Last day in DC

So what if my bowels are irritable -- I'm on vacation! I started the day at the famous Ben's Chili Bowl with a steaming serving of chili con carne and side of potato salad. This was all washed down with a thick creamy chocolate milkshake. I figured that if I didn't think too much about the impending pain, cold sweat and desire for a sharp knife with which I can slit my belly open and pull my guts out to make the hurting go away, I would be OK. Ben's is located in the heart of what was once known as Black Broadway in the early part of the century -- where the real renaissance of African-American art and culture began. It is not uncommon to think that it all started in Harlem, but according to Hari, Harlem was singled out because the big New York publishers liked the sound of something local far better than a city so far away from its market.
Two hours later, I was feeling peckish again. After visiting the wonderful new exhibit of Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre at the National Gallery of Art (my favourite place in DC), I headed up to Au Bon Pain for a sweet cheese croissant and some bubbly fruity drink. Oh boy how I wish we could trade all of our Michel's Baguettes for their Au Bon Pains! The sweet cheese croissant is so tasty, EVEN when it's a couple hours stale!
For my last night in DC, Chainsaw had put us on the waiting list for David & Greggory's Aphrodisiac Bacon Dinner. But we did not get in. So she tried to get us into Roberto Donna's Laboratorio del Galileo for a cooking class -- but the class could only accommodate one more participant. Determined to give me the ultimate DC dining experience, my lovely hostess settled on what I thought was the perfect ending to a fabulous trip: the Bethesda Crab House! Each armed with a mallet and knife, we pounded away through a dozen crabs -- by the end, we were too sated to care about the huge mess of shells on the tables, the crab gunk in our hair. We waddled out of the crab shack, relieved that we did not order the dozen jumbo shrimp.
As I finish this entry, I polish off the last bit of moist flourless chocolate hazelnut cake and cookies 'n cream ice cream. I feel gross, but I ate good -- and that's all that really matters. Should I get an explosive attack tomorrow, it will be worth it. I just hope it doesn't happen on the plane.