Day 7 - New York to Washington DC

Our first stop this morning was the local Seven Grams Caffé for breakfast. We then wheeled our suitcases to Penn Station in New York. Our luggage is limited to one medium size suitcase each, and a backpack. We need clothing suitable for changing climates, and posh outfits for our Viking cruise. There will be more room in our cases as we consume our supplies of roasted macadamia nuts and Cadbury dairy milk chocolate!

This was our first experience travelling by train in the States and it was fine. There is an Amtrak waiting area at Penn Station and it was an easy process wheeling our cases up and down escalators. Our Acela train was full but the seats were comfortable and there was plenty of storage space for luggage.

The longest queues we have experienced so far have been at the machines where we buy and add credit to our subway or metro tickets. The Washington Metro is positively modern compared to the New York Subway which needs significant funding to undertake basic maintenance. This is the roof of Metro Center.

We are staying at Foggy Bottom - the name apparently refers to the former swampy area near the river. We passed much of the George Washington University on the 5 minute walk from the metro.

Our micro Hotel Hive won the Tripadvisor award for best value hotel in the USA. We will need to stay organised as the room is small with hardly any storage space.