Garlord National hotel near Washington DC

I first saw this large hotel when flying in over the Potomac into Washington Reagan/National airport. A couple of weeks ago I visited it.

Having watched Ali G, it is hard to look at a magazine called "Gaylord" without sniggering (or, indeed, "snickering" as Americans say). I could not resist photographing the magazine. Unfortunately there were no t-shirts on sale which said "Gaylord".



Here is the front of the hotel, on a gray November morning:



Here is the part of the hotel which faces the Potomac, and provides a distant view of the Washington Monument and the Capitol:



Inside the glass enclosure, there is a recreation of some wooden houses, containing shops selling coffee and (yep) pajamas:



DC itself is across that bridge which you can see out the window.

I can't help thinking that the hotel is here so that conferences and weekend trippers can make a trip to Washington DC without staying in DC itself (the Gaylord National is actually in Maryland). There are some new restaurants under construction nearby, which offers dining and some nightlife. But, really, I can imagine personally I would find it frustrating to be so close to Washington DC but not in Washington DC itself (e.g. Georgetown, or the more edgy Adams Morgan with its great Ethiopian restaurants).