Good old Albert Einstein. Despite the number of times I've been called "Einstein," I've never really harbored any negative feelings towards the ol' chap. Until I tried to visit his monument. When you Google the monument, you read about exact locations and see photographs. It looks like a nice hidden gem a stone's throw from the mall and without all of the people. To put it succinctly: it looks lovely for a "local."
Apparently after 2 years here, I wasn't local enough. We tried to visit the monument and wound up passing it at least 3 times, despite having the coordinates and a visual in my head. The problem with the plan was that I didn't get all the way down to street view (an error I would never make again). Street view shows you that the monument is obstructed from the street by a nice array of trees and bushes. What does the maps view show? A monument on a corner. To me, that's the easiest thing to find. Alas, I was wrong.
A few wrong turns led us to the Vietnam Memorial (which was good, since Matt had never been) and then the Lincoln Memorial (which was good but less so, as we were getting impatient), before we broke down and asked for directions. Many vague fingerpoints and another time asking later, we finally found our way to the monument.
It was lovely.
Quiet, shady and imposing, the monument really was beautiful. In fact, being hidden was part of its appeal. Monuments in DC fall into two distinct categories: climbers and lookers. This is certainly a climber. Little kids swarmed the monument while others posed for pictures right in front.
But I can't say I'm happy about it. I was tired and - dare I say - slightly bitter. For a "ah, we'll see it and it'll be a quick, great adventure!" type of adventure, this one left me apologizing quite a bit. But it's worth a visit, so go there already. Just don't look like an idiot trying to find a genius.
Location: 2101 Constitution Ave., NW. Directly on the corner of a nameless street and across from Henry Bacon Drive. Map
Closest Metro Stop: Foggy Bottom (orange/blue) or Farragut North (orange/blue)
Cost: Free
On the top floor of Georgetown's seafood eatery sits Crackle Bar, a quaint, New Englandy beach bar that offered us some of the best happy hour deals we've seen yet. They were out of the $2 margaritas that we ventured there for, but we didn't mind replacing them with $1.50 beers and $3 calamari.
The bar itself had wooden floors and walls with various nautical props decorating the room. Flat screen TVs hung on the walls and the vibe was energetic, with a mixture of young professionals and college students. We sat on barstools at a counter overlooking M Street and received quick service despite the room being packed. While our experience didn't last too long, it was a nice stop for a quick and cheap happy hour - with a snack (calamari) to boot!
I can remember this goodbye being surprisingly hard for me - it's so rare that we hang out for just a short amount of time and then commute our own separate ways. But I'm hooked (+1 for a Crackle Bar pun?) so it makes sense.
Happy hour runs weeknights from 5-7pm and has $1 oyster shooters, $3 calamari, $0.50 chicken wings, $5 steamed shrimp, $1.50 bottles of Bud and Bud Light and $2 frozen margaritas. Not a bad deal!
Location: 3245 M Street, NW (Upstairs)
Closest Metro Stop: Rosslyn (orange/blue) or Foggy Bottom (orange/blue) - the Circulator stops right nearby
Cost: $6 for two beers and calamari for two
