Washington, D.C. one-day itinerary, must-eat food, Laduree macaron afternoon tea, and a U.S. car rental road trip!
[One day of sightseeing in Washington, D.C.]
Today is Friday, December 24 — Christmas Eve, the night Americans look forward to most all year. We set off at 9:00 a.m. to pick up our car from Hertz at State College Airport, kicking off our first gogoout North America road trip! The original plan for the day looked like this: see the sights of Washington, D.C., watch The Nutcracker ballet at The Warner Theater, buy gifts at the Christmas market, and have Christmas treats at Laduree. But once we got to D.C. we discovered the Christmas market was closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, so we swapped the last stop for some shopping instead!
Photos and article by: Sabrina Tseng (Penn State University)
[A self-drive rental car tour of Washington, D.C. attractions]
We first came across gogoout, an online car rental platform, through the Taiwanese Student Association at Penn State University. We found that booking through gogoout was cheaper than renting directly from the rental company, the cars were great and nearly new, and since gogoout is also from Taiwan, having a Chinese-language service line to call felt that much more reassuring! Booking online is actually very simple and fast: once you pick your rental dates, times and number of passengers, the system automatically shows the cars that match along with their prices. After choosing a car, you just fill in the driver’s basic details plus your rental dates and times, and once the confirmation email arrives you’re all set!
(Search, compare prices and book online — all in one place)
On pickup day we brought our ID, driver’s license and the credit card used for the booking to the rental counter. The agent quickly confirmed our reservation details, had us sign the contract, and handed us a set of keys. With the keys in hand, we headed to the parking lot next door, found our car and were ready to hit the road!
(Keys in hand, ready to go!)
(On the way to Washington, D.C.!)
[Washington, D.C. attractions] Stop 1: Tatte Bakery & Cafe
Before long we had driven from a 2°F Pennsylvania to a bright, sunny Washington, D.C. — a trip of 3 hours and 40 minutes in total. Having left early without breakfast, we immediately started frantically searching for good food in D.C., and after digging through plenty of blogs by students studying abroad we found a coffee and bakery shop that started in Boston called Tatte Bakery & Cafe.
(A coffee and bakery shop that started in Boston, called Tatte Bakery & Cafe)
The flagship store in Boston is said to be a daily must-visit breakfast spot for Harvard students, with a line of hardcore coffee-and-pastry addicts forming first thing in the morning, drawn in by the smell.
(You have to grab a takeout order of what Harvard students eat for breakfast every day!)
Tatte Bakery & Cafe has 14 years of history, growing from a single stall at the Boston Farmers Markets into 23 locations of all sizes. These minimalist, forest-inspired shops are scattered through the streets of Boston and Washington, and while each one reveals the designer’s own unique touches, they all share that calm, fresh, woodland feeling. The way your pace slows down the moment you step through the wooden door is something you simply don’t feel in a busy chain coffee shop — as if the morning’s fatigue stops at the threshold along with the honking traffic of the D.C. streets, and the jazz drifting from inside is the starting point of a lovely morning.
(High ceilings and a simple color palette create a laid-back, easygoing mood)
Inside the big glass case: croissant-shaped chocolate pastries, cinnamon rolls sold six to a set, an 8-inch lemon cake blanketed in lemon glaze, jars packed with whole bright-red strawberries in berry jam… every one of these handmade desserts may look standard on a regular menu, but under head chef Tzurit Or’s recipes nothing is “standard” at all. And the homestyle dishes from around the world on the menu had us so busy eating that we forgot to talk. Traditional Shakshuka, Roasted Mushroom in cream sauce, and a Pastry Basket — shared among the three of us, savory and sweet in turns, finishing with the sweet aftertaste of the last sip of English breakfast tea… Can a D.C. trip really start out this blissful?!
(Traditional Shakshuka, Roasted Mushroom in cream sauce and a Pastry Basket, shared among three people, savory and sweet in turns — can a D.C. trip really start out this blissful?!)
[Washington, D.C. attractions] Stop 2: Downtown main street and Laduree French macarons
After leaving Tatte Bakery & Cafe, we doubled back to the main street in downtown D.C. that we had passed on the way in. Unlike the modern bustle of New York or the leisurely historic feel of Philadelphia, Washington has kept the original character of its streets and famous buildings while mixing in upscale shops and restaurants both old and new. Block after pricey block is surrounded by elegant detached houses, each with a Christmas tree made of fresh pine standing in front of its big floor-to-ceiling window. Even the outfits and fabrics of the strangers standing around on the sidewalk gave off a faint air of expense, and the PNC Bank branch we walked past looked just like the National Taiwan Museum next to 228 Peace Memorial Park — it’s not hard to imagine that America’s two richest men, Jeff Bezos and Warren Buffett, live in this area. But with streetlamps already hung with Christmas wreaths, Christmas classics playing in the shops, and the anticipation written on residents’ faces, the overall atmosphere in D.C. felt refined without being cold — warm and cheerful instead.
(The PNC Bank branch that looks remarkably like the National Taiwan Museum next to 228 Peace Memorial Park)
(Streetlamps already hung with Christmas wreaths)
Once downtown, we headed straight for Laduree, the most famous macaron shop from Paris. The Tiffany-blue, gold-trimmed Laduree storefront had drawn a short line of customers.
(The Tiffany-blue, gold-trimmed Laduree storefront)
With more than ten macaron flavors in the display case, our indecision kicked in instantly — luckily, waiting in line gave us just enough time to settle on Framboise (raspberry), Citron (lemon), Pistachio, Cocktail Mandarine Champagne Rose (champagne) and Passion Fruit. And just as we expected, the classic Vanilla was already sold out by 2:00 p.m. — so close!
(The shop was packed, and the classic Vanilla was already sold out by 2:00 p.m.!)
(Inside the shop)
Laduree may not be a D.C. specialty, but it’s still one of the best Christmas gift options for a lot of people. The friends who received our boxes of Christmas macarons agreed the price was well worth it: every macaron shell has nuts folded in for extra texture, and the jam fillings are full of fragrant fruit pulp and flower seeds. Looking at the silver lace trim on the pretty macaron box while listening to the French staff’s romantic accent, we somehow felt like society ladies for ten minutes.
(A box of macarons — one of the best Christmas gift options for many people)
(Soaking up the Christmas spirit!)
[Washington, D.C. attractions] Stop 3: The Nutcracker ballet at The Warner Theater
After our little afternoon tea came nonstop shopping. Back in State College we can only enjoy online shopping, so having all those big-city fashion stores right in front of us was something else — 20% off, 30% off… 50% off. The second-biggest sale day after Black Friday really is more than you can cover in a single day, and we shopped so hard we lost track of time, finally driving off at 2:16 p.m. to make our third stop of the day: The Nutcracker ballet, curtain up at 3:30 sharp.
(Christmas sales shopping on the streets of Washington, D.C.!)
The 98-year-old Warner Theater has a very stately interior; the gilded carvings on the pilasters and walls show off the luxury and solemnity of the French Renaissance, with motifs of classical mythological figures, plants, animals and musical instruments. Most of the audience wore evening gowns or full suits and ties — unlike in Taiwan, where you can dress casually for a performance, in the U.S. dressing up for a show is a sign of respect and admiration for the performers on stage.
(The Nutcracker ballet, performed only at Christmas)
The Nutcracker is a very traditional American Christmas performance, staged only during this time of year. The production we saw was performed jointly by ballet dancers from Washington State and Indiana, and it wove in Swan Lake, another ballet classic. The show was split into two acts, with the first act further divided into three scenes. Over two hours we went from the Christmas Eve party at the heroine Clara’s house, to the Nutcracker’s battle with the Mouse King after the guests left, to the shores of Swan Lake in a silvery world, and finally to Clara traveling the world in a hot air balloon with the Nutcracker Prince. The sets changed scene after scene, and the final act combined ballet style and steps with traditional cultures from around the world, fully capturing the heroes’ globe-trotting journey — very fresh and inventive, and it had the audience laughing out loud.
(Sets and costumes changing from scene to scene)
(Ballet steps blending cultures from around the world)
[Washington, D.C. attractions] Stop 4: The Washington Monument
After the show we hurriedly ordered Korean BBQ rice bowls and headed over to the nearby Washington Monument for photos.
(Washington, D.C.’s landmark — the Washington Monument, with an observation deck inside that looks out over the city’s major buildings)
Don’t be fooled by that puzzling hollow white marble column: it’s a main tower designed according to ancient Egyptian architectural proportions, the landmark built in the U.S. capital to honor President George Washington. At 169.3 meters tall, it is currently the world’s tallest stone structure. The interior is hollow, with 188 memorial stones donated by contributors from around the world set into the inner walls, and at the top there’s an observation deck you can buy a ticket to visit. From the deck you look east to the United States Capitol, west to the Lincoln Memorial, south to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and north to the White House, where the president lives and works. Because of the time, we only photographed the monument from the outside before rushing to the Korean BBQ restaurant Gogi Yogi to pick up the three boxes of grilled beef rib rice we had ordered. Finally we stopped at Chatime, the only place still open, for hot bubble tea, then got in the car for the nearly four-hour drive home!
(Grilled beef rib rice and bubble tea in hand for the nearly four-hour drive home)
Because it was Christmas Eve, the rental office closed earlier than expected, so to return the car all we had to do was fill in the fuel level, return time and mileage on the rental record provided, and drop it in the black box on the wall along with the keys — and the return was done!
(Snap a photo of the return time and fill in the fuel level and mileage to complete the self-service return)
(Car returned — that wraps up our Christmas day trip to Washington, D.C.!)
Learn more about self-driving in the U.S.:
[Complete guide to renting a car in the USA] 2021 edition — nine things you need to know! – gogoout
[US Self-Drive Travel] Driving across America in 2021 made super EASY – gogoout
This article was translated by AI from the original Chinese version.
