RSS FeedAvis/Budget Opens Car Rental Location In Heart Of Penn Quarter (616 E St NW – Parking Garage)
Photo above: Elevator entrance on 7th St NW
Avis/Budget opened a car rental location in the garage underneath 616 E St NW on Monday, January 16. This location offers the regular range of rentals from Avis/Budget selectable on their reservation system. This opening is welcome news as the Hertz location that used to be in the Gallery Place garage closed during the summer of 2022. The Penn Quarter Garage location is accessible via an elevator lobby facing 7th Street between Carmine’s Italian Restaurant (425 7th St NW) and the Clara Barton Missing Soldier’s Museum (437 7th St NW). The rental building in the garage can be found on the P1 or first level of the garage.
Photo above: Rental location
Avis/Budget haven’t programmed their website very well to recognize the 20004 zip code or the 616 E St NW street address of the outlet’s location. Use the location code ‘AVDC3‘ on the Avis website or ‘BGDC3‘ on the Budget website to find and make reservations at the Penn Quarter Garage (616 E St NW) location. The starting hours are 7:30 am to 6 pm weekdays, 9 am to 1 pm on Saturdays, and 9 am to 3 pm on Sundays.
Happy renting!
Photo below: Garage entrance on E St NW
The Museum of Illusions Open At CityCenter (927 H St NW – 2nd Level)
Photo above: Museum of Illusions entrance off H St NW
CityCenter gains another opening with The Museum of Illusions Washington DC (MOIDC) at 927 H St NW on the second level. The museum offers in person experiences with illusionistic rooms, optical illusions and a playroom with didactic games and puzzles. Visitors learn about vision, perception, and the human brain through these exhibits. The original Museum of Illusions concept was launched in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2015 and now has locations in multiple cities around the world.
The museum is not a Smithsonian museum and as such has an admission fee. Tickets with entries through March 31, 2023 can be purchased in advance here.
Sunday through Thursday the museum is open from 10 am to 8 pm. Friday and Saturday it’s open from 10 am to 9 pm.
Photos below: Color Room and Kaleidoscope illusion
Baker’s Daughter Cafe And Market Moved To Eaton Hotel (1201 K St NW)
One morning we thought we’d stop by a favorite spot, Baker’s Daughter, for breakfast only to find that the Chinatown location closed. Checking Twitter we’re happy to report that it is still nearby moving to the Eaton Hotel at 1201 K St NW. Rebranded as Baker’s Daughter Cafe & Market, the new location is much better and more inviting including spacious seating options, the same delicious bakery items, and expanded food and drink offerings. They offer breakfast and lunch items as well as sundry market foods and drinks – the menu can be found here. Open daily from 7 am to 8 pm.
New Location Photos (Eaton Hotel, 1201 K St NW)
Old Location Photos of Closed Space (600 block of I St NW in Chinatown)
Washington DC Puttery Delights In Penn Quarter (800 F St NW)
Puttery (800 F St NW) opened its doors to Washington DC in late June of this year and we can now say we’ve seen it, done it, and liked it. A mini-golf themed restaurant and bar spanning multiple levels and a broad swath of space now occupies both the former Olivia Restaurant (Nopa and Zola restaurants before that) and former Spy Museum put together. The two former businesses have been cleverly stitched together to form an enjoyable evening playland.
Bar and Dining
As you enter from F Street a bar, dining spaces, and a check-in counter greet you on the entry level floor. We tried the house made Spiced Cola Soda (non-alcoholic) and The Mark of Cincoro (alcoholic) drinks to be excellent and the pizza to be delicious made with an especially perfect dough. The kitchen accommodated our request to make a split pizza, one half with meat and the other half cheese only, which we appreciated. Readers can view the menu here.
Mini Golf
A hallway connects the entry bar and dining area with the mini-golf area comprised of three courses each with its own unique theme:
- Art Museum – features reimagined classic pieces of art with a humorous touch
- Conservatory – decorated with nature and prickly cacti evoking desert areas
- Illusion – here reality bends and all is not what it seems
While the mini golf doesn’t match the space of the outdoor experience, each course has its Instgrammable spots allowing for fun photos of you and your friends. Drinks can be ordered and brought to your group while you’re putting. The automated scoring system at each hole tracks your group’s progress and is clever enough to keep track of whether or not you’re over par, under par, or even. Reservations are recommended for mini golf but you can also try walking in although you may need to wait especially on the weekends. Indoor mini golf by its nature will be shorter and perhaps less varied than an outdoor course but Puttery makes the most of it that it can.
The last space is a second bar area with tables that greets you as you finish the Conservatory course also easily accessed before or after the Art Museum and Illusion courses. Drinks and food are available in this bar and sit down space. A few private event spaces of varying sizes are also available to rent out for an evening.
The Conclusion
All taken in Puttery delights for an evening out – the drinks and food are good, and the mini golf is entertaining albeit quick. The venue makes the most of each space and we’re delighted that Penn Quarter is its home. We were there for over two hours which passed in a flash, a sure sign that it makes for a great date night.
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- Check-in Counter
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- Main Bar Area
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- Mini Golf Entrances
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- Conservatory Mini Golf Course
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- Art Museum Mini Golf Course
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- Half Meat Half Cheese Pizza