion made my walk a tad unstable and I experienced some exercise-induced asthma and some high heart rates. Probably got some sunnburn too.
And then Eva got the idea maybe we could leave from the back of the zoo and not have to walk back up the hill.
We could not.
We were also pleasently shocked to see how many alcoholic beverages were available at the zoo– and how many moms with open cocktails were chasing toddlers.
We left the zoo at 2:45 to return to M’s house. We stopped at Manhattan Market for beverages. And I showed M my DK travel guide to Ireland from 20 years ago and my Irish/English dictionary.
Eva and I are traveling to Washington, D.C., so that I may grab a flight to Dublin with my traveling companion M on Wednesday.
M. and I have not traveled in about a decade, and this is probably the first time we are traveling someplace where they are not shooting each other.
But that’s another story.
Eva is on spring break and for some strange, serendipitous reason, she has no pet clients this weekend. She’s exhausted after finishing her home renovation project on our hallway.
I could have taken Amtrak from Philly to D.C., as a matter of fact that is how I am getting home. But Eva wanted to visit D.C., and thought it might be nice to visit the National Zoo. She had hoped she could introduce her boyfriend to our friends in D.C. but he is traveling to a welding competition.
Now, Eva didn’t want to make the 3.5 hour one-way trip to D.C. and then turned around a few hours later and drive home alone.
But we learned none of our friends would be home Saturday until late.
So we booked a room at the Doubletree in Gaithersburg, MD, basically because they had a breakfast, an indoor/outdoor pool and who doesn’t love the warm cookies?
And Eva never had the warm cookie experience.
So at 9:30 we checked the old in the car– she’s an old girl and has been acting a tad funny lately about her oil. It disappears and then reappears. Maybe she has some build-up. We know she’s burning some… but to be safe, we check her often. And today we checked her cool in the flat garage
She looked good. But we have oil with us just in case.
We headed to Sheetz, and by then I already needed to pee. Eva put gas in the car. I hoped to find the cookies and cream puff things but every since I decided to try them, they never have that flavor.
Next, we went to Grocery Outlet. I need my famous $7 pen set. This cheap set of gel pens comes in a plastic case and I love them. Each set lasts about 6 months before my favorite colors start running out.
Meanwhile, Eva was in charge of road trip snacks. She selected:
2 C4 energy drinks in zero sugar, very fruity flavors. I find these are easier to stomach than coffee or soda when temperature can not be maintained. Plus we both like them so we can share, and save space in the cupholders.
A present for someone’s birthday that has nothing to do with this trip
sunglasses
A massive can of bar mix nuts
A fairly big box of those nutty buddy style wafer bars that Little Debbie makes but instead they were made by Nature Valley and trying to be fancy. 20 of them.
A bag of beef jerky– some plain, some ranch, some buffalo, all mixed in one bag
We were on the road by 10.
Around 11, we got a phone call– the dog had bit the neighbor and the neighbor went to the ER. Now, it was a minor bite, but it broke skin, and the neighbor wanted to make sure he didn’t need shots/antibiotics. But that’s another story. But it sure did put a stressful spin on the next couple hours.
At 11:30, we arrived at Midtown Scholar Books, once voted bookstore of the year by Publisher Weekly. See my review here on the Parisian Phoenix blog. (It was $4.35 to park for 90 minutes in downtown Harrisburg.)
Eva had a doctor appointment via Zoom at noon so she took that in the car and then we visited Broad Street Market. Apparently, oldest market in America in continuous operation. We weren’t hungry– all those road trip snacks but they had all kinds of ethnic food from Chinese (I think) to Korean, Jamaican to African.
1 p.m. We crossed the state line into Maryland while on the phone with Larry Sceurman.
At 2:10 we arrived at Doubletree Washington DC North in Gaithersburg MD (about 40 minutes from M’s house). We got our cookies and our parking pass. We didn’t really need our keys because I used Hilton’s digital check-in, chose my room and they had emailed me that it was ready and activated my digital key which I can use from my phone.
I picked a room on the end of the lower level, away from any noise but fairly close to the indoor/outdoor pool.
And there’s a frozen yogurt vending machine in the lobby.
Panera and CVS are within a third of a mile and there’s a food truck in the shady looking parking lot across the street that has good reviews on Google Maps. I wonder what time they open in the morning… They don’t… the internet says they are closed Sundays. I might have to head out there tonight…
Eva and I went to Habit Burger and Grill because it was three-in-the-afternoon and we were hungry but not insanely hungry and while it is a chain, it’s not one we knew. I saw it had a free self-serve pepper bar with jalapenos, banana peppers and pepperocini. So we had to investigate.
I had a nice fish sandwich and limeade.
We came back to the hotel and I did some stuff for the business while Eva did some schoolwork. We plan to go swimming tonight.
Today marked the first day of my week-plus trip to present an erotic writing workshop at SexDownSouth: Atlanta, promoting Parisian Phoenix’s Juicy Bits. I left home at about 7:50 a.m. and headed to the bank to deposit some checks at the a.t.m. Then, after much thought, I headed to Panera and picked up an iced tea and already had to pee.
At 8:15 a.m., I left Panera with a toasted asiago bagel and my tea. (They offered me a bagel for $1 today.) Sixty-five miles later I had to pee again! So I stopped in Grimes, Pa., Exit 13, at our “favorite Sheetz.” This Sheetz has an entire row of smoothie machines and frozen icee flavors.
I made it to Route 83 and Harrisburg by 9:50, despite all my stops. By 10:30 a.m., I had eaten my gummy worms and needed to pee yet again. So I stopped in Shrewsbury, Pa., near the border of Maryland, in an area where they had massive shopping plazas with every eatery known to man. Even a Panera. I used the restroom and grabbed a coffee, even though I hadn’t finished my tea.
I left Shrewsbury at 10:45 and arrived in DC at M’s house at 12:07 p.m.
M, my traveling companion through all my crazy adventures on several continents, and I hung around the house and chit-chatted for hours and spent some time watching the black squirrel that hangs around their house, Climber Meta.
We went to Siam House DC for a lovely thai dinner, where I had mango curry with tofu. So delicious!
My hosts are currently having a great day exploring all my maps from AAA.
Author’s note: this post will contain some language I don’t usually use in my blog posts, probably only the word ‘bitch.’ But you’ve been warned
Roaming Rooster take-out
A kick ass chicken sandwich and tangy, refreshing coleslaw
Stale nasty popcorn
At work for Parisian Phoenix
Lincoln Memorial
Pentagon
Watergate
Watergate, detail
Lebanese Flatbreads
Dried fruit
Road Trip Energy
A few weeks ago, M (my friend from college and traveling companion for the last decade) made arrangements that I would come to Washington DC to deliver popcorn, give M a copy of my novel MANIPULATIONS (order here), discuss upcoming projects for Parisian Phoenix, and relax.
The hope was that my “day job” at the Stitch Fix Bizzy Hizzy would offer us voluntary time off between 7:30 and 10 p.m. Friday night and that I might have off Monday.
I could arrive in D.C. late Friday night and stay until lunch time Monday.
Except on Wednesday, I was reminded I had a 9 a.m. doctor appointment Monday. But, it could easily be virtual. So no big.
But then we didn’t get out early Friday. And I didn’t have Monday off. But also my supervisor stopped by for an observation and despite spasming back muscles I performed at 96% and finished the night at 129 fixes, which is 99.2%. I could have hit 100, but I helped a colleague who is struggling to learn QC.
I arrived home very grumpy at 12:30 a.m., left my purse and suitcase in the car (with my toothbrush no less), and ran in the house to release Misty from his crate (the teenager forgot him) and put the dog to bed.
I took a shower and collapsed in bed naked as my alarm was set for 7:45 and it was 1:10 a.m. Now, M calls me crazy bitch (or CB for short) as I am prone to do things like drive to his house for dinner. And the idea of getting six hours sleep and heading to DC for a 24 hour visit is another crazy bitch move.
But then the cats starting fighting at 2 a.m. So now I’m super-annoyed, naked, and turning on my roomba to scare my personal cat Fog out of my room. He’s the asshole that scares the fosters.
Now I’m down to about five hours before I leave for DC.
At 7:45, my alarm goes off. I clean cat boxes, feed the birds, check food bowls, get dressed and leave the house by 8:15. I stop at Dunkin to grab a cold brew and try the new peanut butter cup flavor. They screwed up and gave me pumpkin. The teenager had purchased me candy — so I had Haribo berries for breakfast/ road trip fuel.
I was on the road by 8:30 a.m. Stopped at a rest stop outside Hershey around 10:30 a.m., then decided it wisest to stop outside the Baltimore loop in Hereford, Md., for gas. I ended up at an Exxon and I needed to pee, but my gut said this wasn’t the place.
But Carly Simon was singing You’re so vain on a loudspeaker at the creepy gas station. And there is a short story I wrote— that may be completely lost— where one of the main characters in my Fashion and Fiends horror book series gives his virginity to an older girl at a party. The character is Étienne d’Amille, the girl is Arlette (who makes an appearance in Manipulations), the year is 1973 (I think) and Arlette is singing You’re sovain when they meet.
I arrived in DC at noon and had no trouble finding parking despite youth soccer games less than a block from M’s house. City parking. During a soccer game.
Finally some good luck.
But PS— the popcorn was stale and nasty.
M ordered some chicken sandwiches and fries from Roaming Rooster. We ate, made coffee, changed into sweatpants and started to chat. Eventually I started editing manuscripts for Parisian Phoenix and M enjoyed several episodes of Dr. Pimple Popper.
M also reviewed my bloodwork, as he works in a medical lab.
Meanwhile his housemates, my Indian friends, couldn’t believe I drove all that way… to sit around and do nothing.
In the morning, we drank more coffee. I did some more work and we drove To Alexandria, Va., to visit the Mediterranean Bakery so M could get his fresh pita for the week and we had breakfast of Lebanese flatbread— one with cheeses and another with zaatar and labneh. We washed it down with mint Aryam yogurt drink. M informed me that if I mispronounce it, I will be saying “two testicles” in Arabic.
I purchased some goodies for the teenager (pita chips with zaatar, halva and dried kiwi) and some candy and chocolate covered espresso beans for the drive home. And some spices and harissa.
Then I had a cup of coffee and drove home. I left at 2:45 pm. I was in DC for 25 hours.
And on the way home, Spotify played Carly Simon’s Nobody does it better. That song came from a James Bond movie, The Spy Who Loved Me. Étienne is also a huge Bond fan. Again, James Bond has a few appearances in Manipulations.
The witch travels from Washington DC home with Mercury in retrograde
I thought I was on top of everything. I hoped to leave DC around 9 so I could be home by 1.
But then M’s housemates made this lovely kale frittata for breakfast.
I love kale and I love breakfast!
So I enjoyed a slice. And then another.
Everyone followed me out to the car and wished me farewell… and then M noticed a nail in my tire.
M called AAA because I don’t have my membership card. While he did that, I called my AAA home office and asked them to email me a pdf of my membership information. They assured me that I was in the system, but a pdf still made me feel better.
M and I chatted about the international cleaning staples: Lava soap, Brillo pads and Borax powder.
The AAA man came expediently, plugged my tire and sent me on my way.
After 25 miles, while on I-95 about to merge onto 695 outside Baltimore, my tire pressure light came on. I did what I always do, I called my dad and started to freak out and cry.
He advised me to get off the highway and have someone check the tire.
So I got off 695 on the first exit and pulled into a CVS parking lot while I checked the tire visually, then tried to reset the light, and then gave up and used the AAA app to locate local gas stations.
Interesting tidbit, it didn’t tell me which were gas stations and which were actual service (repair) stations.
I ended up at a Sunoco, I believe A.C.E Automotive. I pulled up in front of what looked to be an air compressor hose. I stepped into the office and explained what had happened earlier and asked if anyone could check my tire pressure.
An older gentleman finished writing up someone’s car repair invoice and told me to move my car “by that silver car.”
The silver car was my car.
He checked all of my tires. The back tires were around 26 psi. The drivers side front tire was 31 psi and the freshly repaired tire was 20 psi. The person helping me filled them all and went to get a spray bottle to check the plug.
After it looked like the plug was good, he then told me to drive a mile or two and come back.
I still couldn’t get the light to reset.
So I drove a bit and came back and filled the car with gas. I asked the gentleman his name, and introduced myself. His name was Gary and he reminded me of my dad.
Meanwhile my dad is texting me. My dad encourages me to be cautious and not to hesitate to buy a new tire.
Gary checks all the tires and they are holding pressure. He knows I have 175 miles to go. He tells me to text my dad that I’m fine and I don’t need a new tire.
I try to pay Gary and he tells me I don’t owe him anything because “that’s how people should be.”
I stop at the visitors center right over the Pennsylvania state line and finally am able to reset the tire pressure light. I thought about how much those lights scare me. “Back in the day,” we got in the car and took our chances. We didn’t have warning lights. Cars just broke down.
And now a light comes on and I’m calling my dad in tears terrified I’m going to have a horrible accident.
But at the visitors center, the light goes out. I buy coffee from the vending machine.
And I notice the rest stop has free wi-fi. How cutting edge of Pennsylvania.
I was considering stopping at a truck stop to buy a tire gauge, but I did not.
I also promised myself if I saw a Popeye’s I would get a chicken sandwich. I did not.
Today M and I went to Georgetown for Falafel, more exciting adventures in Washington DC with forty-something friends from their university days.
A little girl with a sequined backpack and pinstripe pants dancing
A woman with big snowflake like costume jewelry stones on her knit ski cap
A 20-something lanky young man with crisp jeans rolled above the ankle, extra tight
a young boy in the back of a crowded bus while his mother had other children and a baby in the front
A young couple holding hands, both of Asian heritage with baggy black pants and colorful hair. She wore thin but enormous gold hoop earrings. Emo, maybe?
My day started early when I couldn’t sleep past 5:15 am. I tossed and turned in bed until I finally got up at 6.
I spent some time with my Goffin’s cockatoo, Nala, before pretending to head to work. I was really going to get my nails done and going to visit my traveling companion, M, in Washington, DC.
The teenager is caring for the menagerie in my absence.
Beth trimmed my nails and filed off the old nail polish and gave me a fill on my acrylic manicure.
I went with a dark plum with a cat eye for my farewell to winter nails.
Beth was running a little behind so M mentioned not to worry he was occupied doing his federal taxes. So after my appointment I stopped home to get my tax forms. I grabbed my divorce paperwork too.
I was on the road by exactly 10 am and I arrived here in DC at 1:30, with one potty break. I had forgotten how much I enjoy driving, blasting my music, singing and thinking. Traffic is not so fun.
M and I then sat on the couch drinking coffee for FOUR HOURS. I laughed hard and often.
Then at 5:30 we hopped onto the bus and headed to Taqueria Habanero. (Taqueria Habanero) I had a lovely sangria with tequila.
And I ordered the pork and pineapple taco and a salmon taco, which was a really nice piece of fish, and ate M’s mole chicken for him. (For food photos, see instagram.)
The two men beside us at the restaurant were very old and very loud and I think they were meeting for the first time on a Tinder date.
Then we went across the street to the 7-Eleven because M wanted to buy me these chips…
… which I ate on the bus ride home. They start out smooth and ranchy.
I also asked M to buy me cookies, which he did. So now we are relaxing in his living room with cookies.
This is going to be a crazy lil bit of everything post. I’ll try to divide into topics with subheadings; I want to be good to y’all.
Nala
I bought her some new toys. Anything paper, like the one above, is a hit. But she seems to be afraid of bigger toys of heavier materials.
This is a photo of everything I got her:
As for plucking, it gets worse and better day by day. I’ve noticed three main triggers:
Change in routine
Overstimulation
Desire for attention
Misty and Fog
The kittens certainly get more tired out since we let them run through the house. They pull they towels off the racks in the bathroom. They scatter the wash in the laundry room. They steal Oz’s food and he’s too big and dumb to stop them.
I joined AAA last weekend specifically because I’m traveling to Washington DC alone this weekend.
My temporary cards haven’t come!
I’m super excited and mostly ready.
I told my work colleagues and they asked if I planned on touring any of the downtown DC sites. I said no, I plan on sitting on my friend’s couch drinking coffee most of the weekend.
The teenager is going out with her dad so I’m on my own tonight for Valentine’s.
Angel Ackerman 