A Visit to Megan's New House

Last weekend Suzanne and I journeyed to Washington D.C. to visit Kimberly, Mike and Megan. We arrived Saturday afternoon to find the rain had stopped and the sun had come out to greet us. At the airport, Megan greeted us too, but she was a little shy at first.



Thanks to work benefits we stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Pentagon City. Our room was on the Club level (that means free treats) and was very spacious and elegant. "Somehow", they found out we just had our wedding anniversary and surprised us with huge strawberries dipped in chocolate! They were soooo goood. The huge flat screen TV and the iPod dock/stereo impressed me.

Can you find Megan in this photo? Look real hard. Is she behind the chair or under the bed?



There she is! By this time she wasn't shy any more. She loves playing with Grandma. No, she's not checking the dampness of her diaper.



We discovered a little Italian place called La Bettola in Arlington. It's a small place, with a nice dining room on the first floor, with windows looking out to the street. We went upstairs where they have about 6 tables. We decided only 2 employees spoke English. Whatever the others were speaking wasn't Italian, we don't know what it was. The service was slow, for some reason they weren't prepared for a full house that night. The good news is the food was great. They served a homemade bread that was sorta like a large, puffy pita. The Chicken Parmigiana was the best Mike has ever had, covered with lots of cheese. This photo is Chicken Alexandra ~ Breast of Chicken sautéed in porcini mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, green peppers, and a marsala wine sauce. It was delish! The Chicken Parmigiana is in the background.



Did you know that Kim and Mike live with a real, live Princess? Here's the proof.



The goodies at the Ritz were fabulous. Throughout the day they offer different Presentations. You can hang out in the "Club Lounge" or take a plate back to your room. This is a sampling of the Continental Breakfast.



We were able to go to one of Mike's favorite places for lunch. This is El Pollo Rico. Mike mentioned it in his blog. It's always busy, and the only thing they serve is Peruvian rotisserie chicken. It gets high ratings, and well deserved, from the locals and media. Here's a sample: www.washingtonian.com/restaurantreviews/258.html.



We explored old town Alexandria and found lots of great shops and eating places. Here we are on the edge of the Potomac River looking toward our nations Capital building.



After a busy afternoon of adventure we couldn't resist the Afternoon Tea Presentation back at the Ritz. We had a scone with whipped butter, a huge brownie (the best Suzanne has ever had), a lemon cooking, a tiny chocolate cake and a piece of bread with fresh shrimp and cucumber.



Sunday night we had a great meal cooked by Kimberly and Mike. A little bit later it was time for a bedtime story.



I had to go home Monday night to check on the progress of our Bathroom Makeover. Grandma Suzanne's duties continued for a few days, spoiling Megan, spoiling Kimberly and making memories.

"And That's The Way It Is"

Until next time........