Washington DC

I'm sitting here before an empty posting page and wondering where to even begin to describe where I am currently at. So I'll start at the beginning.

John and I flew into DC this afternoon after a few delays and a VERY rough landing. When the flight attendants say make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and snug to you waist...sometimes they really mean it! But after a short jaunt from the airport to the hotel we entered the doors of the Sofitel DC. It was breathtaking. The paneling is done in a cherrywood/dark mahogany and the beautiful fresh floral arrangements are everywhere. This is an atmosphere of elegance, sophistication and power. We checked into our respective rooms and for those of you who have seen pictures of the Sofitel rooms in LA and Mpls just know that this location is just as beautiful. My rooms has a collection of sepia toned photographs of various landmark locations, such as the Licoln Memorial, the White House, the site of million man march...not to mention the obligatory Parisian land marks of the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. Needless to say it is beautiful. The bathroom is very reminiscent of the Mpls bathroom with the dark green tiles, the black marble countertops, the fantastic lighting and of course the amazing, wonderful, if I was rich I would have one, state of the art shower and separate bath. Simply an amazing ambiance.

I don't know exactly how to describe the atmosphere at DC aside from that of restrained power and quality. This is such a different environment from LA. Here when we went down for dinner 98% of the individuals who were present at Cafe 15 were in business attire. Not a pair of jeans, sneakers or "casual clothes" were in sight...(ok aside from a person in R&D for a pharmaceutical company who is excused from the social mandates due to their sheer genius). And YES I know its a Sunday night....but that is how these people operate. So my dress slacks, wine colored sweater and snazzy blazer were ok but not "Fab". But then, I cannot afford Coach shoes and bag, Cartier engagement ring, Rolex watch and NM suits. So aside from almost choking on the sheer "restrained old money" floating about the dining room I simply must admit that this evenings dinner was an amazing journey of people watching.

Dinner itself....where to begin. A fantastic glass of Edge Cab Sauv. started the evening off. Then was the chef sampler of leek and potato soup (ok, not excellent) then after serious contemplation of the menu it was decided to go with the ginger glazed Mastlovik duck breast and another glass of wine. John had the two tone mushroom soup for his starter and the seared Ahi tuna with tart crust for his main course (two appetizers in place of a main course...there is logic there I just don't know what it is...). Cafe 15 was simply hopping. Usually hotel restaurants are not that busy....it is more of a convenience for the guest than an actual money making proposition for the hotel but when John and I came down for dinner there were maybe 25-26 people present...two large group tables and a couple of normal tables...by the time we left 2.5 hours later the place was jam packed....there had to be at least 100 people present and we were first to leave out of the original groupings. So back to dinner. It was amazing. The presentation, the service, the food itself I thought I had died and gone to seventh heaven. Then joy of joys John ordered a dessert coffee which meant I was free to order a real dessert and I did. The hazelnut ice cream with something else (cause I cant remember what it was called :)) was amazing.....so much more as far as design, taste and presentation than the menu description would have you believe.

But that I think is key to this establishment....The menu is understated but simply divine, the service outstanding but not pretentious and the atmosphere conducive to work and the enjoyment of life. I can feel the history in the air here. I can see the street as they used to be .... the cobblestones, the horse drawn carriages, the powder wigs...I can see history being made. And that is quite possibly one of the reasons this location will become one of my top 3 favorite locations. This is the site of history....Washington walked down Pennsylvania Ave just around the corner, Nixon ran into a little trouble at a hotel just down the street from this site where I sitting now, and the current Bush eats dinner at Cafe 15 on a regular basis. Indeed there are secret service persons all over this hotel at this moment due to a very special someone who is staying here....I know but I'm not supposed to tell.

Its an environment where intelligence and power rule....its not about the latest movie or being a star or having the worst eating disorder....its night and day from LA.

Could I live here....I don't know. I would probably be more comfortable in Montreal, but this would be a close second.

So that is the scoop....I'm jet lagged and beat but wanted ya'll to have a feel for what this location was like. And also to let you know that I had my first glimpse of the White House (which is just around the corner and when John and I take our afternoon constitutional...our excuse for Starbucks we will be walking RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT)!!! And I also saw the Washington Monument for the first time and it was simply amazing!!!

So much, much more to follow later but take care till then.....miss ya'll