I should have known with the broken English and having to spell my name four times to confirm my reservation for the review by telephone a few days before I set out for Washington, D.C.
I should have known when, upon my arrival, the owner introduced herself, took my introduction sheet and said, "I think about it."
But, when I was told there was no reservation, the house was booked and that the owner wasn't interested....AFTER I had confirmed the reservation by telephone and driven 400 miles to write about her inn, I was furious.
It had been hard enough finding the Inn and parking (squeezing) into a space..... almost every car nearby showed D.C. war wounds. I "unparked" and went to check out my next night's accommodations (just in case....). I was right. It wasn't much better.
There was a kid (about 15 years old) next door to the Inn urinating on his doorstep and the area looked like CNN coverage of war-torn Beirut. The windows had plywood on them and I could see me leaving the Cadillac parked on the street - yeah right!
I headed out of Washington, D.C., my thoughts of a lovely, romantic B&B experience were shattered. My fear is that a place like those above will be someone's first at a B&B and that this will make them turn their backs on the industry. All I can do is tell you about my experience and it tells me that there are two words for Washington, D.C.......AVOID IT!!!
A Winding Road * (formerly Cruising America) * 2408 Becker St., New Braunfels, TX 78130 * 850-292-1599 * freedom04@awindingroad.net
