Wednesday, September 7, 2011

The Beauty of DC

This past holiday weekend I was lucky enough to venture to Washington D.C. with my dear friend Robyn for her 25th birthday!  Robyn, two other sweet friends, and myself had an amazing time exploring this historical city.

The birthday girl!

I've been to DC before on a middle school trip and on short, family vacations, but it wasn't until this trip that I was struck with the amazing beauty DC holds.  I think my my mouth hung open for 99% of the trip as I gazed in awe at the breathtaking architecture and ran along green parks and meandered through some of the inspiring Smithsonian museums.

Buildings with many windows capture my heart.

I have a soft-spot for ducks.

The view of the Jefferson Memorial over the water was so gorgeous that it almost made me want to paddle boat.

We even said "hey" to Abe.

And, of course, we made a stop by the White House.

Not only was I able to see many beautiful and amazing things, but I also ate some very tasty treats!

More than halfway through our day on Saturday, we were exhausted. The weather was humid, the sun was burning brightly, and my out of shape body was protesting the five or six mile walk it just endured.  Fortunately, we happened upon the cutest French patisserie I have ever seen, Paul.  It was founded in Northern France in 1889 and opened it's first DC store in 2011.  I strongly approve.  A warm apple turnover and iced vanilla latte was exactly what my aching body needed.

I had a hard time deciding what to eat.  It all looked so good!!

That night we ate at an adorable restaurant called Open City. It is acclaimed as "one of the most powerful restaurants in DC" by the Washington City Paper.  That's a bold statement, but I saw no reason to disagree.  The food was amazing, the atmosphere was relaxing, and the waitstaff was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable. Also, it's off the beaten path so it isn't a traditional tourist's watering hole. Though, sometimes, I'm all for the cheesy, touristy stuff, it was nice to have a relaxing dinner without hearing a group argue over whether or not the ruby slippers seen in the Smithsonian were the actual ones from The Wizard of Oz.

Sunday morning my friends and I were in for a treat.  We wanted to find a local coffee shop where we could spend the morning reading and relaxing and sipping lattes.  We ended up at baked & wired in Georgetown and we immediately fell in love.  I mean, there were rows upon rows of delectable looking cupcakes staring us in the face with helpful barristas by their side.  Who could resist?  My friend Candace and I shared the strawberry cupcake and I had bites of the lemon/blueberry and red velvet cupcakes.  My only regret is that I didn't have the time, or the money, to try them all!

baked & wired

Georgetown was my favorite stop on our tour, by far.  (The history loving part of me just cringed a little.) There were so many fun looking restaurants and delicious looking bakeries.  Just about every store you could imagine was located there and every row house had it's own cute, distinct personality that I could've moved right in and felt at home.


What are some of your favorite capitol city memories?


Love, Alli

No comments:

Post a Comment