Visting Washington, DC

Airports

There are three airports in the DC area. The most convenient is Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA) located a few minutes from downtown DC on a metro station, but it's generally the most expensive. The other two airports are Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) and Washington Dulles International (IAD). BWI & IAD do have public transportation options available, but they're not as easy as DCA's metro stop. There is no easy public transportation availble to get to Brookside Gardens where the ceremony & reception will take place.

Hotels

There are a zillion hotels in the DC area that are within range of the wedding with one of the areas closest to the site being Rockville. We have reserved a block of rooms for $110/night at the Best Western Washington Gateway Hotel, 1251 W. Montgomery Ave. Rockville, MD 20850-3133. Call (301) 424-4940 and ask for the Daniels/Kwong wedding block by April 6th. That said, the hotel often has internet specials that are even more discounted (~$89), so check at their website before using the block (http://www.bestwestern.com/). The hotel is about 10-15 minutes away from Brookside Gardens (1800 Glenallan Ave., Wheaton, MD 20902).

If you need help looking for another hotel, e-mail Olivia (ophey@xammit.com) or Mike (mrlightboy@earthlink.net).

Fun Things We Like To Do & Things We Like To Eat

Because we're foodies, the things we like to do often involve the things we like to eat. So with that in mind, here's a little advice on things to do, see, and eat in the DC area.

Wegmans
Olivia went to college in Ithaca, NY where it was popular to go to the 24-hour Wegmans late at night as a study break. Wegmans is pretty much the ultimate grocery store if you're a cook and it can only be found in the Northeast. Recently they opened two stores in the area: Wegmans Dulles, 45131 Columbia Place, Sterling, VA 20166 (703-421-2400) and Wegmans Fairfax, 11620 Monument Dr., Fairfax, VA 22030 (703-653-1600).

Sur La Table
While it's more widely known as a catalog, Sur La Table has some physical stores. There are a few in the area, but the largest location with the most interesting kitchen gadgets to browse is at Sur La Table (Pentagon Row), 1101 South Joyce Street, Suite B-20, Arlington, VA 22202, (703-414-3580). The Pentagon Row shopping area is adjacent to the Pentagon City Fashion Centre Mall and can be reached via Metro's Pentagon City Station (Blue & Yellow lines).

Super H-Mart
There's a large Korean population in Northern Virginia resulting in a lot of very good Korean grocery stores. The crowning one of these is Super H-Mart. This place is the size of a large Safeway. It's an interesting place to roam and is the source our Pocky variety obsession (avoid the green tea variety at all costs!). On the weekends you might experience the seafood guy announcing specials in Korean over a bullhorn. The store is located at 10780 Fairfax Blvd. (Lee Hwy.), Fairfax, VA (800-427-9870). The same company also runs the smaller (still pretty large) Han Ah Reum grocery stores.

Chinese Restaurants
While you may see that there is a Chinatown area in downtown DC, there isn't really too much Chinese stuff there.

Korean BBQ Restaurants
The large Korean population that creates the demand for Super H-Mart also means that we have a lot of great Korean food.

Vietnamese Restaurants
There's also a fair amount of Vietnamese as well.

Lebanese Taverna
Lebanese Taverna is a local chain that was started by a Lebanese family. All of their food is great and Olivia especially enjoys the garlic sauce. They have a lot of locations in the DC area, but these are a few of the more easily accessible ones.

Ethiopian Food
The Post has reported the Ethiopian embassy estimates D.C. is home to 200,000 people of Ethiopian descent, the largest concentration out of the country. If you've never had Ethiopian food before, this article will help you learn about the food and also has a guide to various restaurants in the DC area.

Other Restaurants

Dessert!
After we eat, sometimes we like to eat even more....

Tivoli Gourmet & Pastry Shop is located at 901 N. Stuart Street Arlington, VA 22203 (703-528-5200). It also happens to be right there at the Rosslyn Metro Station (Blue & Orange lines).

Ice Cream
A few years ago Mike organized an Ice Cream Crawl. He selected mostly local stores and there were about 6 stops in the Georgetown/Downtown DC area with a bonus 7th in Alexandria. We weren't up to the challenge of the 7th, but it's a spot with a high reputation. Not all of our stops are still open, but there is plenty of great ice cream out there.

Non-Food Based Attractions
What? No food? Shocking! At least bring snacks with you... There are plenty of things to see in the nation's capital and you can find books filled with such things, but here are a few highlights of things on or near the Mall which can be reached via the Smithsonian Station (Blue & Orange lines):

• National Museum of the American Indian - The museum actually includes the potential for food at their highly popular cafeteria that includes American Indian foods such as buffalo, salmon, and frybread.
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial - This memorial is especially creative and looks great at dusk or in the evening.
• National WWII Memorial - This Memorial is the newest one on the Mall. Other veterans memorials that can be found nearby is the Korean War Veterans Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, both of which are especially moving at night with the lighting effects.
• Renwick Gallery - This is one of the lesser known Smithsonians and it has exhibits of American craft artists. It's near the White House. Farragut North Metro Station (Red line) or Farragut West Metro Station (Blue and Orange lines)

Websites with tourist information including events, restaurants & other things of interest.

• The Washington Post's City Guide
• Washingtonian's Visitors Guide
• Official Tourism Site of Washington, DC