Martin's Tavern, Georgetown, D.C.

Last night we sat amongst American history.

About 11:30, Ian decided that he wanted a drink, it had to be Guinness beer, and it had to be draught, not bottled or canned. That made bar selection a challenge (not to mention the fact that a lot of places close at midnight). We ended up doing an Internet search and picking Martin's Tavern, one of those old, old institutions of Georgetown.

We took a seat in a booth by the window overlooking the corner of N and Wisconsin, and it turned out we were in booth number three—the "Kennedy Booth." Back in 1953, this was the very place where then-Senator John Kennedy proposed to Jacquelyn Bouvier, and she accepted! As a result, a lot of people call it the "proposal booth." Throughout the '50s, it was a favorite booth for Jack and Jackie, who lived in Georgetown just a few blocks away.

Right behind us was booth number two, the "Nixon booth," where Richard Nixon liked to sit during his days in Congress, and across the room was booth number six, where then-Senator Harry S. Truman used to sit with his daughter, Margaret (who died earlier this week, incidentally), so they could eat together while she was in college at George Washington. The tavern lays claim to having hosted every president since Truman.

In the hallway on the way upstairs to the restrooms, they have a framed copy of their original 1933 menu. They used to serve a filet mignon dinner for $1.00.

Well, they've had Guinness on tap since 1933, and Harp, too, so Ian got his Guinness and I got a Harp. Unfortunately, the kitchen closed at eleven, so we didn't get a chance to eat, but it looked like basic, hearty, traditional American food dominated the menu.

After three Guinnesses, a swig of my Harp, several sips of my Crown on the rocks, and two-thirds of my Crown and Coke, Ian decided he'd had enough to drink (well, actually, the bartender told us to leave cause they were locking up). He's so fun and giggly when he's tipsy! LOL I had to walk him home to his apartment to make sure he'd be okay and find it (he didn't wear his contacts last night).

Anyway, I'm looking forward to another visit to Martin's to try their food and soak up some more presidential ambiance.