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After the first part of my stay in Pennsylvania, I woke up early, packed my bag, and hit the road toward D.C.
The drive took me through the Pennsylvania countryside, and I wasn’t prepared for how beautiful it would be. Huge green hills rose on both sides, layered with morning fog. It felt peaceful and cinematic, the kind of drive that makes you grateful you left early enough to catch the quiet part of the day.
Arrival and Brunch at The Grove
Five hours later, I arrived and picked up my friend. We headed straight to The Grove for brunch.
The interior was light and airy, and since we got there early, it was nearly empty. We ordered their French fry wheel and burgers, both were absolutely worth the hype.
A Cake Mission and Unexpected Detours
Our plan for the night was simple: dinner and cake at the Airbnb. But first, we had to shop for all the ingredients.
What we thought would be a quick errand turned into hours of driving, bouncing between stores in Virginia and Maryland. At one point, we stopped at a mall just to browse for souvenirs. Honestly, I didn’t mind. It gave us a chance to see different towns and enjoy the drive.
Dinner, Dessert, and a Not-So-Great Airbnb
When we finally checked into the Airbnb, we got to work making homemade Alfredo pasta with garlic bread, then started baking our cake.
Normally, I’d link the Airbnb I stayed in, but this time I can’t recommend it. There were trash bags at the door, nothing restocked, and minimal cleaning done. The host was dismissive, but Airbnb support was amazing and kindly refunded most of the stay, so it was made up for.
Even with that hiccup, the night was perfect, staying up into the early hours talking, watching movies, and laughing while we tried to perfect the cake.
National Harbor and Exploring
The next morning, we headed to the National Harbor.
We walked along the water, explored the shops, and took photos before filling up on gas and grabbing lunch at Izakaya Nana in Virginia, a gorgeous Japanese restaurant with incredible food.
Later as the end of our time together grew near, we stopped at another large mall to check out stores I’d never seen before, and ended the day by trying Checkers for the first time, a fast food chain in the east.
The Accident on the Way Back
After dropping my friend off, I started the drive back to Pennsylvania. That’s when I got into a car accident.
Maryland and D.C. are known for aggressive driving and frequent accidents, so in hindsight, this wasn’t a huge surprise. Thankfully, the other driver was kind, and the accident was minor. Still, I can’t stress this enough, if you’re driving in this area, have a dash cam and use a car phone mount to keep your focus on the road.
My insurance handled everything smoothly, and I was able to finish the trip with a beautiful sunset drive back.
Final Thoughts
Even with a few bumps in the road, this trip was full of good food, laughter, and memories I’ll hold onto. D.C. is a city I’ll definitely return to, hopefully with more time to explore its museums, history, and neighborhoods.
This was my first time seeing more of the east and while I didn't see much this time, I gained incentive to come back and explore more next time.