October 30, 2025

San Carlos, CA > Alexandria, VA

Good morning, finally back on the road. While we haven’t stopped traveling, my last trip was to Old Miss to visit Grace a month ago. Mary has gone on a trip with her book club to Canada and with her sister and cousin to New Mexico. I did a short visit to Eureka to see my cousins and do a little research on the life of the Judge. But now it is time to get back in the saddle and get going.

We are off to Alexandria Virginia to visit Mary’s Aunt Arlene. Arlene is Mary’s mother’s sister and the one of the six children of Alberto Ingegni and Sarina Maria Elisabetta Angelini. Uncle Gino (George) was the youngest however he passed away last your on our anniversary, May 17, 2024.

Arlene celebrated her 86th birthday just a week ago and thought it would be nice to see her again before we take off for another extended period of travel. We got the tickets about a month ago. We came down to San Carlos on Monday the 27th. We both got our Rsv vaccine on Tuesday the 28th, and Mary got her Typhoid vaccine we need for our up coming trips. Wednesday Mary had another appointment with her cardiologist to confirm medications for the next trip. That’s how we got to today, and how we happen to start this trip in San Carlos rather than Sonoma.

Mary had a two for one coupon from American and we both had unused credits on American. So, she booked the flights from San Francisco to Washington DC. Of course this was all before the government shutdown, but we probably weren’t going to visit any Federal monuments anyway. This trip is about seeing Arlene.

Unfortunately, when you book things using coupons and credits it seems impossible to find any “direct” routes. We do like to take the first plane out in the morning as it is less likely that there will be any delays. We usually trip to plan that so the first plane out is about 08:00. Sadly, the first plane on the non direct flight to Washington DC leaves at 06:00. Hey, she booked it not me.

Last night we agreed to set my alarm for 03:45. We had packed everything up, took anything “extra” and dropped it and the car at the office and walked back to the Comfort Inn on El Camino near the Belmont boarder. Mary arranged an Uber pick up for 04:15. Then the only thing left to go was to fall into bed and prepare for today’s trip.

At 03:20 Mary’s alarm went off. I had no idea what it was so it startled me completely. By the time I realized it was just the alarm on Mary’s phone I was awake. She, however, didn’t really respond to it. So, I turned it off and went and took a shower and started to get dressed, why not I was awake. My alarm finally went off at 03:45 as planned, followed by Mary’s second alarm at 03:50, by which time she was just getting up.

She dressed and we packed up the suitcases and headed out the door to meet the Uber driver, who was waiting outside the front door. This early in the morning it is a very quick ride to the San Francisco Airport. We arrived at the airport about 04:30. We are in coach but we have retained our priority status. We checked in at the kiosk, dropped our bags and headed up to TSA Pre-check.

Security was very quick, and we were in the terminal and headed to the gate by 05:15. A quick cappuccino and brioche for “breakfast”. One more quick stop to get a bottle of water and trashy magazine for the ride. Then it was off to the gate.

Boarding was called at 05:30. I boarded with those needing a little extra time. More so I could get into my window seat without climbing over anyone. We were at the front of the economy cabin in economy plus. Actually, these seats aren’t that bad compared to first class on these smaller planes, especially if you are traveling for only three of four hours. Not sure we could do it for the ten plus hours to Europe.  

Our stop this morning is in Dallas-Fort Worth. I was asleep before the plane left the runway, maybe even the gate. I woke up with Mary handing me gum to chew for the landing, a habit we have developed which seems to help with the change in air pressure during the flight.

We landed in Dallas-Fort Worth at 11:30 and had until 13:53, about an hour and a half layover. Of course, this is Dallas-Fort Worth so we had to make it from Terminal C to Terminal D. We did learn when boarding the train between terminals that they don’t go alphabetical. Somehow in Texas E comes between C and D. It is probably due to all the construction that is going on at the airport.

Anyway, we get to terminal D, find a McDonalds for a quickie lunch and head to the gate. At first it looked like we might be leaving late as the plane was coming from Mexico City and was running a little late. However, they were able to clean, service and stock the plane and still get us out on time. This leg of the journey was also about three-and-a-half hours, and we got to Dulles at 17:36.

The walk to baggage claim seemed a bit long and included a train ride. One would think the bags might be there when you arrived at baggage claim, but it would be another half hour before the bags started coming off. We had two choices for a ride into Arlington and our hotel. It was either a cab or the metro. The cab, like in Milan, would be $100 or, again like Milan, about $13 each on the Metro. That part was an easy call.

While the Metro does stop at Dulles, it is bit a bit longer walk than to the train in Milan. But hey, we have been sitting on our butts all day and could use the step. Like Milan and Torino you simply use a credit card with an RFID chip to get through the turnstile. It is easy peasy! However, you need to get one going in the right direction.

Yes, we chose the wrong direction but it was only two stops before the end of the line. We simply got off, and got on the next train heading in the right direction. Ok, the ride should have taken forty-five to fifty minutes and it took more like an hour and a quarter. However, the train was nearly empty, very clean and well lit. We got off at Courthouse Square in Arlington. The Hyatt at Courthouse Square is just a couple blocks from the Metro stop.

We checked in, settled in the room and went downstairs to the “restaurant” in the lobby bar. We both ordered soup, but the bartender came back from the kitchen and said it would be thirty-five to forty minutes for the soup. Well that wasn’t going to work for either of us. So Mary changed her order to a Chicken Caesar Salad, and I chose to go across the street to Five Guys and get a burger.

My burger was $14 with a drink and fries. The burger at the hotel was $12 before anything to drink or fries. Probably a whole lot fresher as well. Mary’s salad was a pre-made thing, probably from the “Marketplace” shop in the lobby. They did heat the chicken, however.

After dinner it was off to bed. Our plan is to meet with Arlene and Cousin Kathy tomorrow at 11:00, walk through Old Town Arlington and stop along the Potomac River for lunch. They have a memorial to go to in the afternoon, so we will be off to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in Chrystal City for dinner.

That’s all for today folks.

Buonanotte e Ciao,

Enrico e Maria