Changing things a bit from enjoying mostly nature to rejoining civilization: Review of MGM National Harbor and our day trip to Washington D.C.

 

Borgata, New Jersey

As I write this post sitting on a comfortable sofa at the Fiore Suite at the Borgata Hotel & Casino, the wind is howling, making those same windows to flap at times, while the heavy rain is pattering the floor to ceiling windows.  It’s a bit scary, but it’s also incredibly exciting to be staying indoors in the comforts of this beautiful hotel.

The remnants of Hurricane Ian is dumping several inches of rain in the Atlantic City area, where the Borgata is located.  In all my hotel stays at any casino, I’ve not had a stay quite like this.  All through out the night, rain kept coming down, as if the heavens decided to dump all of its yearly rainfall, seemingly on this one day!

My wife and I briefly worried about losing power and whether or not the windows would stay intact, but luckily everything is still good.  I woke up couple of times during the night thanks to the winds hitting the windows then shaking it, as if trying to break them.  It was certainly a memorable night…

View outside from our room

Towards the end of August, as we were wrapping up our month long stay in Vermont, my wife and I decided we really needed some civilization.  The fact that our rentals in both Maine and Vermont were very isolated was the primary reason for this.

As nice as staying in a mountain cabin (Maine) was, by the end of the second month of our stay there, we were longing for something different.  When we visited Quebec City, we realized we really missed the people, the cars, and civilization!

I thought I’d never say this, but it turned out to be true.  When I retired early in August 2020, I was trying to get away from civilization, as I was completely burnt out by work and mostly by dealing with difficult people.

Getting away from the two things that made my life miserable helped with my overall well-being, mentally, emotionally, and physically.  I loved escaping from everything, traveling off-season, therefore, escaping from the crowds and the people.  I can dictate when I want to engage with people, which worked out great the past two years.

Summer of 2022 changed that mindset after wrapping up our three months long stay in the New England area.  I actually longed for civilization, of meeting people, as there weren’t many opportunities, out where we stayed.  

Our second trip to Canada during end of August (to Montreal), reaffirmed our desire to re-engage with civilization.  It was again, so good to see people, to stay at a modern hotel, visit museums, and to eat delicious foods made by other people (not us cooking our own meals most of the times) at many wonderful restaurants in the city.

Those two trips to Quebec City and to Montreal really reawakened our love for the city life.  The inkling of this reawakening started in April (month after our Pomeranian went to doggie heaven) bit by bit, when we visited museums, attended a classical music concert, and ate out much more.

From there, it led to us really missing that part of our lives that involved hotels, museums, culture, and civilization.  By end of August after wrapping up our stays in remote AirBnB rentals, we couldn’t wait to rejoin the civilization.

It felt great heading back down to my parent’s place in New York City on September 1st.  I never thought  I’d say that, but that day, seeing traffic was welcoming the closer we got near New York City.  Seeing stores, restaurants, and people at rest areas were all things we had missed the previous 3 months.

So, in October during our stay with my parents, my wife and I decided to have some fun, that is stay away from nature for awhile, so we can enjoy modern amenities.

What are our ideas of modern amenities?  Well, these are things like a modern decor hotel room, variety of good restaurants nearby, access to culture (museums, comedy shows), and a gym.  

After staying in a mountain cabin with daily quarrels with insects of all kinds, power outages on couple of occasions, and lack of nearby dining options, we were ready to travel like when we were in our twenties and thirties.  In our younger days, we traveled using hotels/motels, eating at various restaurants along the way, and visiting famous places like Graceland, and not having to worry about power outages or bugs.

It was such a relief when we embarked on a 5 night/6 day trip to two different hotels: the Borgata in Atlantic City, and MGM National Harbor in Maryland.  The first leg of the trip would start at the Borgata, which is about 135 miles from New York City.  

We left on a Sunday morning at around 9:35 a.m. so we can stop by at my favorite Chinese restaurant nearby, China Sea of Absecon.  My wife had never eaten there, so I made sure we stopped by on the way.

The weather was foreboding and like all good hunches, it became absolutely true.  The rain started lightly in New York City but kept getting heavier the further we drove south.  At about the midway point, it was pouring.

We didn’t mind though, as the beauty of early retirement means we can take our grand time while traveling.  We’re no longer burdened by keeping to a strict schedule, concerned by delays or unnecessarily getting ticked off about the weather, the traffic, or anything else.

When we worked, vacation was always a fight against time.  Every minute was precious, so we easily got ticked off when there were delays.  We were always in a hurry, getting to our destination and also coming back home.

On our way to a destination, a delay (traffic jams, flight delays, or rental car delays) would stress us out.  We needed to get to our destination asap so we can start our vacation, damn it!  No one was going to stand in our way!!!

As the vacation would wind down, a feeling of sadness would sweep over us.  We knew what lay ahead of us when our trip was ending.  The drive home (or flight home) from a vacation meant the work week was to start the next or the following day.  Every minute counted, so our minds were racing to get home so we can relax as soon as humanly possible…

Luckily these days, this is no longer true, which we’re grateful for.  We’re less stressed in general, and that translates to even things like driving stress, and/or stress caused by delays…

We arrived at the excellent China Sea of Absecon, right around 12 p.m.  This restaurant has been my go to place for lunch, on our way to the hotel.  Prices are really reasonable, food is tasty, and service is good.  

We ordered Hunan shrimp and Kung Po shrimp, which comes with a soup and an egg roll.  We gulped them down, fully satisfied with our tasty meal.  Afterwards, we drove along the scenic Route 30, with views of marshland to our left. 

That day, thanks to the heavy downpours, the marsh on both sides of the road was full of water.  It almost looked like the waters would overtake the the road.  I had not seen that road look so scary.  It reminded me of narrow roads near Key West with waters that seem to eat the road whenever the surf was high.  

It took roughly 10 minutes to arrive at the Borgata from the restaurant, but we had made it!

We checked in to our Fiore Suite room greeted by awesome views of the surrounding areas, including the marshlands, and the Atlantic City skyline.  We always get a kick out of seeing humongous wind turbines near our hotel.  As usual, they were solemnly standing guard next to the hotel, doing its important work of generating power for the city.  

It had been over 3 years since my wife had stayed at the Fiore Suite, and she showed her enthusiasm for the hotel suite.  She loved the layout, the recent suite update/renovations, and the views, despite the rainy and extremely windy weather.

We were so happy to rejoin civilization again, together.  The beds were so comfortable, and we ate out for most of our meals (or did takeout from the hotel food court).  The next three days were spent exercising at the excellent gym, visiting old friends in Pennsylvania, eating foods prepared by others, and just lounging inside the hotel room, listening to great music played on our tablet.

Three days passed by so fast.  By Wednesday morning, we were already getting ready to pack our stuff so we can leave for MGM National Harbor in Maryland.  The drive would take roughly 3 hours from Atlantic City to Oxon Hill, Maryland.  

The weather by then, turned to a perfect Autumn day, with clear, bright skies, and no more rain!  After three consecutive days of seeing the rain, we had enough of it.  We arrived at the hotel, then turned in to the self parking lot.

View of sunset, MGM National Harbor 

View of the Capital Wheel 

We walked inside the hotel looking for the hotel lobby, and were lost for a bit.  The hotel (both outside and inside) is huge!  The walk from the self parking elevators to the hotel lobby takes a good 5 minutes at a brisk pace.

We passed a Mexican restaurant, a steak house, followed by a curious but absolutely insane and scary, optical illusion dug into the floor of the walkway.  It seemed to descend forever into the abyss.  We stopped, just like everyone else, to take a look.

Mexican restaurant

Food court on our way to the lobby

The optical illusion dug into the floor!

After wandering around the hotel, we finally found the lobby, located on the second floor.  The lobby reminded us of Bellagio in Las Vegas, with its upscale decor, airy lobby, and plenty of things to see.  The lobby had its Autumn-themed decorations set up.

It was lots of Autumn colors: the pumpkins, oranges, yellows, and plenty of model insects hung from the ceiling.   It was whimsical and absolutely beautiful to see.  Whoever worked on it, deserves kudos for a job well done!

Lobby, MGM National Harbor 

Second floor view, lobby 

I used the mobile check-in kiosk to print my own room keys, then we proceeded upstairs to the 18th floor. We walked into the room, and loved it immediately.  Decorations were modern, room was airy, and the views of Potomac River and National Harbor was stupendous.

Potomac Queen, MGM National Harbor 

Bathroom, MGM National Harbor 

The same night, we enjoyed a beautiful sunset from our room.  We marveled at the unmistakable Capital Wheel (a Ferris Wheel), all lit up at night, against the backdrop of a setting sun.  Wow…

The Capital Wheel, National Harbor 

We got a decent night’s sleep, then prepared for the ‘main course’ the following day, which is a day trip to nearby Washington D.C.  I had researched places to visit and decided on two:  Smithsonian Museum of Natural History and National Gallery of Art.

We had visited Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum over 20 years ago, but at that time, we didn’t have the time to visit the Natural History Museum nearby.  This time, we made sure we’d stop by and see it!  We figured we can park nearby then walk to the National Gallery of Art first then stop by at the Natural History Museum on our way back.

Unbeknownst to us, the parking lot would be located right across the street from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) building!  There were federal vehicles parked on the street, as well as armed guards at the entrance to the building.

FBI Building, Washington D.C.

Growing up, I remember watching the television show, “Six Million Dollar Man”.  In the show, the FBI building was shown at least once or twice.  It really brought back memories of that show and the building!

We walked out of the parking lot then got our bearings.  We correctly guessed to turn left at Pennsylvania Avenue for National Gallery of Art.  The handy street signs were everywhere, pointing to various attractions in the city.

The gigantic government buildings strewn all around the city really spoke to the power and the grandeur of the United States.  It had been over 20 years since our trip to the city.  We were impressed, proud, bit patriotic, and thankful we’re living in the most powerful country in the world.  We guessed this was how the Romans must’ve felt visiting Rome during its heyday.

National Gallery of Art 

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

We found the art museum in no time.  We walked into the west building of National Gallery of Art, then briefly spoke to a very helpful guide at the information desk.  We let her know what we liked, and she pointed us to the Impressionist wing, as well as to the only Da Vinci painting on public view in the United States.  

We thanked her, then walked upstairs to the Impressionist wing.  We were absolutely blown away by the sheer number of works by all my favorite artists from that era:  Monet, Manet, Degas, Cezanne, Renoir, etc.

We had never seen such volume of displayed art by these masters in any of the art museums in the United States.  We were grateful for the museum, and for the fact that it’s within a 5 hour driving distance from New York City.

Here are some of our favorite works below, for all you art lovers!

After spending about 30 minutes at the Impressionist wing, we made our way over to the ground floor to view that Da Vinci painting.  We found it easy enough thanks to the map with easy to follow markings pointing to the gallery, compliments of the helpful guide at the information booth.

We found it in all its glory!  Here it is below.  Personally, portraits aren’t my thing.  I prefer landscapes, but in this case, I couldn’t pass up a masterpiece by a master artist.

Da Vinci painting!

After a quick viewing surrounded by fellow gawkers, we started our walk over to the east building.  East building hosts modern art, as well as the rooftop terrace, which was highly recommended by our helpful guide.  

On our way over to the east building, we stopped for some much needed break and an iced coffee at the Cascades Cafe, which was absolutely perfect.  We admired the architectural piece that gave the cafe its name, while enjoying the iced coffee.  What a relief to be resting!

Cascades Cafe area

After finishing our much needed break, we headed over to the east building via the moving walkway, which reminded us of Disney’s Space Mountain.  Like the ride, with its sparkling stars against the backdrop of blackness of space, it was pretty awesome to experience.  

Moving walkway, ala ‘Space Mountain’

East building, National Gallery of Art 

We decided to go check out the rooftop terrace, but found out the terrace wasn’t open to the public that day.  Darn…We made a decision to exit the museum at that time, so we can check out the other museum that was on the agenda that day:  Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum.

The walk to the Smithsonian took about 5 minutes, as it was only about 4 blocks away.  We noticed the crowds on the streets and in front of the museum was much bigger vs the art museum.  We made our way inside, awed by its size.

The place was packed even on a Thursday afternoon.  We heard all kinds of languages being spoken by visitors, including Japanese, Russian, German, Korean, among others.  

We started our tour on the second floor, totally feeling like little school kids on a class trip!  Displays are just fantastic.  There is so much to learn (or relearn).  There are interactive displays, multimedia, and short documentaries everywhere to keep young ones (and young at heart) busy!

One of the multimedia displays

At the ground floor entrance 

Awesome displays!

We particularly liked the human evolution section with its many displays and hands-on tutorials, and the fossil section.  It brought me back to those school trips visiting the American Museum of Natural History, in New York City, which was by far, my favorite museum growing up. 

Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum 

By the end of our tour, we were exhausted.  We had been walking at a decent pace trying to cover both museums in one day.  It felt like we had walked well over 10,000 steps, but in reality, we had only walked close to 8,000 steps.  We were tired as if we had just finished hiking a mountain though!

It just goes to show you, that we should all try to travel while we’re younger!  We’re so grateful we are retired, so we can travel now, while we’re still in our early fifties, rather than after ‘normal’ retirement age of 65 or later.

Just imagining how our bodies would react when we’re 65 or older, reaffirms our decision to retire early.  It’s always easier to travel, sightsee, walk, when you’re younger…

In conclusion:

Our decision to change things a bit, from enjoying mostly nature, to rejoining civilization, started with the loss of our Pomeranian Toby.  While he was with us, we tried to cater to him, so we all can enjoy time outside in the great outdoors together.

With his passing, we’ve been attempting to live our lives fully, and that meant doing the type of things we used to do, prior to us adopting our little fur ball.  Staying at hotels without the need to prepare our own meals, or clean up on our departure day (at AirBnB month long stays, we did) was awesome.  Visiting museums and taking our time enjoying a cold drink was also awesome.  

We had missed that part of traveling, of being able to travel light, usually buying local foods, and enjoying nice hotels, with comfortable beds.  Nice smells (of coffee brewing, light fragrant scents pumped out from vents, pastries being made, etc.) at hotels doesn’t hurt either!

We really missed doing this type of travel…

Going forth, we plan on doing a combination of our usual month long stays via AirBnB, but also adding in some hotel/motel stays, as situation calls for it.  We figure during peak travel seasons (summers and near New Year’s) we would most likely avoid hotels/motels as they tend to be higher priced, but outside of that, we should be able to squeeze them in.

Like I always say, hope for the best, plan for the worst…Please stay tuned for our future travels and thank you all for reading!

Jake

Wandering Money Pig 

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