Makda’s place is perfect for anyone looking to stay in an updated home with a private studio. It is a shared entrance and so you will be greated by Luna, her small dog. It gave me the privacy I needed to feel at home on my own especially in the early morning & take care of emails & catch up on news.
I prefer to stay in this set up better than a hotel because I enjoy having a private living room & food prep area (refrigerator, microwave & coffee pot and a kitchen table & chairs) to enjoy my morning routine before I shower & get out for the day. (Makda has a full kitchen upstairs & I was able to use the cooktop to heat up soup or make a full breakfast if I wished.
It’s wonderful to be able to get a few things like juice & sodas & cereal or muffins & know that you have your snacks waiting for you downstairs when you wake up or get home late after a day in the city.
Having driven to DC I was able to make the most of it right from the beginning.
Arriving on Friday & checking in gave me the opportunity to drop off my bags. Then I booked myself on the evening tour with Old Time Trolley of the city & monuments by moonlight
I drove and parked down the block from the Trolley (you can park for free after 6pm). Having my car was great because the tour runs from 7:30-10pm. It was a short drive away & convenient to drive around after & take some pictures on my own.
The next two days Sat & Sun I parked for free at Eastern Market Metro Station area.
That was perfect because I wasn’t sure what my evening plans were & wanted to be able to drive home if it was late at night so I would not need to walk 7minutes from the Benning Metro Station.
The Eastern Market has a street market about 3 blocks long and restaurants around. I felt safe leaving my car there & returning their at night to get my car. addresses to put into gps for locating street parking that is safe & close to Metro at Eastern Market.
I was so happy to have found these locations to park because Sun evening after the my day at the museums it got really dark & windy, when I got out at Eastern Market the big raindrops began to fall & luckily I had parked around the corner. I was home in about :15 minutes.
Because I was using Eastern Market Metro Station as my homebase it was only 4 stops away from Smithsonian Metro Station. It would take me no more than 15-20 Minutes to get to my car from the Museum area.
The following day was Monday and so I left my car at Makda’s & walked to the Benning Metro Station. I had planned to Uber it home after a late dinner with a friend at Founding Farmers restaurant in the city.
My last day at Makda’s I was able to enjoy sitting on the front porch and listening to the birds while participating on a scheduled webinar.
Overall, I made good use of my time and was able to get back & forth conveniently between The American History Museum, the African American Museum & the Native American Museums in addition to the moonlight tour of DC the day I arrived. It’s a perfect place to stay especially if you are going for a weekend & have a car it will be only 4 stops away. If you don’t & travel from Benning Metro Station it is only 7 stops away.
Makda also has more information & tips for you to make your stay as easy as possible.