The BIG American History Road Trip April 2022 - Day 5 - Founding Farmers, Target, Cheesecake Factory

[smithlane]

Day 5 - Monday 11th April

Today we were having a much needed lie in as we had no where to rush out to but that didn’t stop me waking up before 7
It was nice to just lie there and chill though.

I had booked a table at Founding Farmers for breakfast at 10.30 so at about 9 we got up and got ourselves ready.
By 10.15 we were ready and heading out the door, the directions said it was going to be about a 15 minute walk but ended up taking nearly 20 due to all the crosswalks we had to stop at!

DC is beautifully kept, such a clean city

We were a few minutes late checking in but it was no bother.
It was busy in here and I’m glad I booked as there was an hours wait for a table!

We were soon seated and given menus.
I went with 2 eggs scrambled, sausage, hash brown and an English muffin. I also asked for just one chocolate chip pancake on the side.
Hope actually ordered some food which is rare as she doesn’t normally like breakfast but she went with scrambled eggs, ham, fruit and English muffin and Mum had the same as me but with bacon and French toast instead of sausage and English muffin.

It soon came and was very tasty. As usual with food in the US it could be hotter! I think the air con cools everything down so fast it’s never hot when it’s placed in front of you.

The pancake was amazing though, the maple syrup had cinnamon in it which made it to die for

We paid up, $76 including tip.

From here we walked towards the White House which is straight down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The police had blocked off a whole section of roads so not sure if that meant Joe was at home

These old buildings look tiny compared to the newer high rises built around them!

I have to say the White House is a lot smaller than I thought it would be? Don’t get me wrong it’s still a huge building but I envisioned it being bigger. The TV really distorts things!

We were now parting ways with Mum as she wanted to go and have a look round the museums and I needed to find a Target to return some items I’d bought but weren’t suitable. Hope didn’t fancy anymore history so it made sense mum could do it in her own time. She was armed with a map and reassured me she’d be fine!

Hope and I began our walk back to the hotel to pick up the car.

We popped into White House Gifts who stocked every type of gift, knick knack and souvenir you could ever want!

Hope picked up a t-shirt and I got a Christmas tree decoration, a postcard and magnet.

Once back at the hotel we got the car from the valet and I plugged in the nearest Target which was only a 10 minute drive away.

This ended up being in a bit of a rundown area, we were certainly out of the tourist bubble now!
Fear not, I live in a dodgy borough of London so it felt like home

Parking was underground and we found a space easily. Got all the bits I wanted to return out of the boot and headed up to customer services.
This was really easy to do even though half the order was done online and half in the store from the other day.
Target store all receipts on your account so they just scan your phone and the money goes straight back on the card you paid with. Simples!
The two ladies on customer service were hilarious and loved my accent! They did their best British accent for me which was pretty terrible

Once that was done we had a quick look round the store. I found a nice white swim coverup, some more Easter candy and a Flamingo razor that I had seen rave reviews online!

From here we got back in the car and headed to Walmart which was near the Capitol building.
Again it was an underground parking lot and we found a spot straight away.
I wanted to stock up on meds but every single medication was behind a locked cabinet. I flagged down a member of staff who opened it up for me. I had to tell her what I wanted then she put them in a locked clear plastic box. The person on the check out would then open it up.
She was saying they had a high amount of thefts from this store so have had to resort to this method!

I picked up some Naproxen and Acetaminophen PM plus some hydrocortisone cream

I was after a new suitcase but they had a rubbish choice of only 2 or 3 fabric 2-wheeler ones. We need to replace one of our suitcases so I figured I’d buy one to bring home all the shopping but will have to try somewhere on the last day instead.

Whilst here I picked up some Chipotle and Buttermilk Ranch dressings, Taco seasoning, water flavourings, lemonade sachets, Chocolate caramel Ghiradelli squares, M&Ms and yet more Easter candy. I love making themed Charcuterie trays, this one went down a storm!

Once back in the car I plugged the hotel address into Maps which was only a 10 minute drive away, I've been pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to drive around DC.
We were soon back and taking all the shopping up to the room to have a sort out.
It looks like loads when it’s all in individual bags and I always wonder how the heck I’m going to get it all home but actually once you take it all out it’s never an issue

Mum arrived back at the hotel at that exact moment so great timing. She had had a lovely time exploring both the Museum of American History and the Natural History but claimed the latter is no where near as good as ours in London. She found the American History museum fascinating though, especially the First Lady inauguration dresses.

We now had a well deserved chill in the room, I even managed a snooze

Mum said she’d passed a Cheesecake Factory on the way back so I managed to book a table for 7pm.
We slowly got ready and at about 6.30 we started walking there.

It didn’t take long at all and as we were a bit early just waited 10 or so minutes to be seated.

I knew exactly what I was having, I’ve been craving it for 3 years! The Orange Chicken.
I really wanted the lunchtime portion knowing that the usual one would be huge but they stop serving the smaller portions at 5pm which is annoying.
They do a Skinnylicious menu which is lower calorie meals and smaller dishes but no Orange Chicken on that one.
Mum went with the chicken tacos and Hope the cheeseburger. I’m waiting for the day she surprises me by ordering something else

They brought out the delicious honey oat bread and I tried to only have a few pieces so not to fill myself up. It’s hard as I could easily eat a whole loaf!

The food soon came out and was just as good as I remembered. True to form I couldn’t finish it though. It’s such a waste, I really do think they should leave their lunchtime portions on the menu all day for those that can’t eat supersized the whole time!

Mum enjoyed her tacos and Hope her burger but she claims the one she had on our first night at Iron Hill Brewery was still the best.

I couldn’t leave without taking a piece of cheesecake with us, there was no way I was going to be able to eat it now!
I wanted the Mango Key Lime one but they’d just sold the last piece so I instead got the Key Lime on its own.

We got the bill which came to $90 inc tip.

We now made a very slow waddle back to the hotel, past the White House who had planted flowers in support of Ukraine.

[OB1LukeLucas]

A more relaxing day. Washington does look very pretty in the photos. You White House Christmas decorations is fab. Pleased you managed to get to the Cheesecake Factory, well spotted by your Mum.

[Goldia]

Breakfast at founding farmers looked great and set you up well for a day of shopping. A bit more of a chilled out day today, nice to have an afternoon snooze as well. I'm enjoying seeing the photos of Washington DC it is a very pretty city.

[CrispyA]

Looks like another good day and nice that you could all do your own thing. Seems daft that you can’t get smaller portions all day but the food looks great

[ClaireNJ]

Originally Posted by smithlane

Day 5 - Monday 11th April

Today we were having a much needed lie in as we had no where to rush out to but that didn’t stop me waking up before 7
It was nice to just lie there and chill though.

I had booked a table at Founding Farmers for breakfast at 10.30 so at about 9 we got up and got ourselves ready.
By 10.15 we were ready and heading out the door, the directions said it was going to be about a 15 minute walk but ended up taking nearly 20 due to all the crosswalks we had to stop at!

DC is beautifully kept, such a clean city

We were a few minutes late checking in but it was no bother.
It was busy in here and I’m glad I booked as there was an hours wait for a table!

We were soon seated and given menus.
I went with 2 eggs scrambled, sausage, hash brown and an English muffin. I also asked for just one chocolate chip pancake on the side.
Hope actually ordered some food which is rare as she doesn’t normally like breakfast but she went with scrambled eggs, ham, fruit and English muffin and Mum had the same as me but with bacon and French toast instead of sausage and English muffin.

It soon came and was very tasty. As usual with food in the US it could be hotter! I think the air con cools everything down so fast it’s never hot when it’s placed in front of you.

The pancake was amazing though, the maple syrup had cinnamon in it which made it to die for

We paid up, $76 including tip.

From here we walked towards the White House which is straight down Pennsylvania Avenue.
The police had blocked off a whole section of roads so not sure if that meant Joe was at home

These old buildings look tiny compared to the newer high rises built around them!

I have to say the White House is a lot smaller than I thought it would be? Don’t get me wrong it’s still a huge building but I envisioned it being bigger. The TV really distorts things!

We were now parting ways with Mum as she wanted to go and have a look round the museums and I needed to find a Target to return some items I’d bought but weren’t suitable. Hope didn’t fancy anymore history so it made sense mum could do it in her own time. She was armed with a map and reassured me she’d be fine!

Hope and I began our walk back to the hotel to pick up the car.

We popped into White House Gifts who stocked every type of gift, knick knack and souvenir you could ever want!

Hope picked up a t-shirt and I got a Christmas tree decoration, a postcard and magnet.

Once back at the hotel we got the car from the valet and I plugged in the nearest Target which was only a 10 minute drive away.

This ended up being in a bit of a rundown area, we were certainly out of the tourist bubble now!
Fear not, I live in a dodgy borough of London so it felt like home

Parking was underground and we found a space easily. Got all the bits I wanted to return out of the boot and headed up to customer services.
This was really easy to do even though half the order was done online and half in the store from the other day.
Target store all receipts on your account so they just scan your phone and the money goes straight back on the card you paid with. Simples!
The two ladies on customer service were hilarious and loved my accent! They did their best British accent for me which was pretty terrible

Once that was done we had a quick look round the store. I found a nice white swim coverup, some more Easter candy and a Flamingo razor that I had seen rave reviews online!

From here we got back in the car and headed to Walmart which was near the Capitol building.
Again it was an underground parking lot and we found a spot straight away.
I wanted to stock up on meds but every single medication was behind a locked cabinet. I flagged down a member of staff who opened it up for me. I had to tell her what I wanted then she put them in a locked clear plastic box. The person on the check out would then open it up.
She was saying they had a high amount of thefts from this store so have had to resort to this method!

I picked up some Naproxen and Acetaminophen PM plus some hydrocortisone cream

I was after a new suitcase but they had a rubbish choice of only 2 or 3 fabric 2-wheeler ones. We need to replace one of our suitcases so I figured I’d buy one to bring home all the shopping but will have to try somewhere on the last day instead.

Whilst here I picked up some Chipotle and Buttermilk Ranch dressings, Taco seasoning, water flavourings, lemonade sachets, Chocolate caramel Ghiradelli squares, M&Ms and yet more Easter candy. I love making themed Charcuterie trays, this one went down a storm!

Once back in the car I plugged the hotel address into Maps which was only a 10 minute drive away, I've been pleasantly surprised with how easy it is to drive around DC.
We were soon back and taking all the shopping up to the room to have a sort out.
It looks like loads when it’s all in individual bags and I always wonder how the heck I’m going to get it all home but actually once you take it all out it’s never an issue

Mum arrived back at the hotel at that exact moment so great timing. She had had a lovely time exploring both the Museum of American History and the Natural History but claimed the latter is no where near as good as ours in London. She found the American History museum fascinating though, especially the First Lady inauguration dresses.

We now had a well deserved chill in the room, I even managed a snooze

Mum said she’d passed a Cheesecake Factory on the way back so I managed to book a table for 7pm.
We slowly got ready and at about 6.30 we started walking there.

It didn’t take long at all and as we were a bit early just waited 10 or so minutes to be seated.

I knew exactly what I was having, I’ve been craving it for 3 years! The Orange Chicken.
I really wanted the lunchtime portion knowing that the usual one would be huge but they stop serving the smaller portions at 5pm which is annoying.
They do a Skinnylicious menu which is lower calorie meals and smaller dishes but no Orange Chicken on that one.
Mum went with the chicken tacos and Hope the cheeseburger. I’m waiting for the day she surprises me by ordering something else

They brought out the delicious honey oat bread and I tried to only have a few pieces so not to fill myself up. It’s hard as I could easily eat a whole loaf!

The food soon came out and was just as good as I remembered. True to form I couldn’t finish it though. It’s such a waste, I really do think they should leave their lunchtime portions on the menu all day for those that can’t eat supersized the whole time!

Mum enjoyed her tacos and Hope her burger but she claims the one she had on our first night at Iron Hill Brewery was still the best.

I couldn’t leave without taking a piece of cheesecake with us, there was no way I was going to be able to eat it now!
I wanted the Mango Key Lime one but they’d just sold the last piece so I instead got the Key Lime on its own.

We got the bill which came to $90 inc tip.

We now made a very slow waddle back to the hotel, past the White House who had planted flowers in support of Ukraine.

See more...

WOW I only started reading as I saw Cheesecake Factory 🙊🙊😋😋but that pancake looked amazing 🤩
And what a lovely haul of bits you’ve brought back too
X

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by OB1LukeLucas

A more relaxing day. Washington does look very pretty in the photos. You White House Christmas decorations is fab. Pleased you managed to get to the Cheesecake Factory, well spotted by your Mum.

See more...

It was definitely needed today, I was on the verge of burn out which usually happens on the holidays I go on 🥴
The Cheesecake Factory is a must whenever we’re in the vicinity of one! I’m glad mum found it

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by Goldia

Breakfast at founding farmers looked great and set you up well for a day of shopping. A bit more of a chilled out day today, nice to have an afternoon snooze as well. I'm enjoying seeing the photos of Washington DC it is a very pretty city.

See more...

It really did, I had missed American pancakes that’s for sure!
I never nap in the day so it just goes to show how exhausted I was. One day I’ll learn to just take it easy on holiday 😂
I could have done with another couple of days in DC like you did to really explore the city

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Looks like another good day and nice that you could all do your own thing. Seems daft that you can’t get smaller portions all day but the food looks great

See more...

Yes it was better that we split off today. Mum was fine, I really wanted to see the Museum of American History but I’m not sure how much more walking I could have done, next time for sure!
It really is ridiculous, they must waste so much food!

[smithlane]

Originally Posted by ClaireNJ

WOW I only started reading as I saw Cheesecake Factory 🙊🙊😋😋but that pancake looked amazing 🤩
And what a lovely haul of bits you’ve brought back too
X

See more...

Haha you’re a gal after my own heart with your love of CF and cake! To be honest anything with sugar I’m all over 😂
You got to love a Target and Walmart haul, no US trip is complete without one!

[Fuellady]

Fantastic food day today. Your breakfasts at Founding Farmers look yummy, and a great way to start the day. I'm glad your mum enjoyed her little museum jaunt on her own while you and Hope hit the shops. Lovely meal to end the day at Cheesecake Factory as well. That was well spotted by your mum. Nice photos today as well, it looks such a pretty city.