Quick Q -- I have a day in Washington DC...

[g33klibrarian]

I'm in Wasington for a conference and I have one day to wander. Is it worth the extra hour+ (taking the Red Line round trip) to head out out of Washington to visit Bertram's Inkwell in Rockville MD (as opposed to simply visiting Farhneys)? I've read that B-Inkwell are real good people and good prices, just didn't know if it was worth the extra trip or not. I also have Jenni Bick's on my list to visit. Thanks!

[inkstainedruth]

Sorry -- I've never been to either in person.  I did, however, when I was in the DC area last summer for a family funeral, take a day and drive up to Columbia, MD to the Pen Boutique.  Had a lovely chat with the guy working there and a couple of other customers. and bought some ink and a Sheaffer Star Wars Pop Yoda pen.  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[g33klibrarian]

Many thanks! Unfortunately I'll be carless and stuck to DC mass transit, but that sounds fun too. Wish I had more than a day

[bsenn]

You're in Washington DC! Pens are great, but go to the National Mall, Smithsonian, Patent Office, Arboretum, US Mint, Spy Museum, or some other treasure.

[g33klibrarian]

I live out in the country so I don't get to visit pen shops on a regular basis, but fear not, I will absolutely partake of DC. I'm indeed a librarian so I snagged a ticket to see the Library of Congress for the first time!

 

I've been to DC before and have seen the major monuments. So instead I'm debating between hitting a neighborhood like Georgetown or a museum like the Smithsonian or the Building Museum. Just trying to figure if I should squeeze in that extra chunk to head to Rockville or stick in town.

[inkstainedruth]

I've never been to the Library of Congress.  But when I was a junior in high school I was on a class trip where we went a bunch of different places and were supposed to keep track of the conversations we had with various people.  I remember going to the headquarters for the FBI, interviewing a woman at the Peace Corps/Vista headquarters who had just come back from a 2 year stint somewhere in Africa (Ghana, maybe -- it's been over 40 years at this point) and having some Air Force colonel sidestep questions in a small interior conference room at the Pentagon (I didn't have any CLUE as to just how big that place is before going there).

And a number of years ago I went to the National Archives and got to see a copy of the Magna Carta on display (everyone was standing in line to see the Declaration of Independence, but I could walk right up to the display case where the Magna Carta was).  And I've been to the Smithsonian and the National Museum of Art a few times.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[sketchstack]

For what it's worth, I visited Farhney's and found it quite enjoyable. It was cool to see tons of pens that I typically only see in online shops. 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

A friend of mine once said that going into Fahrney's was like walking into a "pen temple".  Sadly, when I was in the DC area last summer, they were only open by appointment, and I thought it would be rude to go and waste their time and not end up buying anything.  So Pen Boutique it was instead.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[TeddyCian]

Well i was just in DC and visited fahrneys they had a solid amount of good selection but the guy working there was no good

[EricTheRed]

Fahrneys is cool but Bertram’s inkwell has an equally large selection with much better prices.  Go to both, but save your money for Bertram’s where you can buy more with the same funds.  Bertram’s also sells used pens for excellent prices.  I have bought many over the years from Bert and they have all written extremely well.  Enjoy your trip!