During my weekend from hell, the Mysterious M and I managed to break away and get downtown to attend a great photo outing hosted by the Washington Photo Safari on Saturday afternoon. The subject was the historic Willard Hotel, which reopened in 1986 after being closed for nearly 18 years. Its renovations have maintained and (I think) enhanced the architectural beauty of the building; the history of the hotel is equally enriching (see the Wikipedia entry here). The atmosphere inside was fascinating – we hung around in the lobby for about half an hour afterwards just people-watching; even for a cold January Saturday, the place had a quiet electric vibe that really caught your attention.
Anyway, the safari – hosted by David Luria – gave us access to the lobby, Peacock Alley (afternoon tea area, complete with harpist!), the Willard Room (formal dining), and the Jenny Lind suite – a 950 square foot two-level suite with a stunning view of the Monument from the massive walk in bathtubs. My wife and I managed several fantastic shots throughout the safari – I even grabbed several exposure styles of a few scenes so I can try my (inexperienced) hand at HDR when I have a few hours handy.
It was a very pleasant afternoon diversion and quite economical, to boot. We did end up at Finemondo for dinner – an interesting experience in and of itself, which is probably worthy of another entry in the near future.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Having lived in the DC area for ten years, Ben still loves to wander the city with his wife, shooting lots of photos and exploring all the latest exhibits and galleries. A certified hockey fanatic, he spends some time debating the Washington Capitals club with friends – but everyone knows of his three decade love affair with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A professional writer, gamer, photographer, and Lego enthusiast, Ben remains captivated by DC and doesn’t plan on leaving any time soon.
