I've got trouble placing a year on this, it was the early 80s. Lets call it '82 or '83 (I remember Burger Time video game). My grandparents took me to Washing

I've got trouble placing a year on this, it was the early 80s. Lets call it '82 or '83 (I remember Burger Time video game). My grandparents took me to Washington DC and due to a mix up with the reservations for hotel rooms, the travel agency put us in the Watergate Hotel. For an about 10 year old, the hotel restaurant at the Watergate was a bit too fancy. Across the street (looking at Google maps - and https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9000541,-77.0557682,3a,68.9y,31.24h,93.2t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1stQ5JMiEJ5TnHQxlnXuS9Wg!2e0!5s20070801T000000!7i3328!8i1664 https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9000541,-77.0557682,3a,68.9y... looks about right), was a Howard Johnsons which was indeed a place where a 10 year old boy could get food without problem. (later edit: yep - that's it - https://www.flickr.com/photos/edge_and_corner_wear/9728171994 https://www.flickr.com/photos/edge_and_corner_wear/972817199... ) The food that I likely wouldn't have ate (as a picky eater) but my grandmother had me try before she told me what they were was the fried clams. https://www.thefooddictator.com/howard-johnsons-fried-clams/ https://www.thefooddictator.com/howard-johnsons-fried-clams/ I turned out I actually liked them and so had them each time I went there on that trip. https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2016/09/30/howard-johnsons-fried-clams https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2016/09/30/howard-johnso... An article about that last Howard Johnsons - https://www.eater.com/2017/2/14/14601970/last-howard-johnsons-lake-george-new-york https://www.eater.com/2017/2/14/14601970/last-howard-johnson... From that article... > There are some days, like when a previous Howard Johnson’s owner drives to Lake George just to shake LaRock’s hand and wish him luck, or when a couple arrive from New Jersey just to eat fried clams at a linoleum HoJo’s counter again, when none of that feels important. There are other days, however, when LaRock tries to predict the weather while waiting for tour buses full of French-Canadians, and in those moments, and it feels like he is the captain, first mate, and chief steward of a ship that’s already sunk.