March Madness Journey

Originally I was thinking DC in April, but when I found an amazing deal on a plane ticket, it got bumped to March.  A long weekend, just a little get away this time, but it would be a great chance to reconnect with college friends.

I flew down on Friday morning and checked into a great historical hotel on Embassy Row near Dupont Circle.  I'd always heard such wonderful things about the area but never spent much time there.  People were right- it's a great place to stay, much better than the more touristy areas that are dead after the museums close.  I loved having so many great places close by.

The first day I had lunch at Kramerbooks and Afterwords Cafe- the butternut squash ravioli was only OK, but the key lime pie was AMAZING.  I wish I'd had time to go back for another piece.  I browsed around for a while and then started walking, killing time really.  I walked down Connecticut Ave to Farragut Park, and then on to the White House.  Which I didn't realize was the White House because I was pretty lost.  Oops.  But hey, White House!  That was fun.

I took the Metro out to Virginia to meet with my college roommate, and then we joined another friend for dinner at the Lost Dog Cafe and desert at Sugar Shack.  Oh, my God, the Samoa donut.  I could have eaten a dozen.  I picked up a few extras for breakfast the next day or two.

Day two I headed to National Geographic, but decided it was silly to pay for a museum when there were free ones a few blocks away.  I perused the gift shop for a bit.  Then I went to the Archives.  I hadn't been there since I was 10, so it was practically something new.  It was pretty cool.  I mostly just enjoyed hearing all the parents telling their kids about the documents.  I tend to be way too cynical about civics in our world today, but it turns out there are a lot of people out there telling their kids about the Founding Fathers!  Go America!

Archives and Navy Memorial

I had a quick sandwich lunch and then ran over to the National Gallery for a bit.  I had a bit of a headcold so wasn't feeling great so the visit didn't last long.  I ended up going back to the hotel to sleep.  Dinner was sushi at Raku, which was pretty good but I was seated sort of alone in a corner of the bar- way to not make me feel like a loser, hostess person!  Dining alone is still sometimes tough.

Day three I was feeling pretty miserable, but I braved it out to the Freer and Sackler museums.  I wanted to see the Hiroshige prints in the Traveler's Exhibit.  It didn't disappoint, once I found it.  I also visited the African art museum.  They win for the worst layout ever.  Lunch was Shake Shack, a happy accident, and then nap time again.

I was feeling better in the evening and it was finally getting warmer, so I wandered to an Asian bowl restaurant and had a great Satay rice bowl for dinner.  Then because it was still light out (yay, spring!) I got a cinnamon hot chocolate from Starbucks and walked around the neighborhood for a while.  Then I had to grade research papers, joy.

Monday I tried to go to the Library of Congress but the streets were closed off.  Giving up, I walked back to the National Gallery for a more proper tour.  I love the little courtyards there, and sat with my favorite Renaissance pieces for a while.  The Piero di Cosimo exhibit was interesting- I really liked the part about the restorations of one of the more battered panels.

Almost Cherry Blossoms!

I wandered back to the hotel from there, stopping at Wicked Waffle for lunch (delicious!) and then it was time for home.  All in all, it would have been a better trip if I'd been feeling better but there are worse places to be sick than in a grand hotel with a king size bed, huge TV, and daily replenishment of tissues.