A Great Close To Your Washington D.C. Getaway With Some Damn Good Chicken

If you are on your way out of the D.C. area and you need to catch an evening train or plane, then head out to Arlington, Virginia for some of the best Peruvian chicken you will ever have in your life.  El Pollo Rico located at 932 N Kenmore Street is just a few stops on the Metro Orange Line from Washington D.C. Once you rise from the dark, waffle-like ceilings of the metro station, you're in a whole other world.  It doesn't even look like downtown D.C.  It's a neighborhood with actual homes!...and some apartments, so it's really different from downtown D.C.

The restaurant's location is in a neighborhood that is mainly comprised of residents from South America.  As soon as you walk into the restaurant, it looks like a giant mess hall and everyone is speaking Spanish.  Since their clientele is mainly Latin American, the employees speak very little English so it would be a good idea to brush up on your Spanish skills.  If you walk in a little further and you will see 4 giant rotisseries with over 20 chickens spinning inside them.  And the smell of those birds oh my god it's incredible!  And the best part is... you get the best bang for your buck here.   It's cheap and delicious!  It is totally worth going out there for that chicken.  You will definitely not be disappointed!  But make sure you leave plenty of time to get there and back to the train or airport because it can take roughly 15 minutes to go to Union Station right after.  When I went here, I wanted to pick up dinner for myself and I was rushing like crazy to get to the train station and I thought I was going to miss it! but it turned out that the train was running 40 minutes late! Thanks to Amtrak.  But that did not surprise me.  Amtrak is late pretty much all of the time...   But that's besides the point.  The point is that it's a great place to go when you're on a budget and it's delicious and I hope you check it out sometime.

A Gem On The Outskirts Of The Nation's Capital

Just a short trip from the hustle and bustle from Washington D.C. lies the quaint little town of Alexandria, VA.  Founded in 1749, Alexandria is rich in history and is filled with wonderful boutiques, cafes, restaurants, museums, and an ancient torpedo factory, which is now a giant art gallery.

The main thoroughfare in Alexandria is King Street.  This part is called Old Town.  You take the Metro blue or yellow lines out to King Street in Virginia.  A free shuttle bus is available and runs along King Street between the metro station and the Torpedo Factory Art Center and the marina, which is all the way at the end of the street.  

I would recommend taking the shuttle bus one way only, either to or from the metro because I want you to take the time browsing through many of the shops that King Street has to offer.  If you choose to walk down king street first, stop for some coffee at Misha's located at the corner of King and South Patrick street.  They have friendly baristas that will give you a nice cup of joe.  Now all you have to do is just stroll King Street.  Trust me, you won't be disappointed.  On the way you will find a wig store.  Not only do they sell ones for women, but for men as well.  The weirdest thing is that on one of them, they used a mustache and hair on a women's face...

Anyway...Once you get to the end of King Street, you come across this giant building labeled the Torpedo Factory.  It used to be, as it is called, a torpedo factory, but now it is home to many different artists selling and showing off their work.  You can even catch them while working!   Just outside is the marina and it is very relaxing to chill their on a nice day.  

After all of this, there is a great candy store that is a must go to, especially if you LOVE saltwater taffy!  The place is called Candi's Candies located at 107 North Fairfax Street.  Once you walk in to this colonial style entry way/building, you will say to yourself, "Okay, this is interesting, nice little store, ooooo looook they have my favorite candy," all that bullsh*t.  You have to go though the brick archway, and you will be like holy f**k I've never seen anything like this!  
In a relatively large space, there are roughly 40 barrels filled with different types of taffy including, maple, chocolate, banana, cotton candy, and popcorn to name just a few. It's just mind blowing when you walk in here!  A great selection of regular candy plus a MEGA selection of saltwater taffy. What could be better!? 

Well gang, that's pretty much Alexandria for you! It's a great little town just outside of D.C. with loads of history and is a great place to take the family!

Though Far From The Main DC Drag, There's Lots To Check Out In Georgetown!

If you're a shopping freak, then Georgetown is the place for you.  It has several shops and high end boutiques to offer.  M street is the main drag, which leads right from the Foggy Bottom neighborhood all the way over to the Francis Scott Key Bridge; and that stretch is roughly a mile long.  Georgetown is not the most convenient when it comes to getting here by public transportation, but it is totally worth coming to because it is one of the trendiest, if not the most, places in DC.  One store that I like is called Paper Source located at 3019 M Street NW.  Apparently this place has several locations around the country including three of them in NYC.  They don't sell just paper, they have a lot of cool stationary items as well.  They are items you use everyday but they put some fun twists on them.  So it's fun store to check out! There are hundreds of other amazing stores around here that I cannot count, so Georgetown is the place where there is everything that money can buy and youy can shop till you drop!  

For some food and drink, head over to Pizzeria Paradiso for some of the best pizza in the city! In my opinion, it can be as good or maybe even a bit better than some of the pizza you can get in NYC.  After your delicious pizza, walk right next door to Dean and Deluca for some coffee and some sweet treats.  They have many things that are good including an enormous bulk section of candy, baked goods, and gourmet lunch and dinner foods.  There are also several pubs which are pretty much everywhere on almost every street corner so if you need swig of something, chances are you will come across a pub right in front of you as you're walking. 

Georgetown is a haven for college students since it is also home to Georgetown University.  You will see many college students drinking at the bars and shopping around in the town. 

All in all, Georgetown is a great place to go where there are many shops and restaurants that would appeal to everyone.  You might have a better kick out in Georgetown in the late evening hours and into the night since it's it's very lively then, but it's worth going to at anytime, but whenever you go, you will be glad you came in the end.       

Food Trucks Invade Nation's Capital!

I went down to DC this week on an Amtrak train from Penn Station in NYC.  There's always lots to do in town.  I'm sure you all know about the museums, the memorials, the Capitol building, and the White House.  The problem is where do you find affordable delicious food? The museum cafes are touristy okay, but many of the real restaurants can be very pricey.  Well I have a suggestion for you. 

When you're done with a museum, business, or anything of that nature and it's lunch time, head on over to Farragut Square for several tasty options. You can take the metro to Farragut West on the blue or orange lines or you can also take the red line to Farragut North.  As soon as you emerge from the dark metro station, you will see lines of food trucks parked on all four sides of the park.  These trucks consist of any cuisine you want.  From Mexican to Italian to Middleastern.  It's all here at Farragut Square! I chose to have a burrito from a truck called Sol.  After your main meal, a good truck to get a snack would be Popped! republic to get some tasty and affordable kettle corn.  This place also has several other flavors including Congressional Cheddar and Capital Caramel.  These truck provide large portions for a relatively inexpensive price.  If you want to know which trucks will be where and when, check out this website. http://foodtruckfiesta.com/ 

Stay tuned for a report on Georgetown.