Staycations > Vacations

This past week was so great! Bridget passed her NCLEX aka she's officially on summer vacation for the next couple of weeks. Kati took the week off of work. And I had my last week of freedom before the new job! (It's starts tomorrow - eek.) Upon realizing that we obviously needed to take advantage of this magical free time we all had, we decided to go on a DC staycation. This staycation included such adventures as the Coldplay concert and a successful shopping expedition to the outlets. 

Last Wednesday, we decided to transform into our tourist-selves yet again, and venture to the Newseum. I have to admit, my attention span at museums is usually less than 2 seconds, but I could have wandered the Newseum for hours -- possibly days. I think it's safe to say it's my favorite museum - ever. I know, that's a pretty strong statement, but by golly it's true. 

 

Some things I loved about the Newseum: 

• They have a 6th floor terrace with views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument. 
• I spotted Stephen Colbert at least 5 times while wandering. Any museum that includes Stephen Colbert in their repertoire automatically rules in my book. 
• Their 9/11 exhibit is incredible. It broke my heart all over again. They have an antennae from one the towers on display, as well as the front pages from around the world that covered that horrific day. 
• Giant pieces of the Berlin Wall are on display, as well as one of the guard towers.
• They have an entire exhibit on Pulitzer Prize photography. It was so captivating. 
• They surprised me with newspapers dating all the way back to the 1500s - including newspapers covering the Salem Witch Trials, and the life of the Pirate Blackbeard. I don't think it gets more awesome than that. 
• Two words: Glass. Elevators. 

After satisfying our cultural hunger, we headed to Chinatown to satisfy our actual appetites at Matchbox. I LOVED THIS PLACE. We sat outside. The sun was setting. We had delicious cocktails and fun chatter. We were surrounded by beautiful architecture, including a goblet of fire. Note: Any restaurant that displays a goblet of fire will immediately become my favorite restaurant upon discovery of said goblet. 

Delicious avocado crab salad!

...check out those 'Matchbox Infusion' cocktails! 

Following our tasty meal, we may or may not have headed to Iron Horse Taproom and parked ourselves in front of a big screen TV playing an outdated version of 'Robin Hood' for 3 hours. #ladiesnight