Road Trip: National Harbor to Richmond, VA

The day was already off to a less than auspicious start. My flight into National Airport, just outside of DC, had gone smoothly enough despite being a bit late. The shuttle to National Harbor was uneventful enough, despite requiring a much longer wait than originally expected. Things started to come apart at the seams, however, when I stopped at the Hertz rental car counter in the hotel to pick up the car I had reserved. Apparently, they had a few cars that were delayed in coming back and despite the fact that I had a reservation to pick up the car at 3:30PM, the earliest a car would be available would be 6PM. Since I was expected to be in Richmond, about 2 hours away, for dinner, that just wasn't going to cut it. Throw in some surly service from an overwhelmed counter rep and my patience was wearing thin. Figuring that the airport location would have more cars, I called for a shuttle and headed back to the airport.

Arriving at the airport location, I headed for the Hertz counter. The large number of people sitting around waiting should have been a clue, but I was hoping for the best. I approached the counter and as the guy pulled up my reservation on the computer, it was looking like things would finally be going my way. We went through nearly the entire process before the rep at the counter informed me, with an air of "sucks to be you," that there was a 90-minute wait for a car. Running out of time, I gave the rep a piece of my mind, in no uncertain terms, before canceling my reservation. Taking a step back, head full of steam, I looked down the row of rental car counters and picked out Budget, mostly because there was absolutely no one in line. Before I even began the process, I asked the counter rep if they had cars available immediately and he assured me that he did, although they only had coupes left: one Mustang and one Camaro. Before deciding, I inquired as to whether the cars were V6 or V8 versions - the Mustang was six-cylinder, but the Camaro was an SS with the V8. Jackpot!

Guest Post: 3 Days and Nights - 2013 Dodge Charger SE

This is our first, of what we hope will be many, guest post and comes to us from a friend, Christine T., in Richmond, VA. If you are interested in contributing a post, please submit your idea through the Contact Us page and we will reach out to you to discuss.

From the southern garage of Richmond, VA, comes a review of the 2013 Dodge Charger SE. During the drive, weather ranged from freezing and downpours to sunny and clement. Driving consisted of stop and putter along the inner city, speeding down the highway late for a conference, and cruising around town with a friend. Overall? I really enjoyed it, and the few complaints that I had are relatively minor.

The captain’s seat is easily adjustable and comfortable, which is important when you’re a compact 5’ pilot. Seats are firm and held me comfortably in place on aggressive turns, but some may find more lumbar support desirable. The thicker multi-function steering wheel is comfortable and easy to use, even with my small paws. Driver visibility and rear passenger headroom are marginalized by the sporty body style.