We did not have a long enough layover in Austin to get Earl Campbell's brisket tacos, but we were able to run into the Chase Sapphire Terrace Lounge to get some lunch to go.
After we landed at DCA, I just went to the Emerald Club Executive aisle to pick out any car I wanted. We got the black SUV.
DC traffic was really bad getting into the city on the 4th from Reagan National Airport. The Washington Monument is in the background.
Since DC was crazy busy on the 4th, we elected to take car services around town. The Lincoln is picking us up here for our dinner reservations at Rasika!
Rasika is a famous Indian fusion restaurant that celebrities love! Many of the past Presidents have enjoyed their food too!
They sat us at the table that Jeff Bezos sat at last time he dined here. I guess I am a celebrity too! LOL.
I started out with some Illegal Mezcal which I figured would go well with the spicy Indian flavors.
Our appetizers included Scallop Balchao and Sweet Potato samosas with cranberry chutney!
The truffle naan paired well with the green chicken curry at this establishment which won multiple James Beard awards!
The short distance between Rasika and La Vie Penthouse where we had reservations to watch the fireworks took much longer to get to with all the road closures for the 4th!
We did not mind the long ride to La Vie Penthouse since we drove by our national landmarks like SCOTUS which recently helped out President Trump! Trump 2024!
The views from the La Vie Penthouse were amazing. The Jefferson Monument and Lincoln Memorial are in the distance here with the Potomac River too.
We are on the rooftop deck at La Vie Penthouse here getting ready for the fireworks show over the National Mall in DC!
The fireworks were amazing with the Jefferson Monument, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial in the background!
The rooftop was still busy after the fireworks were over.
We got a drink at the bar inside and took advantage of the AC since it was a warm night still in DC!
The Washington DC Wharf is down there on the river.
The next day, we drove about thirty minutes south to George Washington's Mount Vernon to see where our first President lived!
Here is a side view of the mansion which is actually pretty large! President Washington designed his home too.
The estate is on the banks of the Potomac River, and the views were stunning from the mansion!
President Washington got that key to the Bastile prison as a gift from France. The doors inside were so grand!
The home had many fireplaces, but there are only two chimneys they feed into. That is pretty advanced for back then!
Here is one of the many bedrooms in the house. The Washingtons had many guests after he left office who wanted to meet him.
This was George and Martha Washington's room.
This was a nail making demonstration. Crazy how they made these things by hand back then!
The female slaves on the plantation lived in this bunk room. President Washington owned many slaves, but he was very kind of them and set them free too after he died.
On site, there is a museum too dedicated to our first President!
After Mount Vernon, we drove to Richmond, but we stopped in Fredericksburg to get some Carl's Frozen Custard on that hot and humid day!
Our first stop in Richmond was historic St. John's Church where Patrick Henry delivered his famous, "Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death" speech.
This was the original altar of the chuch from the 1600s.
This part of the church was built in the 1700s, and Patrick Henry sat in the front pew and walked around as he delivered his speech.
Confederate President Jefferson Davis lived in Richmond at the "White House Of The Confederacy" during the Civil War.
This is a view of the "White House of the Confederacy" from the visitor's center.
There is a portrait of George Washington inside the dining room because he was viewed as a good example of a Southern gentleman.
This is the parlor inside the mansion where President Davis and his wife Varina would greet guests.
This was the bedroom where Jefferson Davis and Varina slept.
We had reservations at the iconic Bookbinder's restaurant in Richmond after our tours were done.
I saw that Virginia had several distilleries so I got a Virginia rye to start off my dinner.
The Maryland oysters were much larger than I anticipated since cold water oysters tend to be small.
My filet was good. The steak was rubbed with Kona coffee too.
The bread pudding was delicious!
Bookbinder's had a nice backdrop for taking photos with a nice lamp too for lighting. The owner of the restaurant took the photos and told us how to pose for each shot.
The owner of Bookbinder's photobombed us for the last picture.
The Canal Walk in Richmond was really peaceful and safe unlike California cities!
That is the Virginia State House in the background which is very historic since it goes back to the colonial era.
The canal walk is around an old canal which President Washington once envisioned would connect the coast to the interior parts of the country. His vision was later accomplished with railroads.
We went to Colonial Williamsburg the next day. The Governor's Palace is behind us. This was the old capitol of the Colony of Virginia.
Here is a traditional colonial style house in Colonial Williamsburg.
This was the Capitol of the colony of Virginia which housed the Virginia General Assembly, the Council of State, and the House of Burgesses.
I remember the famous commercials for Colonial Williamsburg where a boy was playing with this wooden wheel when I was growing up so I had to pose with one.
We saw that our favorite ice cream shop, Kilwins, was in Williamsburg so we had to stop by!
We went to the historic first settlement of Jamestown afterwards. This is the original fort and settlement site of the first permanent British settlement in the New World.
This monument marks the 300th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown. It was erected in 1907.
We are on the banks of the James River here around the site of the second settlement of Jamestown. The water behind us was often brackish and not able to drink which also led to the death of so many there.
We went to the Iron Clad Distillery in Newport News after Jamestown to get a drink. Their whiskey is not bad.
Iron Clad Distillery had some neat art work to showcase the history of the area including references to the military achievements of our nation.
We went to a Hooters near our hotel in Hampton, VA to get a snack afterwards.
Ft. Monroe is a famous military installation from the Civil War era which the Union never surrendered despite being in Hampton, VA.
There is a large moat around the fort too which helped defend it during the Civil War from the Confederacy.
It was neat to be able to walk up on those elevated walls of the fort.
President Jefferson Davis was held at Ft. Monroe for about two years after the Civil War. He was never convicted of any crime.
This was a famous gun that the Union forces had at Ft. Monroe.
Joy and I went to a nice place called Fins in Newport News for dinner, and this cool gazebo and park were across the street. Life is very peaceful on the East Coast.
The next day, our first stop was Virginia Beach. We were not as impressed with the beach compared to other East Coast beaches.
This is the famous Neptune statue by the boardwalk.
I liked how they had a lot of Trump 2024 merchandise in the gift shops down in Virginia Beach. MAGA 2024!
We got ice cream at Kilwins again since there was one in Virginia Beach.
The Cape Henry lighthouse at Ft. Story is the first lighthouse built in the US. Joy and I were able to drive out to it on the base since she works for the DOD.
I climbed all the way to the top of the lighthouse. The new lighthouse is behind me.
We had brunch at Waffle House after I made that long climb up to the top of the lighthouse!
We stayed at a Spark by Hilton in Fredericksburg, which is a new Hilton chain.
Although the rooms were decent and Hilton quality, the property was almost no frills. I figure why not try it out so I can experience all the Hilton brands.
We went to the historic Civil War battlefields the next day in Fredericksburg. This is the sunken road where some of the battles took place.
This gravestone is near the house where Confederate soldiers took up positions to fire at Union troops when they invaded Fredericksburg.
We are outside the home of the Confederate supporter here with two people who were dressed as both a Confederate and Union soldier.
We toured the house where the Confederate soldiers were. This side of the house was in good shape.
This side of the house was more worn down.
This is a monument dedicated to a Confederate soldier who was giving aid and comfort to the wounded. Union troops stopped firing on him when they saw he was trying to help the wounded.
We are posing by an elevated Confederate position on Lee Drive which is very many of the battles took place.
Here are some more Confederate cannons on Lee Drive.
I got that Confederate hat for my nephew so I thought I would re-enact a Confederate scout looking out for enemy troops. LOL.
We connected via Dallas Lovefield on the way back. I got this great picture of downtown Dallas as we landed.
We went to the Dallas Cowboys Club to grab a drink during our transit time at Dallas Love Field.
Woodford Reserve Double Oak pairs well with a shake from Whataburger! LOL. Since they did not have the Dr. Pepper shake, I asked them to put some Diet Dr. Pepper into the shake.
For the 4th of July
holiday weekend in 2024, my company gave us both the Thursday and
Friday off since the 4th was on a Thursday. Joy and I decided to
go watch fireworks in our nation's capital on the 4th and explore
historic sites in Virginia afterwards. Our trip started out
bright and early on the 4th as our car service picked us up at the
house to take us to the airport. This time however we had access
to the Escape Club which was a new addition to the Priority Pass
network. After a short visit to the lounge, we boarded for our
flight for Austin. The layover in Austin was too short to get the
brisket tacos and bowl at Earl Campbell's Taco Stand that I fell in
love with him recently on a trip back from Florida for work so we went
to the Chase Sapphire Terrace where I had access to free to go lunch
items from the Farmer's Table. One just picks whatever one wants
from these vending machines and can take them to go. Fortunately,
our flights were on time so we were able to get into DC around 4:45 PM
like we planned to give us enough time to get our rental car, get to
the Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC/US Capitol, and then take a car
service over to our dinner reservations at the famous Rasika restaurant
in the Penn Quarter. Since I have Executive status with National,
we just picked any car in the VIP aisle and were off to the hotel.
Traffic was pretty bad getting into DC since it was one of the
busiest tourist days for the capital due to the fireworks show.
After checking into the hotel, we had some time to change before we took a Lincoln Continental to Rasika. We tried this famous Indian fusion restaurant a few years back, and it is popular among Presidents and other celebrities. Ivanka Trump even ate there. We were seated at the same table where Jeff Bezos was before too. After an amazing dinner at this multiple James Beard award winning establishment, we were driven to La Vie Penthouse where I had tickets for us to watch the fireworks from the rooftop. Traffic was crazy however! It took us over thirty minutes to go like two miles, but we got great views of the US Capitol, SCOTUS, and other government buildings before we arrived at the Washington DC Wharf.
The fireworks show was amazing! We had a view of the Jefferson Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument too from our vantage point. Also, we were on the banks of the Potomac River. After the show, we got a drink and chilled inside at this chic club before a long ride back to the hotel due to the traffic once again. It was still hot and humid even at night like DC is during the summer months.
On Friday, we started our history tour by going to Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's plantation. I booked a mansion tour also we went inside and saw a famous key to the Bastille prison which the French gave President Washington as well as the bedroom of George and Martha Washington. The views from the mansion of the Potomac were amazing! On the grounds, they had people who were in costumes from that period and re-enacting things like spinning yarn into cloth or making nails. We also saw where Washington's slaves lived. President Washington set his slaves free when he died. There is also a museum on site too.
The next stop was Richmond, VA. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Our first stop was the historic St. John's church where Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech, "Give Me Liberty, Give Me Death." Then, we went to the White House of the Confederacy where President Jefferson Davis lived with his wife Varina. Richmond, VA was very clean and safe compared to Sacramento, CA. Joy and I were very impressed. Governor Youngkin cleaned up Virginia after years of decline under democratic governors. We had dinner reservations at a classic fine dining establishment called Bookbinders in Richmond. The overall experience was great between the service, the food, and even the photos the owner of the restaurant took for us at a cool backdrop they made just for photos. I started out with a Virginia rye whiskey.
On Saturday, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. When I was a kid growing up on the East Coast, they had lots of advertisements for this historic place often with a kid playing with this wooden hoop. I had always wanted to go so I figured this was the year. Williamsburg was a capital for the colony of Virginia. Many of the buildings are originals from that era including a Governor's Palace and a Capitol building. Although it was hot and humid, we enjoyed walking around the historic town. Afterwards, we went to Jamestown which was the first English settlement of the New World. There was the original site of the fort where the first settlers all perished after starvation and harsh weather conditions. They had other settlements too where the people died off again. Also, there was an old plantation on side from around the 1700s. A monument celebrating the 300 year anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown was erected there too. We explored a little of Newport News afterwards before getting a snack at Hooters. Then, we explored Ft. Monroe in Hampton, VA. Ft. Monroe was an union military installation which never fell to the Confederates despite being in the Confederacy. Many slaves fled to the fort to get their freedom. President Jefferson Davis was held here too after the Civil War. For dinner that night, we went to a place called Fins which serves great seafood!
The next day, we went to Virginia Beach. After a nice walk along the board walk, we found a Kilwins ice cream shop to get a nice treat before we explored the first lighthouse built in the US at Ft. Story. Then, we got some Waffle House waffles before heading back to Fredericksburg. I decided to try out the new Hilton chain, Spark. Spark is more of a low frills Hilton brand, but I figured I wanted to experience the whole portfolio of hotels since I am a Diamond member. This property did not even have a gym, but there was a Planet Fitness nearby so I was able to go there. Traffic was terrible on US 95 heading backwards to Fredericksburg!
Fredericksburg is home of many famous battles of the Civil War. Joy and I explored some of those historic sites on Monday. General Stonewall Jackson and General Lee met nearby during one of these battles. Joy and I explored the battlefields on Lee Drive too which had some of the cannons too from the battles. The Confederate soldiers were outnumbered, but they did fight very well under the leadership of both General Lee and Jackson. Over 100,000 people died during these battles. Since Fredericksburg is between the two capital cities, this was territory that both sides wanted!
We had a flight out of Reagan National Airport that evening for Dallas Love Field. So, we got lunch at Nando's before departing. In Dallas, we had some time to get a drink at the Dallas Cowboys Club before we headed back to Sacramento!
After checking into the hotel, we had some time to change before we took a Lincoln Continental to Rasika. We tried this famous Indian fusion restaurant a few years back, and it is popular among Presidents and other celebrities. Ivanka Trump even ate there. We were seated at the same table where Jeff Bezos was before too. After an amazing dinner at this multiple James Beard award winning establishment, we were driven to La Vie Penthouse where I had tickets for us to watch the fireworks from the rooftop. Traffic was crazy however! It took us over thirty minutes to go like two miles, but we got great views of the US Capitol, SCOTUS, and other government buildings before we arrived at the Washington DC Wharf.
The fireworks show was amazing! We had a view of the Jefferson Monument, Lincoln Memorial, and Washington Monument too from our vantage point. Also, we were on the banks of the Potomac River. After the show, we got a drink and chilled inside at this chic club before a long ride back to the hotel due to the traffic once again. It was still hot and humid even at night like DC is during the summer months.
On Friday, we started our history tour by going to Mount Vernon, which was George Washington's plantation. I booked a mansion tour also we went inside and saw a famous key to the Bastille prison which the French gave President Washington as well as the bedroom of George and Martha Washington. The views from the mansion of the Potomac were amazing! On the grounds, they had people who were in costumes from that period and re-enacting things like spinning yarn into cloth or making nails. We also saw where Washington's slaves lived. President Washington set his slaves free when he died. There is also a museum on site too.
The next stop was Richmond, VA. Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy during the Civil War. Our first stop was the historic St. John's church where Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech, "Give Me Liberty, Give Me Death." Then, we went to the White House of the Confederacy where President Jefferson Davis lived with his wife Varina. Richmond, VA was very clean and safe compared to Sacramento, CA. Joy and I were very impressed. Governor Youngkin cleaned up Virginia after years of decline under democratic governors. We had dinner reservations at a classic fine dining establishment called Bookbinders in Richmond. The overall experience was great between the service, the food, and even the photos the owner of the restaurant took for us at a cool backdrop they made just for photos. I started out with a Virginia rye whiskey.
On Saturday, we went to Colonial Williamsburg. When I was a kid growing up on the East Coast, they had lots of advertisements for this historic place often with a kid playing with this wooden hoop. I had always wanted to go so I figured this was the year. Williamsburg was a capital for the colony of Virginia. Many of the buildings are originals from that era including a Governor's Palace and a Capitol building. Although it was hot and humid, we enjoyed walking around the historic town. Afterwards, we went to Jamestown which was the first English settlement of the New World. There was the original site of the fort where the first settlers all perished after starvation and harsh weather conditions. They had other settlements too where the people died off again. Also, there was an old plantation on side from around the 1700s. A monument celebrating the 300 year anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown was erected there too. We explored a little of Newport News afterwards before getting a snack at Hooters. Then, we explored Ft. Monroe in Hampton, VA. Ft. Monroe was an union military installation which never fell to the Confederates despite being in the Confederacy. Many slaves fled to the fort to get their freedom. President Jefferson Davis was held here too after the Civil War. For dinner that night, we went to a place called Fins which serves great seafood!
The next day, we went to Virginia Beach. After a nice walk along the board walk, we found a Kilwins ice cream shop to get a nice treat before we explored the first lighthouse built in the US at Ft. Story. Then, we got some Waffle House waffles before heading back to Fredericksburg. I decided to try out the new Hilton chain, Spark. Spark is more of a low frills Hilton brand, but I figured I wanted to experience the whole portfolio of hotels since I am a Diamond member. This property did not even have a gym, but there was a Planet Fitness nearby so I was able to go there. Traffic was terrible on US 95 heading backwards to Fredericksburg!
Fredericksburg is home of many famous battles of the Civil War. Joy and I explored some of those historic sites on Monday. General Stonewall Jackson and General Lee met nearby during one of these battles. Joy and I explored the battlefields on Lee Drive too which had some of the cannons too from the battles. The Confederate soldiers were outnumbered, but they did fight very well under the leadership of both General Lee and Jackson. Over 100,000 people died during these battles. Since Fredericksburg is between the two capital cities, this was territory that both sides wanted!
We had a flight out of Reagan National Airport that evening for Dallas Love Field. So, we got lunch at Nando's before departing. In Dallas, we had some time to get a drink at the Dallas Cowboys Club before we headed back to Sacramento!