The Great Escape: Milkshake Break

Your teens are babysitting for the neighbors on Saturday. Your parents have volunteered to watch the kids while you run errands on Sunday afternoon. Your tweens are glued to Glee on Tuesday evenings.  It’s your time. Take it. Looking for ways to spend it?

Each week, Patch throws out one great idea to give you a much deserved break, and make your life a little easier, maybe a whole lot easier!

The Washington, D.C. area may be fast becoming the nation's captial for the best burger joints but with burgers comes something possibly even more exciting - milkshakes!

And what better way to make an excuse to "escape" from your house for a few minutes - or to make a quick stop between errands - than to indulge your sweet tooth with this creamy treat?

Here are a few places Patch recommends you pop into:

• The Silver Diner in Fair Oaks offers 10 milkshake flavors including the "Tropical Hawaiian Shake" with vanilla ice cream, coconut, bananas and pineapple. At $4.99, it's a lot less pricey than a mid-winter tropical beach week. Other local locations include Mclean, Falls Church and Clarendon.
• in Vienna blends premium ice creams with "mix-in's" to create unique, one-of-a-kind milkshake concoctions like "Cherry Cheesecake," which includes milk, cheesecake-flavored ice cream and cherry pie filling.
• (how authentic does that sound?) in Falls Church serves old-fashioned shakes and malts in four simple flavors for just under $5, and a variety of specialty shakes including "Orange Dreamsicle" and "Mocha Espresso" for $5.35.
• Sweetleaf in Mclean serves tangy frozen yogurt milkshakes, blended with up to three different kinds of fresh fruit. Think of this option as a slightly more healthy way to satisfy your craving for ice cream.