If you’re like me, even when you go to a conference for business, you still like to at least do, eat or see something local if you can squeeze it in, and since I also write a food and travel lifestyle website, The Adirondack Chick, it kills two birds with one stone.

When I thought I was going to have time to do a little exploring around DC before heading to the hotel in Virginia for BlogPaws or on Sunday on the way back, I tweeted out to one of my @theadkchick twitter pals who used to live in D.C. before moving to Albany a year ago if she had any “must-stop” places.

After a few tweets about where the conference was and my new travel plans, what I got next totally surprised me, and thought I would share for those of you who also may want to explore.

Andrea from Capitol to Capitol  sent me detailed suggestions on where to eat and drink for both the area when I arrived and in the area where I would be staying. How sweet was that?!

Here is what she had to say:

The hotel’s area is not a very walkable place; I’m not familiar with anything walkable from there, but in the malls there are a few decent places. Lebanese Taverna is a local Mediterranean chain, Chef Geoff’s is a decent higher end local American chain, Coastal Flats is part of a local restaurant group.

If anyone has a car, a short drive to Four Sisters or Present for Vietnamese food, Pizzeria Orso for Neopolitan style deliciousness, or a little further to Arlington for Ray’s Hellburger, my favorite hamburger on the planet.

When you’re near Union Station you’ve got better options. Art & Soul, Ethiopic for Ethiopian (highly recommend), or if you want to get takeout and eat on a bench overlooking the Capitol, maybe Taqueria Nacional. If you want to go for a walk and eat at a Top Chef contestant restaurant, head a little south to the Hill for Good Stuff Eatery, by Spike Mendelsohn. Also see which trucks are where that day. A lot of the local news and blogs will keep you posted, and most of the trucks use Twitter.

She also gave me a list of DC foodie sites where people can also check out.

How sweet was that?! 

Unfortunately, I don’t know how many places are dog-friendly, so if you’re traveling with your pet, please call ahead and find out.  And, if you decide to visit any of these places, send a tweet over to Andrea @DC2ALB and let her know. Also make sure to check out her blog!

Thanks again, Andrea!