DC Sites

[Jim Page]

A bit hard to imagine Booth going to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl (you have a picture of Jesse Johnson in that restaurant?)

Couldn't find Booth at Ben's but this guy likes it:


http://voices.washingtonpost.com/reliabl..._bowl.html

--Jim

[LincolnMan]

A bit hard to imagine Abraham Lincoln going to eat at Ben's Chili Bowl

Oh, YEAH?!?!?!



It isn't Ben's but what the heck!

--Jim

Nice!

[Hess1865]

BTW, I think Robert Todd Lincoln's grave at Arlington is very close to JFK's grave

[BettyO]

It isn't Ben's but what the heck!

No - that's the "Hilltop Cafe" in Richmond's Church Hill Historic District -- SUPER restaurant -- great atmosphere and great food (Wonderful shrimp!)

If you ever get a chance to come to Richmond - go to the Hilltop!

[Jim Page]

No - that's the "Hilltop Cafe" in Richmond's Church Hill Historic District -- SUPER restaurant -- great atmosphere and great food (Wonderful shrimp!) If you ever get a chance to come to Richmond - go to the Hilltop!

Any place with wonderful shrimp is a place I'd love to try!

--Jim, the seafood-loving boy

[L Verge]

Amen, Jim.

I prefer them steamed and spiced, but will settle for other ways also. Field trip, field trip.

BTW: One of my staff members went to Ben's Chili Bowl for the first time last week (I've never been there). She is an excellent cook and said that Ben's was nothing to write home about. She thought it was more hype than taste.

[Jim Garrett]

Laurie, Ben's is good, but I'm afraid that we can muse on all the lost local D.C. restaurants that should still be around. Many that are, have turned way upscale. Martin's Tavern in Georgetown (where JFK proposed to Jackie) used to be a college student and local hangout. Still a great place, but it's gotten pricey. But afte all, it is in the heart of Georgetwon.

Reeve's which was downtown not far from Ford's was legendary for it's sandwich's and pies.......long gone.

Harvey's the restaurant of the Presidents................long gone.

Old Ebbitt Grill, still a favorite but completely unrecognizable from it's former self.

[L Verge]

Martin's in Georgetown was a date night hangout for me in my post-college years. We couldn't afford it now. I guess. Many a pie from my childhood days came home on Saturday afternoons after a day of shopping along F and G Streets. Never went to Harvey's, but have been to Old Ebbitt quite a few times - even back at its old location.

Gone are the wonderful department stores. My mother and I would hit Kann's first, move on to Lansburgh's for lunch on the mezzanine (where I always got the hot dog special - and it was special), out the side door to see the lines of flowers in the push-cart market, then on to Raleigh's, Lord & Taylor's, Woodward & Lothrop's, and Garfinkel's. Hecht's was also a stop, but it is now known as Macy's. We couldn't afford much at Garfinkel's, but it was nice to see how the other half lived. Then there were shoe stores like Hahn's and Chandler's. They just don't make stores like that anymore - at least not in D.C.

Sorry to bore the rest of you while us D.C. natives reminisce. BTW, Jim: It's been about fifteen years since I ate at Ebbitt's. Please tell me that the magnificent old bar is still intact.

[Jim Page]

Raleigh's had the best neckties! I miss that place.

--Jim

[Rhatkinson]

Here are a few suggestions from my recent visit (hosted by the great guide, Jim Garrett):

1. Baptist Alley. It is accessible from F street between 10th and 9th. Walk down and take a right to the back door of Ford's (the middle bricked up entrance was the one Booth used). Pretty cool to walk the actual steps that Booth took to escape that night.

2. Lafayette Square. Lots of history here - site of Seward home, Maj. Rathbone's home, the White House, etc.) Beautiful part of the city.

3. Surratt house. Go eat at the Wok 'n Roll for lunch. When Jim first suggested this to us I was reluctant bc I assumed it was a nasty/cheap Chinese restaurant, but it is actually very nice inside and the food was great. Very cool to eat where so much history took place.

4. If you have time, go to the Lincoln Memorial at night. It is really beautiful to see all lit up.

5. Courtroom at Ft. McNair. Really, really awesome.

Heath

[RJNorton]

John Fazio, please forgive me as I am going by the conventional wisdom with my question. (John has written an excellent article which indicates the probability that Clara Harris and Henry Rathbone were already at the White House and were not picked up by the Lincolns on the way to Ford's. John argues the coachman, Francis P. Burke, picked up the couple and brought them to the White House prior to the entire group leaving for the theater.)

Didn't the Lincolns pick up Clara and Henry at the Harris' residence and not at Rathbone's? If so, my question is...does the Harris' residence still stand today?

[Gene C]

One of the highlights of one of my trips to DC with the kids was getting a hot dog from one of the vendors down by the Smithsonian. (We're simple folk, and it doesn't take much to entertain us), they still remember it, but that was xx years ago.

[L Verge]

Roger,

I thought that the Rathbones and Harrises were all one big happy family that lived together once Mrs. Rathbone Henry's mother) married Mr. Harris (Clara's father).

---

Kate - Will you have any men with you on the tour? If not, be careful of Baptist Alley. You may encounter some protesters around Lafayette Square, but they are generally harmless. Ben's Chili Bowl is not in the best of areas either. If you can handle NYC, however, you can handle D.C.

[KateH.]

Laurie: We won't have any men with us. Is Baptist Alley dangerous?

Gene: It's funny how you remember the simple stuff. One of my earliest memories of DC was standing next to a cut out of Lincoln.

[Linda Anderson]

Laurie: We won't have any men with us. Is Baptist Alley dangerous?

When my husband and I went to Ford's last year we asked a guide how to get to Baptist Alley. We were told to not go there because it's a very dangerous passageway with lots of cars and trucks whizzing by. We persisted and were finally told how to get there. We stood for a while on the sidewalk looking down the alley and saw one car come out. We finally ventured down and turned right at the end to the back of Ford's. It was deserted except for a couple of people coming out of Ford's.