Archive for "Travel"
Hilton Charlotte Center City
Posted on May 13, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
These are pictures of my hotel room in Charlotte, NC.
The room was small but sufficiently furnished.
I really have no idea why they put so many chairs in a tiny room. I would be just as satisfied with only a bed and more floor space. LOL.
The desk did come in handy on nights that I needed to catch up on work.
The bathroom and shower was pretty basic.
I had an oddly shaped room at the far end of the hotel. I thought it was a weird shape at first, but it was really functional the way they had the furniture situated. It made the space work.
The hotel is conveniently located next to the Charlotte Convention Center.
View of the front of the hotel, which I didn’t get to see much of because I always went the back way next to the train tracks, because it’s the quickest path to the Charlotte Convention Center.
Also next to the hotel is the Childress Klein YMCA, which is accessible via a covered walkway. I asked for an “away card” from my home YMCA before I left but it turns out that I didn’t need one. Hotel guests have complimentary access to this YMCA branch. You just have to show them your room key and sign in on the clipboard at the front desk.
There weren’t many options as far as group exercise classes went, at least not for the time frame I was there because I was tied up in conference activities the entire time and, by the time I was free, it was way late.
The gym did have a decent running track (9 laps equaled 1 mile) and an olympic-sized lap pool. That was cool. The hours are quite limited though. The gym closes at 9 PM Monday through Thursday and even earlier on Fridays and Saturdays. They are not even open on Sunday.
The only way I could make it work with my conference schedule was to go at 5 AM. Surprisingly, there were a lot more people at the gym than I expected for that early in the day. I saw a few guys walk in with their suits in hangers. I’m thinking the branch’s main patrons are downtown Charlotte workers who go for an early morning workout before heading to work. In which case, their operating hours make a lot of sense.
Anyway, I just have to put a plug for Hilton Charlotte and the entire city. The hotel staff was super nice. When you fly in via Atlanta and experience the airport customer service there, interacting with the friendly people of Charlotte is quite refreshing. It’s truly night and day. Everyone I met in Charlotte was wonderful. And, I think the niceness must be contagious because even the people who weren’t from there were also really nice. It was such a nice experience I wouldn’t mind going back just to visit next time.
I hope to see you again soon, Charlotte!
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The Arlington House
Posted on April 30, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
Here are some pictures of the Arlington House.
Most of the furniture is original.
This room was first used as a parlor. Mrs. Lee converted it in 1855 after arthritis restricted her mobility. Her father, George Washington Parke Custis used it as his painting studio. This is where he painted American Revolutionary War scenes, including the Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey.
This room served as Mr. and Mrs. Custis chamber. Both Custises died here. Agnes and Annie Lee were reciting the Lord’s Prayer with their grandmother when she died on April 23, 1853. You can learn more about the family tree.
This is the family dining room.
According to family tradition, Lee proposed to Mary Custis in the family dining room. Lee often gathered roses, placing one at the plate of each woman present for breakfast. Family and guests shared meals here, using the dinnerware and silver featured in this exhibit. Original pieces include china, silver, and the twin serving tables.
Meet Mary Custis Lee. Since our visit fell on the 150th anniversary of General Robert E. Lee’s resignation from the US Army, there were several people in costume throughout the property on the day of our visit.
I believe this is what is referred to as a winter kitchen, where slaves prepared meals for the family. The picture below is of the winter kitchen in the Arlington House.
We were so fortunate to visit when we did.
I’m not sure all of these costumed people would have been there otherwise.
The Arlington House is like a museum that showcases the house as it would have been during that time. There’s also a memorial housed in a separate building with letters, mementos, and other artifacts. There are audio recordings at various points to tell you more about General Lee and his family. It is an amazing exhibit and one of the highlights of our visit to Arlington Cemetery.
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Arlington National Cemetery
Posted on April 26, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
This is the post that grandma has been waiting for. 🙂
It was really easy to get to Arlington Cemetery from our hotel and Getting Around in DC. We basically took the red line from Woodley Park to Metro Center and then transferred to the blue line from there, which drops us off directly at Arlington Cemetery. Easy peasy.
The cemetery is open until 7 PM but we both made a mental note to return before peak so that we could take advantage of the lower fares. Sad, but true.
Here are some of our favorite photos from Arlington Cemetery.
The structure that you see in the distance is the Arlington House. I have a separate blog about that. For now, here’s a picture of the Kennedys’ gravesite.
It’s one of the highlights of every tour of Arlington National Cemetery.
This is the outdoor amphitheater next to the Tomb of Unknown Soldiers.
The Tomb of Unknown Soldiers is guarded by a soldier 24 hours a day, through rain, sleet, or snow. There’s always someone there marching back and forth with incredible precision. We witnessed a “changing of the guard” ceremony while we were there so we got to watch at least a couple of soldiers march back and forth.
The soldiers moved exactly the same way. The soldiers’ footsteps are so precise that their feet land on the exact markings where the heels of soldiers that have gone before them have worn down the ground.
The well-timed clickity clack of their boots on the pavement reminded me of a metronome. Nothing phased the stoic soldiers as they each completed their shift. Their movements so precise and mechanical that they almost didn’t seem human. They looked like wind-up toy soldiers.
Here are some pictures from the “changing of the guard” ceremony that we had the good fortune to witness while we were there.
The inspector walks around the new soldier and checks him from head to toe.
The inspector makes sure that nothing is out of place and fixes the soldier’s hat and everything using the same precise movements.
We also got to watch a “wreath laying” ceremony while we were there. Brian got great video of it. I didn’t get to take any pictures, though.
Both of the ceremonies we witnessed were solemn events. There was a huge crowd around but as soon as each ceremony began everyone fell silent. I can try to describe it and show you guys pictures but it’s not the same. These are the types of ceremonies that you just have to watch for yourself because, beyond the beauty and artistry of it all, there’s so much emotion involved.
Arlington National Cemetery definitely tops my list of things to see and do while you’re in Washington DC. With the station just outside the gates, there is no excuse to miss it. Next up, I will share some pictures of the Arlington House. Come back soon.
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Martin’s Tavern
Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.
Martin’s Tavern is actually where we ended up eating dinner. It’s a cozy, little restaurant in Georgetown with limited seating and the smallest restrooms ever built.
They put us in a couple of booths at the very back of the restaurant. Brian and I ended up sitting at the Sam Rayburn Lyndon Johnson booth.
Here are some photos of our delicious dinner, starting with the potato skins.
Calamari and shrimp.
Crab cakes.
I think this might be the lobster risotto.
Leave it to Brian to order the most basic thing on the menu.
Filet mignon.
The chocolate awesome lived up to its name. This was Brian’s favorite dessert in DC. He said he liked it even better than the Open City.
I’m so glad we had the opportunity to dine at Martin’s Tavern when we were in DC. The food was fantastic and not to be missed.
A word of advice, if you go, do not sit in the very back corner of the restaurant. That’s we were seated and it was hot. It felt like we were in an oven. Maybe we were closest to the kitchen and that’s why it was so hot? The tavern may be small but there are better places to be seated. Don’t let them put you in back.
Another thing to consider is to avoid drinking so much. The restrooms are in the same corner of the restaurant, right above where we were. To get to them you have to ascend stairs that are both steep and narrow. I’m not sure what the men’s room was like, but the women’s restroom is barely enough for one person. It reminded me of a restroom that you would find on a plane. Actually the whole back section of the restaurant where we were is so narrow and compact that it made me feel like I was on a ship, without the rocking side to side with the waves.
Given the setup, the best advice I can give is to enjoy the food but refrain from excessive drinking. The stairs will be hard to navigate when you’re inebriated. They were challenging enough for me and I was sober. Also, the less you drink the fewer restroom trips you’ll need to make.
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Sequoia on Washington Harbor
Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ching under Travel.
I’m not even done blogging about Washington DC yet and I’m about to leave again. LOL. I better get on it.
These next set of photos were taken at Sequoia, a neat restaurant in Georgetown with breathtaking views of the Potomac River, Kennedy Center, Roosevelt Bridge, Roosevelt Island, Key Bridge, and the magnificent Virginia skyline.
I wish we had a place like this in Wichita.
I wouldn’t mind spending hours at the restaurant, drinking and taking in the views.
Did someone ask for a table for two with a great view?
I forgot to mention the splendid view of the fountain below.
Two of my awesome coworkers, Sherry and Selena.
My handsome husband.
Our Sequoia selfie.
Sequoia was the most beautiful restaurant that Brian and I set foot in while in DC. I wish we would have had the opportunity to dine there. Unfortunately, we only had time for drinks (or in my case, a drink).
If I had to do it again, I’d put a nice romantic dinner at Sequoia on the agenda. I can only imagine what the food is like. If it’s half as good as the view, then it must be phenomenal. I can’t wait to go back!
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