That night at the hotel, after a swim in the hotel’s large indoor pool, I put on a nice shirt, slacks and sport coat but found to my distress that my dress shoes were AWOL—an apt term since 24,000 National Guardsmen were having a leadership conference at the Gaylord resort on the weekend of our visit. (That is a lot of khaki.) I had pulled out a pair of dress shoes when packing for the trip, but amid the craziness of a late leave, I failed to complete that last little step of actually putting them into my bag. No dress shoes. At the hotel, I searched through my bag twice to delay the reality of my silly oversight. It did not help: no shoes.

But no worries! I looked more than respectable from the ankles up, and besides, I would be entering the restaurant behind my wife and daughter. I could only hope the (attentive) staff would not spot my faux pas—or if they did, that they would ignore their rule forbidding casual shoes. If caught, I intended to say that I’d recently had foot surgery and my doctor had prescribed the sneakers during rehabilitation.

The Old Hickory Steakhouse turned out to be more elegant than anticipated. (Uh-oh.) Then, after being greeted by the host, we had to walk through not one or two but three rooms, including a swanky bar with white leather seats, before reaching our table—and of course most of the diners along the way gave us a scan as we passed. In the end, it was much ado about nothing. I moved confidently (and quite comfortably) through the restaurant—and once seated didn’t give the sneaks another thought. There was steak to eat!

Given that we are suffering through what everyone hopes is the last stretch of a major recession, and given that the Gaylord has only been open since April, I was expecting the steakhouse, one of three restaurants at the resort, to be fairly quiet. It was just the opposite—busy—and we soon learned why. The food was fantastic. For starters, my wife, Betsy, had a seafood cocktail (poached Maine lobster, white shrimp, scallops, calamari and jumbo lump crab), daughter Lily had lobster and bacon corn chowder, and I had almond-encrusted jumbo lump crab cake with avocado mousseline. For our entrees, Betsy had a 10-ounce grass-fed beef tenderloin, Lily had sautéed spinach and truffle mac & cheese (something Eloise surely ate at the Plaza), and I ordered a 20-ounce Black Angus ribeye served on a Himalayan salt stone with a half head of roasted garlic. (Gaylord officials say the stones are mined as boulders from beneath the mountains then hand cut by local masons. They impart a slight saltiness to the food—and apparently are ideal for high-temperature cooking.) Let’s just say the main courses were surpassingly tasty. Lily, who is talkative, was unusually quiet during the meal—a sure sign of contentment. I acknowledge that an upscale steakhouse is not exactly standard fare for a 7-year-old, but parents take an interlude of quiet contentment however they can get it!

Old Hickory has an impressive selection of artisanal cheeses, many from Europe and some of which I had tried at a press event a few months ago. Diners can also enjoy cognac and cigars on the restaurant’s terrace overlooking the Potomac. I couldn’t take advantage, but with a group of male friends, I would have.

After dinner, we strolled a block from the hotel to the resort’s ICE! show—5,000 blocks of ice that 40 artisans from Harbin, China, have carved into 10 holiday scenes. It took them 40 days to complete the job. Inside the tented “cold room” that houses the attraction, one can see ice sculptures in a range of colors—including a full-size sleigh, penguins and a nearly full-size nativity scene. Before entering the cold room, guests are given blue parkas to ward off the chill, and they’re essential: It’s 9 degrees inside. There are two quick ice slides that elicit laughs as you come to a skidding halt on your backside. ICE! is popular holiday attraction in the D.C. area—especially for kids—but at $24 per adult ticket, it’s a rather pricey 15 minutes of ice ogling. Buy online and save a few bucks.

The Gaylord hotel group owns four resorts—one at Opryland in Nashville, another in Orlando, a third in Dallas, and now this new facility just outside of D.C. It is a big place—the anchor for an embryonic mixed-used development (condos, eateries, office space) at National Harbor. There is no golf or tennis; here, the Potomac is the attraction—and you can’t miss it at the Gaylord. The hotel’s 19-story atrium is all glass on the river side—a massive, impressive picture window, especially now, with a 60-foot-tall green glass Christmas tree hanging in front of it. You stop and you stare. There are a small number of restaurants and shops around the perimeter. Lit up, at night, it’s pretty captivating—whether your vantage point is inside or outside.

On Sunday, a sparkling late autumn day, we took an easy, 20-minute water taxi ride across the placid Potomac to Old Town Alexandria. (You can buy tickets inside the hotel.) In Alexandria, we spent two hours visiting galleries and boutiques and trying to commiserate with Redskins fans—the home team, alas, was losing another game. It was a brief getaway within our getaway. You can also take water taxis from Gaylord to Georgetown and nearby Mount Vernon.

Not into boat trips, Christmas or fancy steak dinners? That would mean you are young—and if so, Gaylord has a two-story lounge on its 18th floor, the most interesting feature of which is its infusion bar—which hotel reps claim is the only one of its kind on the East Coast. Infusion bars are trendy, and Gaylord’s Pose Ultra Lounge offers 11 different “infusions” of alcohol steeped with fruit, berries, herbs and spices. Seriously, what party dog wouldn’t want to try one? For those looking for pampering, there is also a spa and salon at the hotel, named Relache, which offers the requisite range of services—including a couple’s “sunset massage” in a room overlooking the river. That was impractical for us, but I got kneaded by the unforgiving massage therapist for the U.S. Naval Academy—and what can I say: For 50 minutes I forgot all about my missing shoes.

With thanks to the Gaylord National Resort for its hospitality.

12/4/09 12:57 PM