By Amy A. Winnemore
Washington D.C. is a city full of political activity, restaurants, historical memorials and more. This uniquely American city, designed by French-born Pierre L'Enfant, offers an independent vibe that connects all Americans from an exciting past to a limitless future.
Situated adjacent to historic Georgetown, the elegant Fairmont Washington, D.C. is near many of the city’s major attractions. Perfect for business or leisure travel, the hotel features 415 guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool and a bountiful courtyard garden.
Arriving on a Thursday evening, Kevin and I were greeted by the staff who sent us to check in on the Fairmont Gold floor. There Andrew, a Fairmont Gold manager, warmly welcomed us to the exclusive floor where we enjoyed complimentary cocktail canapés which are served from 5-7 p.m. weekdays.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
After a restful night, and a complimentary continental breakfast, we avoided the frigid temperatures by using the Fairmont Gold’s valet service and headed for our 8:15 a.m. tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).
From now until September tickets are required to tour the facility and they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9-10:45 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m., with advance reservations held for large groups between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (door closes at 3 p.m.).
The free 40-minute experience started with an introductory film, before our tour guide Shirley took our group on a gallery tour overlooking the production process of millions of dollars being printed. The BEP, which also has a production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest producer of government security documents in the United States and runs 24 hours a day Mondays through Fridays.
Watching sheets of green moving through the machinery, we learn that the United States Secret Service (USSS) was created on July 5, 1865 within the U.S. Department of the Treasury with the sole mission of suppressing counterfeit currency. For 111 years, the bureau also made postage stamps before it was switch to private postage stamp printers in 2005.
Shirley informs us that a bill, called a note at the BEP, is not actually made of paper. They’re 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. While we’ve all seen torn bills, they’re actually pretty durable. It would take about 4,000 double folds (first forward and then backwards) before a note will tear.
After the tour, which leads you to the gift shop a BEP employee, Ralph, hosted demonstrations on how the mammoth antique "spider presses" were once used to make money. Ralph explained how the long spoke-like levers on the spider presses’ one side gave the printers plenty of leverage when pressing individual sheets of paper against plates inked with a banknote's design. It took two people to operate one of these machines efficiently: a printer and an assistant, or press-feeder.
Pet-friendly
After a morning of touring the city, a visit to the hotel’s Juniper Restaurant for lunch was a must to relax and rejuvenate. Juniper Chef Mariah Tysz and Fairmont’s Executive Chef Mark Timms have created an impressive menu featuring such updated items as the Triple Decker Smoked Turkey Club with maple pepper bacon, roasted garlic avocado aioli with fries as well as the Lobster Roll complimented with Timms’ flat orange soda.
As the city readies for influx of tourist for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20-April 1, the Fairmont Washington, D.C., has an assortment of activities for their guests. Their Cherry Blossom Package, which is available now until May 31, offers overnight accommodations for two in a luxurious guestroom, complimentary valet parking and a box of assorted note cards featuring scenes of the capital’s monuments and Cherry Blossoms by celebrated Washington, D.C. photographer Jake McGuire.
The Festival commemorates the 102nd anniversary of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees presented by the mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington as a memorial of national friendship between the U.S. and Japan.
And a tour of Washington, D.C., doesn’t mean you have to don’t have to leave you’re your faithful companion at home if you stay at the dog friendly Fairmont. The hotel offers “It’s a Dog’s World” package where canines arriving at the hotel (with their owners of course) are greeted with healthy Peanut Butter Doggie Biscuits handmade by the hotel’s Pastry Chef D’Oyen Christie. Unlike some hotels which charge an additional fee for pets, the Fairmont Washington’s Pet Program is free and includes items such as walking maps to nearby parks, a Fairmont dog bowl and a list of, pet-friendly restaurants, cafes and stores. Also, every time a guest checks in with a dog or cat in tow, The Fairmont will donate five percent of their room rate to the Washington Animal Rescue League.
And it’s not just the dogs and cats being taken of at the Fairmont Washington. With the decline of the bee population, the Fairmont Washington is adding a pollinator bee hotel to its collection of rooftop honeybee hives this spring. A portion of the proceeds from the a pollinator menu and the hotel’s signature cocktail, the BeeTini, support the District of Columbia Public Schools’ Junior Beekeepers Imitative, according to Fairmont Washington, D.C.’s Public Relations Director Diana Bulger.
White House
Closed for eight months in 2013 due to budget cuts, the White House is now open once again for public tours. While I’ve visited several Presidential homes, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Ashlawn-Highland and Montpelier, a visit to the bustling and vibrant Executive Mansion is the highlight.
But before heading to D.C., contact your Congressman or woman to submit a request at least three to six weeks prior to your trip. For Delaware County residents, contact Pat Meehan (R-7) at https://meehan.house.gov/services/tours-and-tickets or call 610-690-7323. You can also request advance tickets to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
With our tour set for 9 a.m., we arrived about 15 minutes early and we’re greeted by a long line of fellow visitors at the White House complex from the south side of East Executive Ave. Because it’s the off-season in Washington, D.C., until April, the line wasn’t nearly as long as it is in the summer when it can reach the Washington Memorial. The self-guided tours are available from 7:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted).
After 25 minutes, waiting in 20 degree weather, we reached our first check point. Only bringing I.D. (make sure not to carry your purse, backpack or camera with you), I presented it to the Secret Service agent who checked my name off a list. After passing through the security screening area, we entered the East Wing of the White House and proceeded down the East Colonnade, where photos of the First Families decorated the walls.
It’s amazing to think that every President and his family, from Adams to Obama, have lived in such an historic building. We took a leisurely pace, walking past the Vermeil Room, the Library and the China Room. Upstairs in the East Room, we see the George Washington portrait that First Lady Dolley Madison saved before the British burned the White House during the War of 1812. The room, which seems so much smaller in person, has been the scene of such diverse events where several presidents have laid in state to hosting Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan’s 1975 prom.
Walking slowly through the Green Room, Blue Room (where Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in 1886) and Red Room, we see the view of the Washington Monument.
If you go: rates for the Cherry Blossom Package at the Fairmont Washington, D.C., 2401 M St NW, start at $259 per night based on double occupancy and availability. This package is not applicable to group bookings of 10 or more, nor able to be combined with other promotions or special rates. Rates do not include tax or gratuities. For reservations, please call 202-429-2400 or toll free at 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com/washington.
Washington D.C. is a city full of political activity, restaurants, historical memorials and more. This uniquely American city, designed by French-born Pierre L'Enfant, offers an independent vibe that connects all Americans from an exciting past to a limitless future.
Situated adjacent to historic Georgetown, the elegant Fairmont Washington, D.C. is near many of the city’s major attractions. Perfect for business or leisure travel, the hotel features 415 guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool and a bountiful courtyard garden.
Arriving on a Thursday evening, Kevin and I were greeted by the staff who sent us to check in on the Fairmont Gold floor. There Andrew, a Fairmont Gold manager, warmly welcomed us to the exclusive floor where we enjoyed complimentary cocktail canapés which are served from 5-7 p.m. weekdays.
Bureau of Engraving and Printing
After a restful night, and a complimentary continental breakfast, we avoided the frigid temperatures by using the Fairmont Gold’s valet service and headed for our 8:15 a.m. tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing (BEP).
From now until September tickets are required to tour the facility and they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9-10:45 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m., with advance reservations held for large groups between 11 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. The Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (door closes at 3 p.m.).
The free 40-minute experience started with an introductory film, before our tour guide Shirley took our group on a gallery tour overlooking the production process of millions of dollars being printed. The BEP, which also has a production facility in Fort Worth, Texas, is the largest producer of government security documents in the United States and runs 24 hours a day Mondays through Fridays.
Watching sheets of green moving through the machinery, we learn that the United States Secret Service (USSS) was created on July 5, 1865 within the U.S. Department of the Treasury with the sole mission of suppressing counterfeit currency. For 111 years, the bureau also made postage stamps before it was switch to private postage stamp printers in 2005.
Shirley informs us that a bill, called a note at the BEP, is not actually made of paper. They’re 75 percent cotton and 25 percent linen. While we’ve all seen torn bills, they’re actually pretty durable. It would take about 4,000 double folds (first forward and then backwards) before a note will tear.
After the tour, which leads you to the gift shop a BEP employee, Ralph, hosted demonstrations on how the mammoth antique "spider presses" were once used to make money. Ralph explained how the long spoke-like levers on the spider presses’ one side gave the printers plenty of leverage when pressing individual sheets of paper against plates inked with a banknote's design. It took two people to operate one of these machines efficiently: a printer and an assistant, or press-feeder.
Pet-friendly
After a morning of touring the city, a visit to the hotel’s Juniper Restaurant for lunch was a must to relax and rejuvenate. Juniper Chef Mariah Tysz and Fairmont’s Executive Chef Mark Timms have created an impressive menu featuring such updated items as the Triple Decker Smoked Turkey Club with maple pepper bacon, roasted garlic avocado aioli with fries as well as the Lobster Roll complimented with Timms’ flat orange soda.
As the city readies for influx of tourist for the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which runs from March 20-April 1, the Fairmont Washington, D.C., has an assortment of activities for their guests. Their Cherry Blossom Package, which is available now until May 31, offers overnight accommodations for two in a luxurious guestroom, complimentary valet parking and a box of assorted note cards featuring scenes of the capital’s monuments and Cherry Blossoms by celebrated Washington, D.C. photographer Jake McGuire.
The Festival commemorates the 102nd anniversary of 3,000 Yoshino cherry trees presented by the mayor of Tokyo to the City of Washington as a memorial of national friendship between the U.S. and Japan.
And a tour of Washington, D.C., doesn’t mean you have to don’t have to leave you’re your faithful companion at home if you stay at the dog friendly Fairmont. The hotel offers “It’s a Dog’s World” package where canines arriving at the hotel (with their owners of course) are greeted with healthy Peanut Butter Doggie Biscuits handmade by the hotel’s Pastry Chef D’Oyen Christie. Unlike some hotels which charge an additional fee for pets, the Fairmont Washington’s Pet Program is free and includes items such as walking maps to nearby parks, a Fairmont dog bowl and a list of, pet-friendly restaurants, cafes and stores. Also, every time a guest checks in with a dog or cat in tow, The Fairmont will donate five percent of their room rate to the Washington Animal Rescue League.
And it’s not just the dogs and cats being taken of at the Fairmont Washington. With the decline of the bee population, the Fairmont Washington is adding a pollinator bee hotel to its collection of rooftop honeybee hives this spring. A portion of the proceeds from the a pollinator menu and the hotel’s signature cocktail, the BeeTini, support the District of Columbia Public Schools’ Junior Beekeepers Imitative, according to Fairmont Washington, D.C.’s Public Relations Director Diana Bulger.
White House
Closed for eight months in 2013 due to budget cuts, the White House is now open once again for public tours. While I’ve visited several Presidential homes, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Ashlawn-Highland and Montpelier, a visit to the bustling and vibrant Executive Mansion is the highlight.
But before heading to D.C., contact your Congressman or woman to submit a request at least three to six weeks prior to your trip. For Delaware County residents, contact Pat Meehan (R-7) at https://meehan.house.gov/services/tours-and-tickets or call 610-690-7323. You can also request advance tickets to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
With our tour set for 9 a.m., we arrived about 15 minutes early and we’re greeted by a long line of fellow visitors at the White House complex from the south side of East Executive Ave. Because it’s the off-season in Washington, D.C., until April, the line wasn’t nearly as long as it is in the summer when it can reach the Washington Memorial. The self-guided tours are available from 7:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays, 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays (excluding federal holidays or unless otherwise noted).
After 25 minutes, waiting in 20 degree weather, we reached our first check point. Only bringing I.D. (make sure not to carry your purse, backpack or camera with you), I presented it to the Secret Service agent who checked my name off a list. After passing through the security screening area, we entered the East Wing of the White House and proceeded down the East Colonnade, where photos of the First Families decorated the walls.
It’s amazing to think that every President and his family, from Adams to Obama, have lived in such an historic building. We took a leisurely pace, walking past the Vermeil Room, the Library and the China Room. Upstairs in the East Room, we see the George Washington portrait that First Lady Dolley Madison saved before the British burned the White House during the War of 1812. The room, which seems so much smaller in person, has been the scene of such diverse events where several presidents have laid in state to hosting Gerald Ford’s daughter Susan’s 1975 prom.
Walking slowly through the Green Room, Blue Room (where Grover Cleveland married Frances Folsom in 1886) and Red Room, we see the view of the Washington Monument.
If you go: rates for the Cherry Blossom Package at the Fairmont Washington, D.C., 2401 M St NW, start at $259 per night based on double occupancy and availability. This package is not applicable to group bookings of 10 or more, nor able to be combined with other promotions or special rates. Rates do not include tax or gratuities. For reservations, please call 202-429-2400 or toll free at 1-800-441-1414 or visit www.fairmont.com/washington.
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