DC Business Trip - Day 3

Another day of work on the East Coast!  It was (a little) easier to wake up when my alarm rang at 0630 and I even had some time to do some reading, puzzles and Duolingo exercises before starting my day.  I also teleworked a bit (just getting ready for my day in the office) before heading to the nearby McDonalds to get breakfast (0850).  After scarfing that down, I walked across the street to Cap Gallery and attended work meetings with my colleagues from 0900 to 1200.  During the lunch hour, I had time to "make the rounds" in office buildings nearby.  The weather was awesome (high 40s and sunny)!  First, I went to lunch at the FAA Cafe (1220) - I'd hoped that I might be able to meet with some of my colleagues there but they weren't in the city.  Instead, I continued planning with Kelly and Stephanie for a Thursday Happy Hour in the District.  After finishing my meal, I did manage to locate several old friends and teammates (though most have moved on since we last worked together).  In the end, I had to hurry back to Cap Gallery for additional meetings (from 1300 to 1500).  Once the official/communal work day was over, I returned to the Holiday Inn (Washington Capital) National Mall and completed my day (telework) from there.  Starting at 1700, I got ready for my evening at our company Holiday Party.  Fifteen minutes later, I departed the hotel and walked (via 7th Street) to the area near the CapitalOne Arena.  Because I was early, I walked around nearby - lots of businesses have disappeared (Hill Country BBQ) or been replaced but I found Cuba Libre unchanged.  Even though it was cooler in the dark, I considered it nice weather (high 30s).  I checked out the party venue, Zaytinya, at 1745 but didn't feel like waiting inside.  Instead, I walked back to where I'd noticed a Chick-fil-A cow walking and got a photo to share with my daughters.  At 1800, I checked in at the restaurant, only to find that no one else from my company was there.  The owner, Chris, arrived a little later but we then waited for the remaining eight people before sitting down to eat.  At 1845, we were finally seated at a table in the busy (and loud) restaurant - I think the wait staff was annoyed at our delay because they mentioned "you only have the table for two hours."  Our company had set up a fixed menu that was served as a series of tapa-style plates.  All the food was delicious and included: hummus, labneh, Fattoush, olive orektika, crispy brussels afelia, garides me anitho, shish taouk, seared salmon, Adana kebab, mujadara, falafel, Greek yogurt & apricots, chocolate rose!  I washed it all down with two local beers and a small glass of red wine.  Meanwhile, there was lots of visiting and networking.  Our company has never skimped on celebrating together and this was definitely demonstrated tonight.  We finally finished eating at about 2045 and, before we said goodbye, got a nice group photo.  Afterwards, I walked back to L'Enfant (arrived at 2115) and then spent the evening catching up on finances and blog entries.  There was time for reading before bed and I ultimately turned out lights at 2240.  I'm finally getting used to East Coast time - hope I don't pay for this when I get back to the West Coast...