Quick visit to Alexandria & Baltimore
After more than two weeks since I started a new chapter in Washington DC, I devoted the last few days to explore a bit outside the capital of the nation with some friends. Alexandria and Baltimore were my first destinations in the USA. Would you like to know what I visited there?
Alexandria (Virginia, VA)
On Friday I went to Alexandria with some of my new work colleagues. Located in Virginia, this cute little town is just 15 minutes by metro from Washington DC. The thing is we arrived there around 5pm and it was getting dark. Besides, it was freezing cold and we decided to take a warm cup of tea at the Uptowner Café. So by the time we were out, there was not much daylight to walk around with.
In any case, we managed to see the city at night, which was cute with the Christmas lights still on. There are a variety of antique shops and restaurants in Alexandria. However, the town’s highlight lies at the end of King street: the harbor! Overlooking the Potomac river and featuring a pier, you can catch a beautiful view of the Capitol in the distance. I’ve been told you can get to Alexandria from DC (or vice versa) by boat, so this should be pretty cool to do in the near future.
Undoubtedly, what prevented us from becoming human ice cubes that evening was hopping in a free vintage trolley that runs between Alexandria’s main street and the metro station in King Street. A complete life saver!
I would recommend visiting this town 100% (on a warmer day though)!
Read these posts for more inspiration about Virginia!
9 things to see and do in Alexandria (Virginia)
Arlington National Cemetery & Iwo Jima Memorial
What to visit on a road trip to Virginia in 3 days
Should you want to read about other destinations in the country, you can refer to my USA destination page.
Baltimore (Maryland, MD)
Yesterday I met with my coworkers again for a day trip to Baltimore, although we almost lost our rental car due to some issues with our foreign driving licenses. What’s more, I drove in the United States for the first time, which was a bit scary because of the automatic car and the location of the traffic lights.
As you may know, this city located in Maryland is infamously known for the series “The Wire”. However, we were happily surprised after walking around a bit (despite some soulless streets).
Our first stop was at the Inner Harbor area, which is full of museums and restaurants (we ate at the Cheesecake Factory nearby). The National Aquarium is actually one of the most popular places to visit in Baltimore.
After lunch we headed north towards Mount Vernon Square, an elegant plaza surrounded by brick houses and a church. We also passed the cemetery where Edgar Allan Poe is buried and walked through Lexington Market. We wandered around Little Italy, though not too authentic, and ended up having dinner in the party area of town before heading back to Washington DC (the trip is roughly an hour).
Feel free to save the map below in order to follow our itinerary.
Tomorrow I’m planning to stop by the National Mall again to check on the preparations for Obama’s second Inauguration Day.
I’ll keep you posted!
