A Weekend in Washington

I just returned late last night after a wonderful 4-day weekend with my dear friend, Sarah, in Washington D.C. Sarah was one of my mission comps over ten years ago who then became a college roommate, fellow backpacking companion through Europe, and bridesmaid at my wedding. So, I have quite a history with this hilarious, intelligent, sassy gal! I just love her to death! Anywho, Sarah was the absolute hostess with the mostess and treated me to a fabulous weekend including many of the famous and local sites! I haven't been to this part of the county since 2nd grade which means I basically remember nothing. So it was truly a treat for me to go back and revisit some of these places during this incredible part of the year on the east coast. The autumn colors were everywhere and were stunning and we were blessed with an unusually warm weekend of weather in the 60s. So, I never even broke out the scarf, hat, gloves combo that I bought especially for this trip.

Here is a quick rundown of my weekend in Washington with Sarah...

After arriving in the afternoon of October 23rd, Sarah and I kidnapped her fabulous sister, Michelle, from work and headed into the city via Georgetown (which was stunning!). We ate dinner at an incredible Spanish restaurant in the heart of the city.

Michelle, me, and Sarah after gorging on one-too-many tapas at Jaleo. On second thought, can you ever gorge on one-too-many tapas?!

Sarah and Michelle then drove me into the "National Mall" area of DC so that we could visit the Lincoln Memorial and Jefferson Memorial up close. It was amazing to visit these monuments at night as they become these glowing, white orbs against the night sky after the sun sets each day. I loved it and was truly impressed with the sacred, respectful atmosphere that I felt at each monument.

The next day, October 24th, Sarah, Michelle, Michelle's friend, Kesa, and I set off on a 12-hour adventure through two of the quaintest and historic towns around. We first drove to Alexandria, VA for lunch and a stroll around the "Old Town" section for the early afternoon. This town was established in the 1700s and seriously has not changed since. Why can't we have towns that look like this on the West Coast? Geez.

Here are Sarah and I down at the marina on the Potomac River.

The four of us ate a delicious lunch at the neatest restaurant in Alexandria called Gadsby's Tavern. It was built in the late 1700s as an actual restaurant and tavern and is still used for that same purpose today. But, what makes it the coolest is that it is where George Washington used to frequent as Alexandria is only about ten minutes away from Mount Vernon. So, I now can officially say that I ate where George ate. I can reach no higher in life.

After our visit to Alexandria, we hopped back in the car and cruised through some of the most beautiful fall countryside in Maryland (complete with rolling hills, red barns, and grazing cows) before arriving in Gettysburg which is just on the other side of the Pennsylvania border. We joined up with another one of Sarah's sisters, Ann Marie, and a few other friends. We were treated to our own personal tour through the various battle fields of the Battle of Gettysburg by Ann Marie (free of charge, might I add) before the sun set. Pictured above is was one of the roads we travelled through on our driving tour through Gettysburg. Amazing!!

Sarah, some cannons, and the location of the first battle in the background.

Sarah and I and the glorious sunset that appeared while we were visiting the location of the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg.

After our tour, we hit a local Pennsylvania diner for dinner on Ann Marie's recommendation. It really doesn't get any more authentic than this place in the way of true, Pennsylvania cuisine. I mean, one could find pickled beats and eggs on the menu! We scarfed down our dinner and then headed to our 8:15 ghost tour that we had reserved. Gettysburg is supposedly one of the most haunted towns in the United States due to all of the deaths that took place there during the Civil War. As a result, ghosts tours abound and are quite the thing to do during the Halloween season! We enjoyed following our guide for over an hour all over Seminary Ridge which is a Lutheran campus that was turned into several hospitals during the Battle of Gettysburg. Hence, a lot of men died there which equates to a lot of ghosts being there. I have done ghost tours before in the French Quarter in New Orleans and on the Queen Mary ship in Long Beach, CA and find this a highly entertaining way to learn some local history. Pictured above is our group during the tour.

Sunday, October 25th, was a much needed mellow day. After church, I was fortunate enough to receive a visit from my wonderful friend, Kerry, and her daughter, Lacey, who drove down from Baltimore to see me at Sarah's place. Kerry was one of my roommates for several years during my stint in Huntington Beach and we truly were kindred spirits from the get-go! I just love this girl, too. We traveled the world together and went on many local adventures in Cali before we both tied the knot exactly four weeks apart! I haven't seen her for over three years and have never met her daughter. So, it was so great to spend the afternoon and evening with her. Here we are outside Sarah's place with the autumn leaves in all their glory. And, NO, the coordinated, red clothing was not planned! Please do not think that this is a lesbian Christmas card picture or something!

On October 25th, my final day in D.C., Sarah and I took the metro into the city to see a few more of our national capitol's highlights before I caught my evening flight back home. First stop was of course 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!

After peaking at the White House, we caught the metro back down to the National Mall area to get up close and personal with a few other of DC's gems. First stop was the Washington Monument. I realize that the above picture is totally dorky, but it had to be done. When does one get the chance to carry this building in the palm of their hands?

The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial from two different points out on "the mall."

Sarah and I frolicking amongst the flags below the Washington Monument.

The glorious capitol building flanked by glorious autumn colors.

After tootling around the mall for a bit, Sarah and I hit up a few of the fabulous and free Smithsonian museums right there in the area! We first visited the Smithsonian Museum of American History to ogle at things like Julia Child's actual kitchen, a pair of Dorothy's ruby red slippers, one of Jackie O's dresses, and the American flag that inspired "The Battle Hymn of the Republic." All good stuff. We then went on to the Museum of Natural History to poke around for awhile. Here Sarah and I are on the steps out front the Museum of Natural History that you might recognize from those stupid, Ben Stiller movies that I can't stand! :-)

I normally don't take pictures of things behind glass in museums because, really, what's the point? However, I did have to snap one of the infamous Hope Diamond located in the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History because it is the one thing I remember seeing in all of the museums my family and I visited way back in 1984. Apparently, I've always had a thing for diamonds.

We then made a stop at the National Archives to take a gander a the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. After accidentally having my flash go off (Dang it!), I managed to get the pic above. It's pretty self-explanatory and, yes, it's the real thing.

We finished off the day with a stop at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian for an unbelievable lunch in their new cafe that features Native American cuisine from all over the country. Can anyone say pulled Buffalo burgers? Yes, they can. We then burned off some happily-consumed calories by strolling to our nation's capitol building to bask for a final few minutes in some glorious, fall weather before hopping on the metro. Here I am at the base of the capitol steps with the Washington Monument in the distance. What a great way to end the day!

Thank you, Sarah, for a fabulous weekend!