Journey North America-Washington DC

Im back....after a long hiatus from writing any new entry and more importantly the continuation of my trip of a lifetime, which shall be continued herein...our trip from New York City to Washington DC, the capitol city of the US of A.

my previous post of our journey in USA can be found here north-america-brooklyn-tour

It was known to us prior to our trip that Washington DC is not a far away place from NYC and with that fact we started to search for the way to reach DC from NYC. There are multiple options to get to DC from NYC that are by air, road (bus or rental car) and train. Having watched AmTrak trains being featured in various Hollywood dramas and films, im enticed to try their services. It was not the cheapest option though as the bus is the cheapest mode of transportation to choose, but the thought of spending 4 hours bus ride in an unknown country was a tad disturbing and thus we chose to take the train. The train ride would take about 3 hours plus.

Return ticket of the journey cost us around $90 and can be bought online at Amtrak/HomePage

The few point of departure from New York was at Penn Station and arrival at Washington Union Station.

We left our hotel at 5th avenue in the wee hour of the day to catch our 9.30am train ride.

The cabin of the AmTrak train was spacious and equipped with clean toilet. The legroom was generous for long hours journey.

It was indeed a beautiful day to start our journey to DC as the sun had just crept up to shine the day....

We passed through sub-urban areas, small towns and many beautiful lakes and rivers along the way......

The train made stops at few stations and one of it was in Philadelphia...never knew this city is located in between NYC and DC...not to forget we also passed-by Boston, another notable city.

We finally arrived at the beautiful and historical Union Station. It was a big train station as you can see in the picture below, it boasts few levels of public areas and many retail shops...i really like the unique honey-comb ceiling design.

 It was easy to get a cab at the main entrance of the station. Another note of reminder, traveling in the USA might require you to prepare some small chains to be given out as tips...as everyone (literally!) is hoping to be tipped..especially the taxi drivers :)

Once we checked into the Madison Hotel we made our way out for lunch. As we were wandering around the area, we stumbled upon this Indian/Pakistani restaurant which serves buffet lunch at $8 only....it was a steal and you can eat to your heart content.

 

 

 I believe the  chef of the restaurant had "tamed" down the spices of the food here as they were all mildly spiced and not spicy at all. I was quite disappointed as i love spicy foods...the spicier the better for me....

After a hefty lunch, we made our way to the city centre. Needless to note that in no way DC can be compared to NYC as here the city looks less crowded and the people here looks more "discipline" and "officials" in their manner and dressings.

this is the Smithsonian Art Museum...opposite to it was a shopping mall.

We then made our way to the most iconic building in DC, the White House....

This is the front part.....

 some history and fact of the famous house......

To get to the other side or the "back" side of white house, we had to make a full turn along the vicinity.

 The White House is surrounded by many historical and mostly government official buildings like the treasury dept etc....

This is the Washington Monument..a popular target in Hollywood-alien sci-fi movie.....

 The Capitol Building......

and finally the rear view of White House...i believe the Oval Office is located here.....

Hello Obama!..............

Our last day in Washington, we spent the morning, which was a Sunday, taking strolls in the nearby area....

At around noon time we made our way to the train station back to NYC to catch our midnight flight back to Doha and the ultimate destination Kuala Lumpur. It marked the end of my journey in North America 2011 as well. We gained so many new experiences, meeting new people and seeing new places. It was indeed a trip of a lifetime and an unforgettable experience for me...

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year to all of you...cheers-Kay2011

Hotel Review: The Madison Washington D.C "Luxury in D.C"

 I will definitely continue my trip report of my North American odyssey afterwards. However, as a starter for my stories on Washington D.C i want to review our place of abode in the capital city first and it was the Madison Hotel.

Surprisingly enough, we found the the hotel rates in DC are much lower from those in Manhattan. For this, a night's stay at a 4stars hotel in DC would be equal in price to that of 2.5/3 stars hotel in Manhattan. Due to this and due further to our short stay of only one night in DC, we decided to pamper ourselves (a bit) in a little luxury by staying at this 4 stars boutique hotel located right in the middle of DC townsquare.

The external facade and the main entrance to the hotel

We arrived around 10am from New York and directly made our way to the hotel which was a 20 minutes taxi ride from the train station. In a stark contrast to New York's scene, DC is more quite and less crowded with the overall backdrops of the city were made up of offices (mostly governments). One more thing about travelling in USA, do keep an extra cash in hand for the tips as literally everyone (that's what i believe!) is expecting for you to give them some tips.

So we arrived at our hotel and was pleasantly happy to see the luxurious feel of its decor for which was influenced by the American style and not those of European heavily-chandeliered decor mostly found in luxury hotels. This is more like a luxury American homes-the thing that i like and hope to replicate the same in my future home.

Lobby area and the hallways to our room

A slight hiccup during our check-in process when the reception lady couldnt find our reservation.However it got sorted out by the very nice Manager of Nigerian descent. We were promptly lead to our Deluxe Room.

I can't say enough how much i love this room. It was perfectly sized and equipped with amenities and equipments and the touch of colours which are warm yet cozy. 

The bedding are marvelous as there were 2 queen beds with soft and comfy mattress and yes most importantly sufficient pillows.

32" LCD TV with cable channels including pay-per-view channels....

I want this chair in my room!

Lets look at the bathroom............

Sparkling marbles will greet you in the bathroom and soft fluffy towels are ready at your perusal. The amenities are also customized for the hotel guest and of environmentally friendly products.

One of the feature which i love the most in this hotel is the coffee brewing facility in your room.Yes, here they do not provide you the 3 in 1 instant coffee but each room is provided with coffee brewer for the guest to brew their own coffee fresh every day. There are few types of coffees to choose from as well, to your likings.

you can also have some snacks with your coffee-chargeable of course..............

If you are traveling by air you dont have to worry about checking in for your flight as airline check in can be done in the business centre-compliment of the hotel. For us, we were promptly assisted by the front desk manager himself and his colleague and they were so patience and friendly lot.

The city centre is just around 10-15 minutes walk from the hotel but if you insist taxis are at abundance around the hotel.

According to their website http://www.madisonhoteldc.com/, the hotel is currently undergoing renovation to rejuvenate its rooms and i believe this will  promise better service and comfort for the guest. I believe it does stood up to its 4 stars status and even for me they deserve a little bit more star as the service was at par with some other 5 stars establishments.Kay2011.