Washington DC

During the fourth of July weekend this year I strolled around Washington D.C. and Georgetown.

I love Georgetown because of the quaint and beautiful streets. They also have really good shopping and novelty boutiques.

Brunch. Some of the best french toast I've ever eaten due to the sautéed strawberries in butter and balsamic. 

An absolute Italian dream market. Dean & Deluca. 

Washington Harbor.

Lincoln Memorial.

Washington Monument.

WWII Memorial.

The U.S. Capital.

Great way to spend the fourth weekend and surprisingly, it wasn't that crowded. However, I'm sure the actual day of was with the fireworks display they were setting up.

Impromptu

It doesn't get much better than an impromptu weekend roadtrip. No expectations. Just the road and endless possibilities. This past weekend I hit the road to Washington D.C. I visited back in September for the first time and loved it. 

Since the Nationals game wasn't until the evening, Saturday I explored the city. I started out looking over D.C. from this rooftop. Super modern with great views.

 If you are in D.C., you must try The Pig. The smoked bbq smells in this place were amazing and I was very upset that I already ate breakfast.

 Another gem that I would recommend is Pearl Dive Oyster Palace. 

 The drink below was a very different combination of flavors than I'm used to, but I really enjoyed it. Its called the Pearl Oyster Cup. Bombay Sapphire, Pimm’s No. 1,  Cucumber, Lime, Mint, and House Ginger Beer. You could definitely make out the ginger taste.

 The hot oyster plates were AMAZING. I went with the Rockefeller and Tchoupitoulas.

Off to the ball game!

On Sunday, I decided to take a walk around Georgetown. I found myself on Georgetown University's campus. Very pretty.

And of course, you can't go to Georgetown or D.C. for that matter, without going to Georgetown Cupcake! I HAD to get the red velvet again and then I tried their Key Lime Cheesecake and Caramel Sundae cupcakes on specialty.

Happy Monday!

House of Cards

As a child, I pictured the political world in Washington D.C. to be flowing with banners of red-white-blue, pearly white monuments, and respectable men and women serving our country through their public service. Today, I assume that it's much like Netflix's House of Cards... But maybe a little bit more tame. You know, all the stabbing in the back to get what you want…without actually stabbing in the back.

HOC is another Netflix original series, meaning you can only watch it if you are a subscriber to or have purchased the DVD/BlueRay box set. I was late to the party on this, but I thought I would share because you can't just stumble upon this show on TV. 

Francis Underwood, played by Kevin Spacey, is a representative of South Carolina for the United States of America. Between him and his wife, Claire (Kristen Wright... AKA Jennaaayy from Forest Gump. Lol), they are the ultimate power couple. Both pushing eachother to reach bigger and better goals, while still independent with their own agendas. Even if that means crippling anyone in their paths to get there.

Francis twists and turns situations to his benefit without anyone ever knowing it, most of the time. If they do know, he knows and will do anything to keep them quiet. And I mean anything. That includes getting the media involved. It is Mr. Underwood's way or no way. So play by his rules…

I'm in the middle of the second season and am already blown away by the beginning. If you like thrillers, politics, and suspense, this is a series for you! I'm excited to get back to D.C. now to experience the energy there. Can't wait! I love D.C. and Georgetown!

DC

Mike and I had a fabulous weekend in Washington, DC. We got in on Friday night and were in awe of the drive in. At one point I thought, "is that the Pentagon?" and sure enough, there it was. HUGE. The Arlington Memorial Bridge is a pretty awesome entrance for our capital too. DC was completely different than I envisioned. Before we went site-seeing on Saturday, Friday night we went out near our hotel in the Foggy Bottom area. Let me tell you, parking has got to be the worst I have ever encountered near our hotel. I would suggest finding a spot ANYWHERE (cheap all day/night garage, on the street, etc.) and then taking a bus or train to where you need to go and walk. But hey, if that was the only bad thing about our trip, we will take it. It all worked out. 

George Washington University is also in this area, so we were able to check out a few nightlife hot spots. A cute little place called Froggy Bottom Pub, is where we spent most of our time that night. Good local brew and free smells. We already ate before we got there, but holy moly did that place smell delicious. Garlic and fresh spices, yum.

Saturday was for site-seeing. The Lincoln Memorial was Mike's favorite because he loves Abraham Lincoln. I can't tell you how many movies and books he has about him. 

It was so massive. 

 The reflecting pond was massive too. The walking we did on this trip has left me exhausted. My legs are actually sore. I was surprised to see that the pond was very dirty, especially compared to the other ponds and fountains. But the view, wow. It looks like they are doing a lot of renovating to the Washington Monument and other memorials. 

 Korean Veterans Memorial. I loved all the fountains, but definitely this one for this engraved piece. "Freedom is Not Free." I think some people forget about this. We are not entitled to anything. People fought and died for our freedom.

And finally, we made it to the Capital Building. Once again, massive. I can now say that I've been on the ground that millions of people have gathered for many presidential inaugurations. When I see the coverage now, I can truly understand that surface area of people that are there. Unbelievable. 

How could we come to DC without visiting the White House? Its crazy how you can only see the front of it from yards away. The house is so secluded, which I understand. We kept walking around expecting to be able to see it if we were in the vicinity. Wrong. You can't even tell that its there from the back or sides. Pretty awesome for being located in the middle of a city. 

The United States Navy Memorial.

I loved just about every fountain there. They were so pretty and most quite elaborate.

I was so excited to finally get myself into ZARA. I never went to the ones in Chicago, but they have two near and in DC. I'm in love with all of their clothes because everything is my style. Leather, unique cuts, fabulous shoes, chic comfy clothes, etc.

 The Nationals Park was much different from The Cell or Wrigley. You get off the underground metro, walk outside, and are greeted by the welcome sign below. Extremely convenient. 

Saturday night we watched waited for some Washington Nationals baseball. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the game because it kept raining and raining, and raining some more. Eventually it was cancelled, but we waited it out for Mike's friend, Tanner Roark #59.

I'm going to save all of my other "sweet" photos for tomorrow, but here is a glimpse of Washington, DC and our experience there. We will definitely go back, especially since we have Nationals tickets to redeem for next season! Hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm tired and can't believe its Monday already. I'll be looking forward to the weekend all week again, to relax this time and maybe do some Fall baking.