Friday 7/5 lunch for 6, then a walk?

[bettyjoan]

Okay, mom and dad are going to be in town for the holiday weekend, and when it is just the four of us, I never have any problems figuring out what to do - if there is good food and alcohol, we are usually good to go.

On Friday, my mom has invited her cousin and his wife, neither of whom we know well, to join us for the day. My original plan was lunch and then the Newseum, but apparently cousin's wife isn't the museum type. They DO like to hike, though, so assuming the weather cooperates, we're thinking a later lunch and then maybe some walking. I'd like to avoid the Mall/Monuments due to the extra tourist traffic, but I guess we could head that way if absolutely necessary. Cousin's wife does not eat seafood, and my parents don't like Indian food, but those are our only dietary restrictions.

Any ideas for a lunch spot where we could either snag a reservation or where 6 wouldn't have a problem getting a table around 1:30, that would be close to some sort of scenic strolling area? We live in NoMa, so we have to be able to get there and back either by walking or Metro.

Thanks!

[The Hersch]

How about Metro to Woodley Park, lunch at a venerable Washington institution, Mama Ayesha's, and then stroll back across the Ellington Bridge and enter Rock Creek Park by the Shoreham, where you can admire the majestic Taft Bridge, which may be the most beautiful structure in Washington, and then hike up the "mixed-use trail" to Peirce Mill (taking either the Zoo Tunnel, which isn't that great for walking, or taking the longer way by looping through a bit of the Zoo), and then up Tilden Street to Connecticut Avenue and then up to Van Ness and the Metro, and so home? From the Zoo to Peirce Mill is a beautiful walk, and unlike what most cities can offer.

[DonRocks]

Option A: Source, then walk through the Modern Sculpture Garden, downstairs to the perenially *under*crowded Classic Sculpture Garden due south, and then if you're feeling adventurous, west to Korean, north to Vietnam, and east back to your car. Several miles, completely flat, and never too far from a soda.

Option B: Old Anglers Inn, followed by a hike on the C&O Canal.

Oction C: Washington Harbor, followed by a hike on the Captial Crescent Trail up, and through, Waternoose's Tunnel, and then back to where you came. If you really want to get radical, put one car on one end, and drive back so you don't have to retrace on foot - it's a substantial hike to bethesda.

Option 4: Cross Key Bridge, head down to Roosevelt Island, pay homage to Teddy, then back for a meal at Georgetown.

Four totally different experiences, each worth doing, and with Option C, Bangkok Blues isn't all *that* bad, although a new French place just opened there, or right around there (see cheezepowder's list). Feel adventurous, I mean, real adventurous, and you may just end up at the American Legion Bridge, stranded and pining away for death rather than the return hike.

So many wonderful things to do in this wonderful city; unfortunately, dining is becoming less-and-less so. Hope this helps! I gave you some really nice itineraries.

Rocks

[The Hersch]

Don's suggestion of Roosevelt Island is an excellent one. You could Metro to Rosslyn and walk from there, then walk across Key Bridge to lunch in Georgetown. Keeping with my theme of Washington institutions, you could do a lot worse than Martin's Tavern (opened the day after the end of Prohibition), where you should probably order the fried oysters. Or Bistro Francais, serving up perfectly serviceable if unremarkable French bistro fare since 1975. Or if you really want lunch first, Metro to Foggy Bottom and walk to Georgetown from there, then after lunch stroll across Key Bridge and thence to the island formerly known as Analostan. The island is kind of swampy, so if we get much more rain between now and Friday you might want to take that into consideration.

Or for a longer walk, go to Stachowski's Market at 28th and P for Jamie's famous sandwiches and have a picnic in Rose Park.

[bettyjoan]

I love the Roosevelt Island suggestion as well - when I was living in temporary housing in Rosslyn, I loved strolling over there. I looked up Martin's Tavern, and it seems like just the kind of thing that would work well in this situation. Do you think 6 people would have a hard time getting a table for a late lunch without a reservation?

Depending on when our guests arrive (sadly for this "Type A" girl, they are less than decisive about when they will be leaving and their ETA and whatnot), we could cab over to Georgetown, get lunch, and then walk it all off by hiking over to the Island. Then we can Metro back from Rosslyn.

[The Hersch]

I looked up Martin's Tavern, and it seems like just the kind of thing that would work well in this situation. Do you think 6 people would have a hard time getting a table for a late lunch without a reservation?

That's a tough question. If it were an ordinary Friday, I'd imagine not. But as the day after the 4th in what will be a four-day weekend for a lot of people, it's hard to tell. A lot of people who live here will have left town, but a lot of people who don't live here will have come to town. But will they come to Georgetown? Here's a possibly meaningless data point: I park a car on the street in Kalorama Triangle, and street parking in the neighborhood has been unusually plentiful yesterday and today.

Martin's Tavern takes reservations, although you seem to want to leave the exact time open to accommodate the indecisiveness of your guests; perhaps significantly, their online reservation system (City Eats) only goes up to parties of five. You should probably call them and ask their advice.