Recently, we had to take care of some family “stuff”. That took us to Washington, DC. Because of the big storm, our travelling arrangements required that we stay in DC longer than we actually needed to; so, we made it a bit of a vacation.We visited something I had always wanted to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It’s a big, dark gash in the ground. When I was in the US Navy one of my friends from boot camp became a radioman, and I had lost touch with him. I was afraid I would find his name among the dead, but he wasn’t there. I was relieved. So many people died over the span of several years, dating from the late 1950s to the early 1970s.While I was standing there taking a few pictures, this guy about my age looked at me with a painful look on his face, and he asked, “Were you there?” I told him that I had been in a naval hospital taking care of the guys who came back. He told me that he rode “shot gun” on a C-130 flying supplies into “Hamburger Hill”. And he thanked me for MY service.After that uplifting experience, my wife and I walked the Mall past the Washington Monument and spent the afternoon touring the several floors of the Holocaust Museum. The place provides not only a history of that terrible event, but also an education about how freedom and democracy can be undermined when government doesn’t work anymore. Hitler filled the void when the post-First World War government ground to a halt in the stalemate of political conflicts of interest in Germany. I thought of what is happening now in the USA where the Republicans and the Democrats cancel each other out, get nothing done, and just keep piling up the problems. President Obama is resorting more frequently to unilateral executive action that bypasses the Congress. This is exactly what Hitler did, although I am not intending to say that Obama is a neo-Hitler. Still, when democratic government does not work, then democratic government is in danger.The Holocaust Museum is an education. When one leaves there, having gone through it and becoming a witness to the thing for which it was constructed, one realises that one must never forget. I saw piles of shoes taken off the condemned. I saw piles of hair shaved from their heads. I saw documented evidence that millions of Jews were murdered in a systematic process that included the entire German people. There were no innocents.Among the more disturbing and disappointing observations is that while this persecution of the Jews was taking place the mainline church in Germany was complicit. Only the Confessing Church, of which Dietrich Bonheoffer was a leader, dissented and opposed the Nazis, saying openly that where Hitler deviated from the teaching of Jesus and the major tenets of the Church, the church could not condone what he was doing. Bonheoffer paid with his life.Coming out of the Holocaust Museum, one is a bit stunned. Quiet. My wife and I walked for a few blocks without saying much. We finally decided to find something to eat.And that leads me to share with you three places to go to eat if you are ever in Washington, DC. Two are in the Gallery Place/China Town area of DC. The third place is in Arlington, adjacent to the Crystal City neighbourhood.When you enter Vapiano (www.vapiano.com), located at 623 H Street, Washington, DC, you are given what looks to be a hotel room key. In fact, it keeps track of your growing bill, because everything you get in that serve-yourself environment goes on it. You can have pasta, pizza, soups and salads, a panini, and other such food. The bar is great. I got a Greek salad that was superb, with a hint of anise and a chicken pesto panini. My wife got a pizza. If you check out their website, you’ll see there are two locations in DC, but the restaurant itself is an international entity. The one we visited was hopping and filled with young people bustling about. If you’re feeling in the least tired, Vapiano in the place to go, because it’s good energy is replenishing.The next day we went back to that general area to see a movie. I had forgotten how big and amazing movie theatres in the States can be. While we were waiting for the next showing of the movie, we went to Clyde’s Bar (www.clydes.com) at 707 7th Street, Northwest, in the alley heading into Gallery Place. What a classy place that was. Dark woods. Rich colours. Brass metal. We just ordered appetizers, but they looked like works of art. The presentation was original and the blend of tastes was spectacular and perked up the palate.The third place I would recommend is off the beaten path. It’s in Arlington 529 S 23rd Street. That is where you will find Crystal City Sports Pub. The service here is one of the best I have ever experienced. Seriously. They describe the place during football and basketball season as a zoo. We went for their Sunday morning brunch. It was a light version of the Fairmont Southampton. They had great coffee. They had roast beef, sliced in big sections. They had an omelet centre with all kinds of ingredients right there to choose from. They had scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, homemade grits (you have to be from the south to understand that term), fresh corned beef hash, fried potatoes, a huge fruit table, cereals, cheese blintzes, cream beef, and biscuits. We went back several times.So, if you find yourself with a case of rock fever, and you’ve simply GOT to get off the Island, and you’ve never been to Washington, DC, give it a try. The metro transit line is clean and the trains run fast. It seems to be a great city. The only thing I found to be concerning was the cold. I was startled to see my breath in a cloud as I spoke, and when the wind blew, the chill factor was in the 20s. The cold, however, made good eating weather.