I wasn't planning to do another holiday trip to the White House for a while, but Beryl Almond talked me into it again this year and I admit that I'm glad she did. It's the most labor-intensive day trip that I do, but it truly is worth the effort. Especially since this year, we were allowed to take cell phone photos inside the White House! In the past, photos were always strictly forbidden even though you were allowed to take your cell phone inside. Of course, nothing comes close to seeing everything in person, but I'm posting some photos that I hope you'll enjoy here to get a sense of how beautiful the displays are.
I start planning this trip in the middle of the summer by submitting my tour request and then promoting the trip to my customers. The trip sells out literally in a matter of days, so I don't even bother to post it on the website. (If only EVERY trip sold like this one...)
Filling out the background spreadsheet is the part that I worry about the most. I learned on the first trip that the Secret Service really does check the data that I provide them against the data on the photo IDs on the day of the tour so there is absolutely no room for error.
I want to give a shout out to Laura Nolan in Congressman LoBiondo's office--she is very efficient and a pleasure to work with. I can only imagine the number of tour requests that she fields throughout the year and I appreciate all of her help.
While I wait for the Secret Service to do the background checks and the White House folks to decide what tour time to assign to my group (assuming, of course, that my request is even approved), I'm also setting up tours with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Washington National Cathedral as well as selecting a place for lunch that can accommodate a large group while offering a variety of options. As enjoyable as the White House tour is, it's self-guided and it really doesn't take that long to go through even at a leisurely pace. I figure that if we're going to ride all that way to DC, we should make the most of the day and add in some other activities.
DC traffic is horrible and unpredictable. Trying to figure out what time to leave in the morning is a real challenge. I don't want to leave too early and have the group standing outside of the White House Visitor's Entrance too long in case of bad weather, but I also don't want to risk arriving so late that we miss our entrance time. So invariably, there are some folks on the trip who are either unhappy about the time that we leave or unhappy about the time we arrive. I have to admit that I still don't like it when I know that there are unhappy customers, but I also know that there's no way to please everybody all of the time. I aim for providing the best possible experience at the best possible price and at the end of the [long] day, I hope that everyone leaves with some happy memories.
This time we were asked to line up alphabetically outside of the Visitor's Entrance which we didn't have to do on the first trip. But we did get through much quicker than before, so the last-minute rearranging of folks out on the sidewalk at least made sense.
On the previous visit, some of us caught just a quick glimpse of the back end of Bo the dog as he was coming inside the White House. This year, Bo was actually walking right in front of me just as we were coming up on the display that features him. I tried get a shot of him in front of his display, but Paul had the same idea and we were competing for camera space and I'm still not that great using my new phone, so I lost the Kodak moment.
I opted out of participating in the guided tour of the Kennedy Center because I've taken it a couple of times already and I really just wanted to sit down and relax for a while. It's a very interesting tour though and I do recommend that you take it if you ever have the opportunity. I'm still trying to get some good photos inside the Center, but the lighting is pretty bad and the weather being on the gray side didn't help.
The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center has a nice food court area. Not a beer to be found though, so Paul and I trekked to the Aria Pizzeria & Bar for a bite and a beer. Wanted to spend some time touring through the building, but decided to save that for another day when I have more time.
My favorite part of this holiday trip is The National Cathedral. It is an amazing building and must be seen in person to appreciate. The guided tours are great but I always wish I had more time there. They have two gift shops that offer a wide variety of unique items. It's always a challenge getting everyone out of the gift shops and back on the bus at the end of the day.
I'll be putting more photos from this trip on the Davis Day Trips Facebook page if you'd like to check them out. Every week I am getting more "Likes" on Facebook which is awesome--not sure how people are finding out about us, but it's so exciting every time I get a new "Like"!
Back to New York City on Wednesday for my LAST trip of 2012!
Yesterday was our first of two holiday trips to New York City. Weather was overcast and a little colder than I had expected which resulted in the purchase of a $9 scarf from a street vendor. Asking price was $10, but I have a rule that I will walk away before paying full price. Last year I got my Burberry knock-off scarf for $8, but this year I just wasn't in full negotiating mode.
Did the usual touristy stuff: Went to see the tree at Rockefeller Center, checked out the skaters, (surprisingly light holiday crowd), then off to Bryant Park.
Salvation Army bell ringers were out in full force, but it was very disappointing to see that not many folks were putting anything in the buckets. Those bell ringers work very hard entertaining the tourists, so please remember to donate a buck or two.
Every year I try to get a really good picture of the tree, but with the gray skies this was the best I could do. Maybe when we go back on the 12th, I can get a better shot.
On the way to Bryant Park to check out the Holiday Shops, I stopped at Cafe Metro for a slice. Was craving spinach and ricotta and had to wait 10 minutes (which felt like 20 because I was hungry) for the pie to come out of the oven. Unfortunately, the pizza was bland and pretty much tasteless and if there was ricotta in it, I sure couldn't find it. Hate to waste food, but ended up tossing half of it out. For $4.99 a [small] slice, I expected much better. Getting ready to call Gus' Pizzeria in Pennsville to satisfy my craving. Can't find better spinach and ricotta pizza anywhere!
Stopped in the New York Public Library to check out their tree which is always beautiful, but wasn't able to get a good photo. This just wasn't my day for picture taking.
Headed over to the free Lion King exhibit across from the park. Very crowded and, as you would expect, LOTS of kids everywhere so it was challenging to see the different exhibits up close. Kudos to the show for offering such a fantastic opportunity to the public.
Coincidentally, I happen to have The Lion King on my trip schedule for next year at a great price of only $154 for the show AND transportation! Sure would make the perfect holiday gift for someone special...
As always, there were plenty of unique shops at Bryant Park. I always enjoy seeing the new and creative items that the artists have to offer. The downside to the holiday shops is that the prices are on the high side. I actually prefer my $9 scarf to the $25 ones that I saw.
I stopped by Daisy's Grits to get some hot apple cider and watched the super-friendly owner create a "grits masterpiece" for the customer ahead of me. Who knew there were so many flavors and add-on options?
By far, the absolute best find of the day was Raaka Virgin Chocolate. Trust me when I tell you, their 71% dark chocolate with sea salt will cure whatever ails you. Wishing I had purchased the larger size bar (my $5 "nibbler" bar is already history) but happily they have a website and they do sell in some locations around NYC. This is definitely "special occasion" chocolate and would be an amazing gift for the chocolate lover on your holiday list. On top of making fantastic chocolate, the company's mission statement is "...to make the most delicious chocolate possible while building and maintaining healthy and valuable relationships with our global community, our planet, and each other." Doesn't get much better than that!
Was excited to be seeing Al Pacino on Broadway again, this time in Glengarry Glen Ross. Wish I could say that I enjoyed the show, but... To begin with, it was difficult to hear Mr. Pacino and I wasn't that far from the stage. Of course, the two very VERY rude women behind me who insisted on loudly whispering during the entire performance didn't help matters (you know who you are, rude ladies in right orchestra Row L). And while I'm no prude and I swear like a truck driver when I'm angry, the number of times that the F-bomb was dropped was way more than necessary to the story and actually became an annoying distraction.
Ended the day by going to--you guessed it--Frankie & Johnnie's. And obviously Mr. Pacino knew that I would be there because he walked in shortly after I did. (I did not share my review of his performance though.) Enjoyed seeing all my friends and relaxing in the bar with a glass of Prosecco. Plan to go back on the 12th for some of their delicious salmon.
Off to the White House on Wednesday for a holiday tour, followed by the Kennedy Center, and the National Cathedral. Until then, I leave you with these words of wisdom that I saw in one of the Bryant Park shops:
I start planning this trip in the middle of the summer by submitting my tour request and then promoting the trip to my customers. The trip sells out literally in a matter of days, so I don't even bother to post it on the website. (If only EVERY trip sold like this one...) 
While I wait for the Secret Service to do the background checks and the White House folks to decide what tour time to assign to my group (assuming, of course, that my request is even approved), I'm also setting up tours with the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and The Washington National Cathedral as well as selecting a place for lunch that can accommodate a large group while offering a variety of options. As enjoyable as the White House tour is, it's self-guided and it really doesn't take that long to go through even at a leisurely pace. I figure that if we're going to ride all that way to DC, we should make the most of the day and add in some other activities. 
DC traffic is horrible and unpredictable. Trying to figure out what time to leave in the morning is a real challenge. I don't want to leave too early and have the group standing outside of the White House Visitor's Entrance too long in case of bad weather, but I also don't want to risk arriving so late that we miss our entrance time. So invariably, there are some folks on the trip who are either unhappy about the time that we leave or unhappy about the time we arrive. I have to admit that I still don't like it when I know that there are unhappy customers, but I also know that there's no way to please everybody all of the time. I aim for providing the best possible experience at the best possible price and at the end of the [long] day, I hope that everyone leaves with some happy memories.
