Some sweet dreams, for my friends and me, are made of memories paved on the highway — literally. My recent road trip in Washington, DC with my friends proved to be an essential element in fostering a strong bond between us — and we had every major thoroughfare, even alleyway of the US capital, and its neighboring states to witness this celebration.

Embarking on this ambitious road trip that started on the East Coast, with New York serving as our home base, was something that was on our bucket list — reconnecting and visiting family, friends and also places that we hold dear in our hearts. The journey from New York to Washington DC was an easy four-hour drive and could also be achieved taking the AMTRAK train or the Greyhound Bus from the Penn Station or the Port Authority Bus Terminal respectively.

If you so desire, you can also fly to any of the three major airports that serve DC. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is across the Potomac River from downtown Washington in Arlington, Virginia and primarily handles domestic flights. Major international flights arrive and depart from the Washington Dulles International Airport, 42.3 km (26.3 miles) west of the District in Fairfax and Loudon counties in Virginia. The Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is 51 km (31.7 miles), northeast of the District in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.

We felt loved and safe knowing that retired US Navy Officer Rolando “Rollie” Perez and his lovely wife Marilyn Real Perez were our hosts for this DC road trip.

Formally known as Washington, District of Columbia, the District or DC for short, this capital of the United States has a total area of 177.0 sq.km. (68.34 sq. miles) of which 158.1 sq.km. (61.05 square miles) is land and 18.9 sq.km. (7.29 square miles or 10.67 percent) is water. The District is bordered by Montgomery County, Maryland, to the northwest; Prince George’s County, Maryland, to the east; and Arlington and Alexandria, Virginia, to the south and west.

Named in honor of George Washington, the city of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. As of July 2015, Washington had an estimated population of 672,228 and commuters from the surrounding Maryland and Virginia suburbs raise the city’s population to more than one million during the workweek.

All the three branches of the federal government of the United States are in the district, the legislative (Congress), executive (President) and the judiciary (Supreme Court). Washington is home to many national monuments and museums, memorial parks and galleries. The city also hosts more than 176 foreign embassies, consulates as well as headquarters of many international organizations, non-profit organizations, lobbying groups and professional associations.

We marveled at the “friendly walking layout of the city” and we learned that in 1791, President Washington commissioned Pierre (Peter) Charles L’Enfant, a French-born architect and city planner, to design the new capital. The L’Enfant Plan featured broad streets and avenues radiating out from rectangles, providing room for lots of open space and landscaping. He based his design on plans of great walking cities like Paris, Amsterdam and Milan and envisioned including a garden-lined “avenue” approximately 1.6 km. (1 mile) in length and 120 meters (400 feet) wide in the area that is now the National Mall where most of the monuments and memorials are located.

We started this trip with a visit to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the largest Catholic church in the US and in North America, which opened 57 years ago and was dedicated to Mother Mary. The church houses more than 70 chapels and oratories and the latest contemporary ecclesiastical art collection thereby providing a very rich tapestry of people’s cultures and traditions that make up the very essence of the Catholic faith. One significant thing to note for most Filipino visitors is the chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the lower crypt. It was a spiritual journey that began in earnest as we prayed for family and friends and remembered special petitions for those ill, injured and spiritually wounded and lost.

We then motored our way to Mount Vernon to see how George and Martha Washington lived. Their residence was originally called the Little Hunting Creek Plantation, where George lived as a child from 1735, and became the first “White House” where they entertained foreign dignitaries and local officials. Renaming the estate to Mount Vernon was done by George’s half-brother Lawrence who named it after his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon. The 11,028-sq.ft. estate has been kept in pristine condition by the Mt. Vernon Ladies’ Association, a non-profit organization.

Ready for a big meal, we then made our way to Pupatella (Arlington, Virginia), which serves authentic wood-fired oven Neopolitan pizzas and homemade ice cream. With such delectable food and friendly service, it was no wonder the place was bustling and the queue was a mile long.

Our second day was spent enjoying the Smithsonian museums. Established in 1846 with an endowment of $500,000 from English scientist James Smithson, there are more than 19 museums, a national zoo and nine research centers in the country today. We visited the museums of Natural History, American History, Air and Space, Arts and still needed more days to cover all of the remaining ones.

Margaret, daughter of my friend Therese, loved the Natural History so much that she went back to enjoy it all over again. I am deeply grateful that someone thought of curating and documenting all the significant and relevant pieces of information that have shaped humanity’s history and culture. I felt truly blessed that we can enjoy these at our leisure and thanks to the grant, these museums are all free of admission charges.

The trip to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum was painful and difficult for me as it allowed me to witness what we have read and learned in school. This not my first visit to this museum, I was surprised that the heartache and anguish I felt when I walked through the corridors was as palpable as the first time I visited many years ago. Lest we forget, this type of genocide should hopefully never happen again.

From the Smithsonian station, we took the metro to Springfield ($6.80 per person, one way), where our hosts picked us up and prepared a wonderful home-cooked meal. After his retirement, our host Rollie took a two-year culinary course with the Culinary Institute of America and can certainly whip up some Mediterranean and Spanish comfort food paired with some of the best Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon offerings from his extensive wine collection.

Our third day was spent visiting the Washington Monument fondly called “The Pencil” by locals, the Lincoln Memorial (west end of the National Mall), the White House, the Capitol (whose roof was under renovation), the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Supreme Court building. Setting foot where men and women had gone before us to sacrifice, help shape history and allow the freedoms people now enjoy was quite meaningful.

We quickly drove past the Pentagon, a truly large (605 million sq.ft.) building housing the Department of Defense. It is so huge that it has six zip codes, has its own metro station stop, its own mall and supermarket. Construction began in 1941 and was completed in a mere 16 months. The joke among the locals is that this structure has more doors and rooms than any known office structure in the US.

We ended the day with another delectable Italian meal at Travinia in Woodbridge. This restaurant had an amazing selection of Italian favorites and al fresco dining with real fireplace pits that allow for cozy outdoor dinners even in winter.

Our last day was a last-minute rush to get some shopping done and the residents of Virginia have the Potomac Mills Mall complete with all the outlet stores from TJ Maxx, BCBG, Nordstrom Rack, Coach, Nike etc. We also basked in the sights of a truly beautiful district and its neighboring counties filled with neoclassical buildings, turn of the 18th-century homes, landscaped parks, beautiful monuments and its wonderful people.

It was truly a whirlwind of a road trip well spent with family and friends. I am thankful that we can experience a wealth of history, the richness of a country’s culture and the everyday people who make every visit a truly memorable one.

Till our next road trip.