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I cannot even explain how wonderful it was to get away for 4 days...away from work, the computer, phone, emails, even house chores. After another long and stressful Spring term, it was just what I needed to relax and re-energize for the Summer. The trip can be summarized in just a few descriptors: walking, eating, birthday party fun, more walking and eating. Have no fear though, we crammed a lot of fun into those simple activities. We even conducted an official taste test between 2 cupcake stores. I really miss Alli, but she is living and working in a really awesome town- and it just gives me an excuse to go back and finish all the sightseeing that we did not get a chance to do!
Thursday, April 30
Leaving on a jet plane...direct flight from Tampa to DC.
And this is my sister looking super excited in the airport:
After meeting Alli in the airport metro area, we purchased tickets and jumped on the metro back to her adorable apartment in Alexandria. The dogs were excited to see us...Ruby even gave us the circle tail wag (she especially did it for Dawn). We walked to the shops near her apartment, browsed, and then took the metro into the city. We decided to eat Chinese food, and found a great place on a recommendation from Alli. It was yummy, and reasonable, which is hard to come by in the city- the food is usually expensive. After eating we walked around Chinatown, popped in an old pub (it was crowded, so we looked and then left), and had a drink at Rocketbar. Before calling it a night, we stopped at our first cupcake store- Red Velvet. It was a tiny store, but the cupcakes looked and smelled delish.
You can tell they were holding back the urge to eat the sugary goodness!
At the end of the night we went back to Alli's place and critiqued our cupcakes. They were good, but there was room for improvement. Overall we were happy, and going into sugar shock, but ready to tackle a day of sightseeing and birthday fun on Friday.
Friday, May 1
Happy Birthday Alli!!!!
Today was special, Alli officially turned another year older, and we had dinner and dancing plans that evening with DC friends. So, we decided to sleep in, go sightseeing, and then return to the apartment before hitting the town.
The USDA garden
Yes, we are tourists!
There are many museum options in DC, and the best part is free admission (well, Alli noted that they are not exactly free, my taxes do support the Smithsonian system). Being Ag girls, we decided to visit the Natural History Museum. It was surprisingly packed for a Friday, so.many.people! It was the kind of crowds that become exhausting, just trying to move around, and still look and read exhibits.
Look at Dawn's excitement... :)
A giant squid
One particularly impressive exhibit was a nature photography contest. There were some beautiful images of nature, simply amazing.
Dawn & Alli checking out the Orlando, FL photography club submissions:
The insect exhibit was great, and I took this picture especially for my husband!
After hitting a few more spots in the museum (the Hope Diamond), we gave up on fighting the crowds and walked to the White House in search of a good lunch restaurant.
The DC gal...
I was particularly impressed by the size of this Magnolia tree, thanks sis for providing scale. I have one in my front yard- I hope it gets this big someday!
After a yummy lunch, a lot of shopping, and walking, we decided to head back to the apartment to rest and prepare for a night of birthday fun. More details and pictures coming up in Part 2, so stayed tuned...
1 comment:
Alli - I had so much fun! We do need to come back and continue the visit (and the cupcake tasting... mmmm). Thanks so much for hosting us, and Happy Birthday again!
Dawn
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