Last Christmas, at my wife’s company party, we won a free night’s stay at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. The Mayflower was one of the places in Washington in the 20’s-40’s. It was very ornate with gilded callings and moldings. It was purchased in the early 70’s, and completely redone to look modern. Remember when old was out? About 1990, it was purchased again, and the earlier remodeling was looking shabby. Knowing that it had been gutted before, it was decided to just refurbish it as best they could. It was soon discovered that to save money, it was never gutted, just covered over. Soon all the old gild work and marble columns were in view. A bit of touch up and rebuilding in places, and the glory of the past was again there to enjoy. It is a glorious hotel, now run by Marriott under the Renaissance chain.<br><br>We drove to the Vienna Metro station, parked and took the Metro in. The hotel is only about100 yards from the Farraget North Metro station entrance. We got there about 10:30 expecting to leave our bags, as we were quite early. However they had a room, so up we went. While the room was not overly large, it was extremely well appointed. In the center was a cherry four-poster king sized bed. There was a small table across the room with and chair beside it, and a dresser/TV cabinet combo. Beside the bed was a small writing desk, with Internet hook up.<br><br>There was a small closet off the bedroom whose light turned on when you opened the door. There was an iron and ironing board included as well as two robes. The bath had a long marble counter, gold fixtures and a nice tub. <br><br>Once we put our bags away, and finished admiring our free room, we went downstairs, and found the concierge desk. We asked about restaurants and after reviewing her recommendations had her make reservations at 7 at the Bombay Club, which was only a few blocks away. We both love Indian food.<br><br>We headed back to the Metro, and down to the National Mall and the Smithsonian. In the Arts and Industry building, there was a butterfly and orchid exhibit. This exhibit is open until late May and is of course free. The butterfly room was one of those where you go into a screened room and live butterflies fill the air. It was fun not only watching the butterflies, but also watching the children’s faces as they saw the butterflies. A good deal of time was spent there just enjoying the exhibit and watching people. <br><br>We went back out side, and grabbed a hot dog from a vendor, sat on a bench eating, and feeding the pigeons pieces of bun. The rain had left, the weather had warmed up, and the sun was shinning. We went behind the Smithsonian Castle, and enjoyed the gardens back there with row after row of tulips. <br><br>We went back down in to the Metro, and went to the National Building Museum. It is housed in the old pension office, which was built in the 1870’s by General Miggs. The inside is magnificent to put it mildly. The center hall is five stories high, with huge Corinthian columns. The hall has been used for special event right from the beginning and many an inaugural ball has been held there. The exhibits in the museum I didn’t find too interesting, but then architecture is not my forté. <br><br>From the Building Museum, we strolled east along E Street to Union Station. There we had a bit to eat in their food court, and looked at some of the stores there. By this time we were both a bit tuckered, so we headed back to the hotel for a bit of rest.<br>About 6 we went down to the lounge in the hotel, and had a drink. 60 years ago, this was where the movers and shakers of Washington hung out. It was nicely paneled, but a bar is a bar.<br><br>After a short stroll down Connecticut Avenue towards the White House we found the Bombay Club. We were a bit early, but there was no problem seating us. It is decorated in a colonial atmosphere and in the corner there was a grand piano with a man playing light music throughout the evening. Since the room was free, this was our meal to splurge. We ordered a very nice Burgundy to go with the meal. For appetizers, I had calamari in a tomato sauce, and Jody had a crab dish. For the main course I had a lamb dish while Jody had Malabar Lobster. All was wonderfully prepared and very tasty. The service was impeccable, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.<br><br>Our stroll back was a bit longer simply because we were so well fed. Needless to say, I slept very well that night.<br><br>Sunday morning, we laid in bed reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. Nothing like a bit of laziness in elegance! In the late morning we checked out, but left our bags with the hotel. We made reservations on the DC Ducks with the concierge, and headed to the Metro.<br><br>We got off the Metro at Union Station for a late breakfast, or early lunch. With so much to choose from, it was a difficult choice. Jody had a Greek lamb ka-bob, while I had curried chicken over rice. Both dishes were quite big, and neither of us could finish them. We then looked at some of the shops, then went across the street to the US Post Office Museum. It was really quite interesting. DC is filled with museums, many fascinating, but most people never get past the Smithsonian on the National Mall.<br><br>Finally it was our time and we went to the front of Union Station and caught the DC Ducks. The Duck is a vehicle made during World War II that drives on the land and in the water. These have been refurbished and are used for sightseeing. The whole tour was an hour and a half. We went down past the museums and other attractions along past the White House and down to the Potomac. All along the way, the driver, Captain Jim, was explaining the sights, giving some of the local history, and cracking awful jokes. At a ramp we simply drove into the water and sailed down the Potomac River towards National Airport. Out on the river he gave each of the children a chance to drive the now boat. They were grinning like Cheshire cats! Just before National Airport, at the Gravely Point ramp we exited the water, and drove back into the district and down past the National Mall and the Capital Building and back to Union Station. It was a fascinating ride, and to top it off we each got duck quackers so that we could make duck noises along the way.<br><br>That trip over, we went back to the hotel, retrieved our bags, and headed home, well satisfied with the lovely weekend. <br>