Staycation: 29 (Gluten Free) Hours in Navy Yard, DC

Staycation: 29 (Gluten Free) Hours in Navy Yard, DC

Inspired by the extremely popular "36 Hours" New York Times Series, here is my itinerary for what you should do on a staycation or vacation to Navy Yard, DC. 

Skip the dry GF bun and burger from Blue Jacket, but get the fries if you're ok with a shared fryer

Saturday, 11AM Early check in at the Courtyard Marriott

This clean, affordable, convenient hotel is

The Perfect DC Summer Weekend

The Perfect DC Summer Weekend

Last weekend, my husband and I decided, spur-of-the-moment around Thursday morning, to do a "staycation" in downtown DC. We live about nearby in Northern Virginia and are down there often for work and play, but we rarely spend the night and have never spent more than a single night downtown since moving to NOVA.

This weekend was the best! Here are some highlights in case you want to come to DC to visit or do your own getaway if you're local. Heads up-I took a lot of pictures for you!We did a mix of touristy, cheesy, and local things. I highly recommend the following.

Stay at the Hotel George. It's a Kimpton Hotel, and if you don't know that chain of hotels, thank me now.  We stayed at the Hotel Palomar, also a Kimpton, in Philadelphia a couple years ago, and we love them. Some highlights from the Hotel George include their complimentary wine hour from 5-6pm every night in the lobby, plush animal print robes, first-come-first-serve free bikes (with locks) to use around town, and really fun decor. Oh-and it's right by Union Station, which makes getting there and getting around town by Metro and on foot very easy.

I love a hotel with plenty of towels and a nice big bathtub!

The decor extended to every detail. Very tongue-in-cheek!

Eat at

Gluten Free Guide to Northern VA

Don't fret, StartCloseIn isn't about to become a food blog, but I have had a few questions emailed and Instagrammed to me about gluten free friendly-not exclusively gluten free*-options that I like. We live in Northern VA, and I have been gluten free for over a decade. I'm also dairy free, which complicates things a little. However, it's become second nature to me, and I'm always happy to share a few tips! I thought a weekend post was the perfect place to do that. If you or a loved one will be coming to Northern VA anytime soon, please pass this list along!

I'm going to focus primarily on places that have gluten free menus available, always look online beforehand or ask while there, which, unfortunately, tend to be chains. I've also included a few favorite gems from foods that don't tend to rely so heavily on flour. There are many places to get things like salads (watch the dressings for soy sauce, of course!), hot food bars (Whole Foods labels, Wegmans is hit-or-miss), or gluten free bread and cookies (Mom's markets are my favorites in this part of the world, and I only ever buy GF bread that has been made fresh that day or is frozen. Rudis and Udis are the best).

This is not the list for those things. But, it's the list for feeling like a regular person ordering off a normal menu in a restaurant where people can eat gluteny foods, too. It's the list for having your pizza and beer, too. It's the list that lets you say, "Hey guys! Let's go out for pizza!' and watch the expressions on your family's faces. It's that list.