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Greetings from Washington D.C.! I was in our nation's capital to speak at an exclusive travel conference but I left with much more than just a bunch of new friends and invaluable contacts. I think I might have left my heart there. Seriously! This was my first time to D.C. in over 10 years and I completely forgot how incredible it is. If you are one of the many Americans who are looking for a staycation this year, then my vote for your next domestic vacation spot would be the District of Columbia and its surrounding towns. In short, the city's architecture and landmarks are remarkable and give this place a real European flair. The food is tasty and you can find every type of cuisine imaginable, cooked by new and exciting chefs. Best of all, there's so much to do and see for the whole family and almost all the museums and attractions are free! That's right, FREE! Of course, I'll go into a lot of detail, including what I learned at the conference and tell you the behind-the-scenes story about my photo with President Obama!



TWITTER
If you are following meTwitter or Facebook or if you're reading my blog, you'll know I like to give clues to my friends where I'm heading each week. It's fun, plus it gives all of us a better understanding of our world's geography. My clue for this trip: Johnny Jet is leaving on plane to a U.S. city that's not in a state. Most people guessed D.C. but some chose one of the other possible locations -- San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AMERICAN AIRLINES
I arrived at LAX at 8:10am for a 9:05am flight. The AA elite TSA check-in line was longer than I had ever seen but it moved quickly and I cleared in 10 minutes. I was testing out a new carry-on bag from Solo, which I'll provide more detail about in this week's Travel Product Review. We boarded the 757 shortly after I arrived to the gate and when you have the first row in economy like I had reserved (more legroom and space than first class) it's imperative to be one of the first on the plane if you want your bag near you in the overhead bins (I don't check bags).

ADVICE
The flight attendants were about to close the door five minutes early when the pilot got on the PA and said, "Unfortunately folks, I have some bad news." That's never a good sign. "The baggage guy noticed one of the cargo doors was malfunctioning so we are going to need to get a new aircraft," he continued. Everyone got off the plane in a huff but I was just thankful the baggage guy was so alert. One of the passengers in first class was the second in line at the desk and when I walked by her she said, "Johnny, I'm one of your weekly readers. What should we do?" I was flattered that she recognized me and my advice was … if you're not in a real hurry then wait and see if they're able to get a new plane as the pilot said. However, if there is no chance for another aircraft, you should get on the phone with the airline's 800- number or with your travel agent ASAP, while you're standing in line. If American wasn't going to get us a new aircraft (they did) passengers should lock down seats on the next available American flight or another carrier. TIP: Always be polite when asking and never make demands. You will more likely have your requests met this way.

ON THE BORDER GRILL
The gate agent got on the intercom and said it was going to be over an hour before another 757 made its way over from the hangar and requested that everyone be back at the gate by 10:15am. I was starving so I moseyed on over to the On The Border restaurant two gates down, grabbed a window table and ordered a veggie breakfast burrito ($7.89). It came out within five minutes and it hit the spot. The only thing I didn't like about the restaurant (which is really LAX's fault) was the fact that they didn't have electrical outlets so I drained my battery while checking email. I was using a Sprint wireless card I rent from RovAir.com.

LAX TO DULLES INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
The new plane finally arrived at 11:20am and we boarded shortly after. You would think the second time around, boarding would go smoother and quicker than the first time but that wasn't the case. The biggest problem, besides the fact that people are slow and don't just pop their bags in the overhead bins and sit their butts down to clear the aisle, was the guy sitting behind me in 10F. Along with mine, it's one of the cherished seats in economy -- a window with lots of legroom. He made the mistake of trying to get on another flight and while doing that, the agent gave away his coveted seat. He was ticked that they'd given it to a savvy traveler who had requested a better seat during the delay. LESSON LEARNED: Before changing your flight, be sure they don't give away your original seat (if it's a good one). Or if you aren't happy with your seat, try and get a better one.

DULLES AIRPORT TO D.C.
Flight time from Los Angeles to Washington's Dulles International Airport (IAD) was a quick and smooth four hours and 18 minutes. We landed at 7:30pm and everyone not making a connection needed to take one of their many futuristic, people-movers to the main terminal. Dulles airport is located in Chantilly, VA, 26 miles from downtown D.C. There was no line for a metered taxi, which are comfortable sedans (WashFly.com, Tel: 703-572-8294) and you can pay with a credit card (my fare was $51.40, plus tip). My driver was Punjabi but the bad news was that he barely spoke English and he had no idea where the Willard Hotel or even the White House was located! Don't get me wrong. I'm all for everyone making a better life for themselves but don't start out by driving people around when you have no idea where you're going -- especially when you can't find major landmarks. NOTE: He did have a GPS so luckily I had the address readily available and there were no problems. The drive took just 25 minutes (no traffic) and it was really unbelievable seeing the Washington Monument and the top of the Capitol building all lit up.

OTHER TRANSPORTATION OPTIONS
The easiest thing to do was to take a cab but it's also the most expensive option. I could have taken a SuperShuttle ($30 or so) but who wants to make stops and the drivers never tell you the truth about which number you'll be. The cheapest option would have been the Metrobus, which departs every half hour but I would have had to get dropped off at the Rosslyn Metro Station, then take a train to Metro Center, which is the closest stop to the hotel (two blocks away). Total time: Just under an hour. Cost: $4.75 (using WMATA's online trip planner is easy).

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