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Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Adventures in Washington, DC

Sometimes I think people think I'm crazy for the amount of time I spend traveling. I mean, I literally can't remember the last weekend I spent in Gainesville. Sad....or awesome? To be quite honest, I LOVE traveling. If I could travel, take pictures and blog for the rest of my life, I'd be the happiest person on the planet. Hence, my excessive jetsetting. Where did I jetset off to this time? Washington, DC - one of my most favorite cities on the planet. Washington, DC is just one of those places that holds a special place in my heart. As a kid, we'd go there every summer to visit family. In my mind, I associate DC with family reunions, lightning bugs and fireworks - only the best summer activities ever! This time around, I was only there for a short three days, but had the best time. My mom's 7 sibs were in town to sort through my late grandpa's belongings, which sounds sad, right? Not necessarily. We had so much fun sorting through old pictures, videos and books - and had some great laughs while we were at it. Sidenote: I'd like to argue that I have the funniest uncles of all time. They are crazy, wild and downright hilarious. I could sit around and listen to them tell stories all. day. long.

Ok, so. Three days in DC. What to do...what to do. Bridget, my cousin/practically sister, was home from college, thankfully! We ventured to two different places over the weekend: Georgetown & the National Botanical Gardens.

Georgetown
Sitting atop a hill overlooking the Potomac, Georgetown definitely has a certain charm and London-esque ambience. Shops and cute little cafes line the streets, and people of all types crowd the sidewalks. Bridget and I weave in and out of the shops trying to restrain ourselves from spending our entire savings on one outfit. We decide we want to eat lunch somewhere that we cannot find anywhere else, and find ourselves at a charming little cafe called Snap. Snap is situated in a row of townhouses on a tiny, little sidestreet. Snap specializes in crepes and paninis and I, of course, need to get a crepe, while Bridget settles on a panini. Beyond the order counter and out the back door lies a quaint little brick courtyard surrounded by giant trees - the perfect place for a quiet lunch on a summer day. After gobbling up our delicious lunches, we set out to find two things: cupcakes and TOMS - both failures, may I add. Georgetown Cupcake (as seen on TLC) was jam-packed. I'm talkin "lines out the door for blocks" jam-packed. Quite the disappointment. As for the TOMS, well, let's just say everyone and their mother apparently wants grey TOMS in a size 8.5. Although unsuccessful, our day in Georgetown was perfectly pleasant and exactly what I needed in that moment.
National Botanical Gardens
Sunday morning, Washington DC. You'd think all would be quiet and calm...perfect for a stroll through the National Botanical Gardens. Well, I'm pretty sure everyone in the greater DC area also thought Sunday morning was the perfect opportunity to take the Metro into the city to visit the National Botanical Gardens. But, hey, whatcha gonna do? Nothin! Bridget and I, thankful for the no fee policy administered in all of the National Museums, happily tour the gardens. Let me tell ya - I've never seen anything quite like the National Botanical Gardens (NBG). The NBG is basically just a giant greenhouse sectioned off into different regions of the US - the jungle, the south, the desert, Hawaii, etc. - and, ok, I honestly had absolutely no idea we had that much variety of plants in this country. It's kinda crazy. Bridget and I stroll through each "room" ooo-ing and aah-ing at all the "crazy/evil/that thing's totally alive-looking" plants and comment on how we really want to have our own herb/vegetable/orchid gardens someday. (By the way, it's totally happening - that's my next project - an herb garden. I'm so excited.)
Before we head back for our final lunch with the fam, we walk the Mall just taking in the sites- the Capitol, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian, and a totally awesome kickball tournament. DC, you will be missed!


4 comments:

  1. I agree on the uncles. But let's throw in the aunts and cousins. Love our family!!

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  2. Our family is the BEST. We are so lucky :)

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  3. i'm sad i missed out on the visit. can i make it up to you!?

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  4. Of course! I'll be back in August (obviously) and we'll figure out something fun!

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