Maryland and DC pit stop recommendations?

[bikeeveryday]

Are you sure it was "Bicycle Place? or Space?

Columbia Heights

Food : apples, bananas, bagels
Swag : more water bottles, maps
Raffles : one every 15 minutes
Services: Bicycle Place is doing at least minor repairs

[PotomacCyclist]

Columbia Heights

Food : apples, bananas, bagels
Swag : more water bottles, maps
Raffles : one every 15 minutes
Services: Bicycle Place is doing at least minor repairs

Did you see the chicken?

[cvcalhoun]

Are you sure it was "Bicycle Place? or Space?

Sorry, fixed it now. The hazards of trying to blog while bicycling!

Did you see the chicken?

Nope, I missed the chicken.

[cvcalhoun]

Preserving this for next year:

Best swag:
1. Rockville Town Center (lots of nonstandard items, rather than just one more water bottle).
2. North Bethesda – US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (not quite as many as Rockville, but they were interesting ones).

Best raffles:
1. North Bethesda – US Nuclear Regulatory Commission seemed to have the most interesting prizes.
2. Bethesda had the most raffles per hour.
3. Friendship Heights seemed to have the best chances of winning (based on number of raffles compared to number of people).

Best food:
1. Based on last year, I'd say Georgetown Waterfront has the best free food, although unfortunately I wasn't able to make it there this year.
2. Whole Foods Bethesda (not a pit stop, but an after-work party) had really thick and delicious burgers, but they were $3, not free.

Best services:
Columbia Heights. Other places had air and lube, but Bicycle Space at Columbia Heights was the one place I saw bicycle stands and mechanics operating them.

Other:
For those of you who haven't figured out how to put a bike on a bus, Friendship Heights provided a bus you could practice on.

[PotomacCyclist]

What food did Georgetown have last year? I went this year, but I arrived shortly after they had officially closed. The tables were still there but the food was all gone.

[cvcalhoun]

What food did Georgetown have last year? I went this year, but I arrived shortly after they had officially closed. The tables were still there but the food was all gone.

Last year, they had Paul Bakery, Dean & Deluca, Baked & Wired, and Sprinkles providing food, Malmaison providing juice, and Starbucks providing coffee. I got coffee, some kind of hot pastries, huge Sprinkles cupcakes, chocolate croisants, Hippy Crack, bananas, and yogurt. They also had coupons for free Chipotle. I'm not sure whether they do all that every year, or whether it resulted from the fact that last year, Georgetown – Meigs Park closed due to the monsoon and consolidated with Georgetown - Waterfront.

[KWL]

Last year, they had Paul Bakery, Dean & Deluca, Baked & Wired, and Sprinkles providing food, Malmaison providing juice, and Starbucks providing coffee. I got coffee, some kind of hot pastries, huge Sprinkles cupcakes, chocolate croisants, Hippy Crack, bananas, and yogurt. They also had coupons for free Chipotle. I'm not sure whether they do all that every year, or whether it resulted from the fact that last year, Georgetown – Meigs Park closed due to the monsoon and consolidated with Georgetown - Waterfront.

Based on this year, I'd say last year was a spectacular one-off. This year Dean & Deluca offered high zoot water, nothing else and the only food I saw was some tiny cupcakes. They were quite delicious.

[cvcalhoun]

Based on this year, I'd say last year was a spectacular one-off. This year Dean & Deluca offered high zoot water, nothing else and the only food I saw was some tiny cupcakes. They were quite delicious.

Sorry to hear it! Last year, I was very grateful to have that pit stop, after being unable to find the Bethesda one and then braving the monsoon to get to Georgetown.