Oysters, Crab Legs, and a Conference in DC

A fun trip last week took me to Washington, DC, for a conference. I was able to get out and see a little bit of the city on Saturday night. I flew out Saturday morning and arrived in DC by mid-afternoon.

That evening, I visited two cool spots. The first was a fun place to relax on the patio with some drinks and oysters. With beautiful weather and cool temperatures, it was a great evening to spend outside. I was with a co-worker, Homer, who grew up in the area, so it was fun hearing him talk about some of his favorite places from when he lived there years ago.

Our first stop was Ragtime in Arlington, Virginia. It was a lively place with plenty of people, and the food looked great, too. We had originally planned to stop in just for drinks, but we ended up ordering oysters as a snack before heading to our dinner reservation.

We had 9:00 p.m. reservations at Quarterdeck Restaurant, which specializes in blue crab and crab legs. Of course, I had to try the blue crab. It was a lot of work trying to get the meat out of those crabs. Granted, I probably did not know what I was doing. The little bit of meat I managed to get tasted good, but I still prefer crab legs. I know how to work my way through crab legs, and I was able to get some good chunks of meat out of them. The hush puppies that came with the meal were also excellent.

I ordered far too much food, so Homer helped me finish the blue crab. I took care of the crab legs and enjoyed a few of the hush puppies as well.

This was my third trip to the DC area. The first was way back when I was in junior high. I traveled there with my parents and my sister, Jen. I still remember that trip because we drove all the way from Kansas. One thing that stands out is that we stayed at the Watergate. I remember hearing all the stories about why the hotel was famous. We visited the Reflecting Pool, monuments, and many of the other sights around the city. It remains one of those great childhood memories with my family.

I also visited the DC area last March while attending a work meeting. Unfortunately, I did not make any time to explore the city during that trip. It was all conference and meetings. This time, though, I was able to get out and see a little bit of the area on Saturday night before the conference began.

After that, it was conference sessions from Sunday through Tuesday. I flew back home Tuesday afternoon, which made for a short work week. The conference was good, and I am already thinking about attending again next year.

So, that was my trip to DC, complete with my usual rambling updates about where I ate. I only took two pictures from dinner, so there is not much to share beyond that. With that, I will wrap up this week's post. Have a great rest of your weekend and a wonderful week ahead.