My LIFE

About a month ago we didn’t really have anything planned for Memorial Day Weekend due to some budgetary constraints. Spending $1,600 for my parents petition - not including the medical, hotel and airfare for the upcoming interview in Manila. We said, “we’ll…it may be a good road trip to drive down to the Baltimore and DC area since we haven’t been there yet.” We figured it’s going to be a fun road trip since we’ve experienced long distance road trips in the past such as: Niagara and Toronto 2 yrs ago,  Las Vegas - Hoover Dam - Grand Canyon - Flagstaff - Sedona - Phoenix then back to Vegas, and the  island of Puerto Rico- sooo the 6 to 8 hour car ride was not a concern.

We were lucky in finding last minute deals.  We found the Sheraton Baltimore for $80 a night. We got a Camry for $83 for 4 days with unlimited miles.

BALTIMORE:
- We stayed at the Sheraton located 3 blocks from the Inner Harbor, which we thought was the best area to stay in Baltimore. It’s about 4 blocks from the Camden Yards where Orioles play baseball and 4 blocks away from M&T Stadium where the Baltimore Ravens play football - just in case you want to watch a Redsox and Patriots game
- Crab cakes? the BEST! They serve a half pound of crab meat with very little batter just enough to hold the meat together. We tried 3 different restaurants that the hotel recommended: Tir Na Nog, Luna del Sea, and G&M Restaurant. Of all the 3? Luna del Sea and G&M serves the biggest crab cakes I’ve ever seen.

- I recommend staying near the Harbor. It has a boardwalk with Lots of restaurants, shops, and entertainment. Stay away from the North side Baltimore. Trust me it’s not a good area to be wondering around.

From Baltimore we took the train from Penn Station Baltimore to Union Station DC. If you know when you’re going to visit DC take the Amtrak and book it at least a day before you’re trip because you’ll get the tickets cheaper than buying it at the train station.

WASHINGTON DC:
- From the Union Station we walked all the way to Lincoln Memorial to White House then back to Union Station. All the museums are along Independence Ave and Louisiana Ave, these 2 streets/roads run parallel to each other so it’s not hard to criss cross if you want to see something from the other side of the road.

- When someone says Washington DC I think about the Washington Monument, for me that was the “main” attraction. All the others are sort of bonuses.

- Parking along the streets looks like they’re free but you’re limited to 2 hours max or you get a ticket. I found walking more flexible without the hassle of parking and moving your car.

- We probably walked at least 8 miles that day. The next day we took the car and drove around the outskirts of DC where Iwo Jima, Pentagon, Thomas Jefferson Memorial,  FDR, and Arlington Cemetery are located.

Overall it was a great trip. It wasn’t too expensive. It was just right for 4 days 3 nights. The weather held up with the first day being blazing hot. The second day was overcast but still hot.