What seafood is popular in Washington DC? - Lobbysters! - Garfield and Tango Travel the Long and Winding Road

June 6, 2022

What seafood is popular in Washington DC? - Lobbysters!

Washington DC bike day

All was a go this morning - a good weather forecast and Don's knee problem had disappeared. We had a long ride planned which was going to take us all the way to the National Mall.

By 8:30, we were out the door and headed for the bike trail near us that we would follow to Bladensburg Park. So it was pretty easy and nice riding since we'd been this way several times.

When we reached the park, we continued south on the trail which had become the Anacostia River Trail. I had been on this section when I did my ride which again was very straightforward - go past the rowing club, traverse the long boardwalk over the wetlands and down to the next park for a pit stop.

Back on the bike, we were on the trail for a short distance until it ended at a neighborhood street. This part was new for both of us but there were lots of signs directing us on the street and around to the next hookup with the trail.

Again, it was an easy connection but we had to laugh as we passed a couple of guys sitting on a bench. One of them called out "what kind of a bike is THAT?" I imagine they don't see many recumbent tandems around here. We haven't seen any other 'bents, tandems or even trikes on our rides which is weird.

The trail continued to follow the wide river taking us to a defunct football stadium. This was where the Washington Redskins used to play but it is now closed and looked to be in pretty poor repair. That seemed a shame, but some people are working on raising money to fix it up.

We exited the trail and now were on city streets that headed for the capitol. Traffic was heavy and except for one section, there were no bike lanes.

The closer we got to the mall, the busier it got and Don felt unsafe on the road. So he pulled off to ride the sidewalks which weren't much better. There were lots of pedestrians to weave around and streets to cross where we have to watch out for people making a right turn into us.

One bus would have taken us out when the driver did a rolling stop at the red light and made the turn without looking for walkers or bikers. Luckily we both watch out for this and stopped in plenty of time.

Things got crazier the closer we got to the mall. Now we had tour buses to contend with along with everyone else! I was disappointed when we reached the Capitol itself as there were big "STOP" barricades all around it and lots of police presence. They were only keeping vehicles from getting too close and were allowing pedestrians to walk closer for pictures.

The Supreme Court building across the street was even worse with tall fences installed around the grounds along with more police. There was also a small group of protesters out front. It was so sad to see this as it wasn't that way when we were last here about 10 years ago.

Continuing around the Capitol we were now in the business section of Capitol Hill and hunting for the lunch spot we had picked out. The visitor guide here at the campground had said that Old Ebbit's Grill was her favorite restaurant in DC. I had reviewed their menu on-line and it seemed that they had a good mix of items.

We were both relieved when we finally found it and could take a break from all of the starting/stopping, and constant clipping in and out. The grill was located across the street from the White House (more police, more barricades).

But I thought that photos on-line showed outside seating? However, there was none. How the heck were we going to secure the bike? We'd forgotten to bring our alarm lock (note to self - take the lock!).

Don thought we could park it in an alcove in front of one window where we could watch it from the table. So he went inside and was able to get us seated at that table. We pulled everything of value off the bike and brought it all inside.

Luckily we had gotten there before the noon rush and didn't have to wait for a table. The kitchen was fast and had our meal out fairly quickly. Don had ordered a sandwich while I had their Maryland Crab Soup. I'd been wanting to try this as it's a regional dish.

The soup was very good - a tomato based vegetable soup with lumps of crab in it. Similar to the Brunswick stew I had in Charleston. I told Don we should try cooking both of these soups in our Instant Pot. Don had a huge turkey sandwich, so he saved half to box up to take home.

Lunch done, we headed over to the mall itself to loop around before headed back to the trail (we'd been riding one block off that area). We swung in front of the Washington Monument and then went by some of the Smithsonion museums.

I got off a few times to take pictures but mostly we just biked. Traffic wasn't quite as bad here but there were still tour buses and plenty of walkers. I also noticed that there were lots of food trucks lined up on the streets. That would be good info to store away because, except for cafes in the museums, there aren't any restaurants on the mall itself.

As we reached the other side of the Capitol, we had to get off and walk the hill (they don't call it "Capitol Hill for nothing"!) As we were trudging along, we encountered a couple from Colorado that had just completed the Southern Tier and part of the Atlantic Coast Routes.

It was fun talking touring with them as it was her first tour and his third. It made me really long for touring!

At the top of the hill, we got back on the bike and negotiated the sidewalk around the stadium until we reached the bike trail. Whew!! We'd made it. But I don't think I'd do it again. Maybe on a quieter Sunday morning - early in the day.

The remainder of our ride was just retracing the route back to the campground and went smoothly, except for when Don accidentally turned onto the same trail I'd taken the other day. We caught the mistake within a few feet and returned back to the trail we needed.

It was a little after 3 when we made it home happy to have completed this ride. Other than feeling tired and hot, we both felt good. But dinner was leftovers as neither of us had enough energy to do much else.

One section of the trail doesn't have an underpass and Don has to push the bike up this steep incline to cross the street. I doubt many bikers could pedal up to the top.

Even though we've been down these trails several times, we just now noticed all of the East Coast Greenway signs.

Uhhhh - I think you're blocking the trail, dude!

This is the dilapidated stadium we went around today. Kind of sad to see.

The Capitol Hill neighborhood has mostly these lovely rowhomes. Very few single family houses.

But here's what we found all around the Capitol as well as other government buildings.

The Supreme Court had a tall fence around it along with lots of police.

The back side of the Library of Congress.

And tons of food trucks. Wish we'd known that there were so many options for lunch.

But our destination for lunch today was the Old Ebbit's Grill.

Unique sculpture around the entrance to the National Museum of Arts and Industries.

We have the "blue bear" in Denver on the convention center. Guess DC has a blue chicken!

I think this was the House office building which was larger than the senate's.

Lots of interesting architecture and sculptures along the mall.

They let pedestrians walk closer to the Capitol, but no vehicles allowed.

And guess what we found around the corner from the Capitol? Yup - a homeless camp!

Mass transit is big in the DC area.This is the Metro line.

Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 574 miles (924 km)

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