weekend adventures | exploring hillwood gardens

Spring is always such a beautiful, yet fleeting, season in DC. It seemed to disappear even more quickly than usual this year, I think because we were traveling and because horrible weather (a month of rain) kept us from enjoying our usual outdoorsy activities. But in the middle of April, we had a weekend of perfect weather, so we took my mother to explore Hillwood Gardens for her birthday. The gardens were in full bloom, the sun was shining, and the sky was vivid blue.

Hillwood Gardens is an estate purchased by Marjorie Merriweather Post in 1955. Marjorie was the owner of Post Cereal, the founder of General Foods, and the richest woman in America. We toured the mansion, and it was ridiculous what money could buy - she collected Fabergé eggs, French and Russian art, and jewelry, had multiple estates, and a huge staff that kept everything running smoothly. I much preferred the gardens to the interior of the house (which was filled to the brim with all the expensive useless things that money could buy). But despite her tastes in decorating (so many portraits of herself!), Marjorie was a philanthropist, an excellent employer, a skilled businesswoman, and an animal lover.

But back to the gardens! I think of DC as such an urban space, and always find it surprising to stumble on gardens and wooded areas within the city. From the mansion's portico, there was actually a view across the lawn to the Washington Monument in the distance. Just imagine the garden parties you could have here. Someone get me a cocktail!








Most of my photos were taken in the Japanese garden because that was my favorite. But there was also a pet cemetery, a cutting garden, a French parterre, a putting green, a rose garden where Marjorie's ashes are located, and the lunar lawn which is watched over by Leo the stone lion and which offers that billion dollar view towards the Washington Monument. While I enjoy the gardens at the National Arboretum more, what's remarkable to me about Hillwood is that it was a privately owned residence. It's a lifestyle I just can't imagine living, though it was fun to pretend for a day.

DC/VA/MD bucket list

Jefferson Memorial + Dead Cherry Blossoms, 2005

Larry and I have recently been discussing The Future. As in, where do we want to be one year/five years/ten years from now? That's a lot of big decisions and while we don't really have a plan mapped out, one thing that we do know is that we don't want to be in the DC area forever. We'd like to live somewhere else and explore a new town/city/state. (Or country? I'd welcome the opportunity to live abroad, but we don't have a lot of opportunities like that coming our way.)

Except for five years in college (Syracuse, New York plus a summer in Spain and a semester in Italy), I've lived in Northern Virginia my whole life. Larry grew up in western Maryland - about three hours west of the DC area, though he's been in the DC area for the past 13 years. I don't think either of us ever intended to stay so local (I wanted to live anywhere BUT the DC area after I graduated from college), it's just one of those things that happened. And while we love being close to family and the great group of friends we have here, we hate the cost of living, the traffic, and the competitive and fast pace of life in the DC area.

Our talk of a future move has me excited, but also has me reflecting on the things I like about this area along with some things that I still haven't done. We've definitely taken a lot of weekend adventures and explored Virginia, Maryland, DC, and West Virginia, over the ten years we've been together. We've enjoyed that both the beach and the mountains are within easy driving distance from our house. We like that the Virginia countryside is especially beautiful in the fall, and yet we still have easy access to all the activity in the city. Throughout the last decade, we've tried to take advantage of living in this area as much as we can: we've stayed in modern and traditional cabins, visited local wineries, hiked in numerous parks, picked berries at local farms, explored several Civil War battlefields, toured the West Wing, visited museums, witnessed the space shuttle flyover, eaten at too many delicious restaurants (and food trucks!) to count, enjoyed live music and theater, photographed a field of sunflowers, and rooted for our local sports teams.

But there are some things we've missed, too - things that have been on our someday list for way too long. So I perused my brain and my out-of-date Life List and started making a DC/VA/MD Bucket List - a list of things that it would be embarrassing to leave the area without doing (can you believe as a lifelong Virginian I've never been to Williamsburg or Jamestown???) and some places I went to long ago, but are worth revisiting (I have happy childhood memories of kayaking the Shenandoah River with my Dad and of visiting Chincoteague and Assateague Islands):

DC/VA/MD Bucket List

+ Climb Old Rag
+ Go sailing at the Eastern Shore
+ Visit Smith Island
+ Visit Tangier Island
+ Return to Chincoteague/Assateague
+ Have more summer winery days with friends
+ Restaurants: Komi, Restaurant Eve, Two Amy's Pizza
+ Go kayaking with Larry
+ Visit Williamsburg
+ Visit Jamestown
+ Hike to the summit of Sugarloaf Mountain and visit Sugarloaf winery afterwards
+ Explore Charlottesville
+ Visit Dinosaur Land

So here's to the next chapter (whenever that may be) and to taking advantage of the DC area while we're here! There are still plenty of old favorites to revisit and new places to explore...

good beats, good eats

Before I got sick, I was on a bit of a pre-summer fun frenzy. My evening social calendar was more packed than it's been in years. In a nine day period, I went to three concerts, ate dinner at five restaurants, and had three Girls' Nights Outs in a row with some of my oldest and closest friends who all happened to be in town at once. The schedule was going to continue with Larry's birthday dinner, Truckeroo, and perhaps a weekend at the beach - all of those cancelled/postponed due to me getting sick and Larry's work schedule.

Our greatest pleasures in life are good music and good food (this is probably obvious by the names of our dogs!), so needless to say, that nine day concert and restaurant filled stretch was fabulous. It was also probably the reason I got sick. Wop wop. But let's focus on the fun stuff:

The Beats:

JASON ISBELL at The Mansion on O
I don't really have the words to describe this show. The Mansion on O was one of the coolest and weirdest places I've ever been. Four levels and 100 rooms full of art, junk, and everything in between. There were 32 secret doors, a shower in a phone booth, a giant bubble gum machine, and art guitars. Valuable antiques and yard sale crap. Sensory overload. Fascinating. The performance space had dozens of crystal chandeliers and held only about 200 people.

And Jason Isbell - an amazing songwriter and musician performing in such an intimate venue? It was pure magic. I hate to even admit this because it sounds so corny, but at several points during the concert I had tears in my eyes and goosebumps. He's that good. (I admitted this to Larry and he confessed the same, so evidently we're both corndogs.) This show is definitely being added to my list of best musical experiences. Unforgettable.

JOE PUG and DAVID WAX MUSEUM at 9:30 Club
One of the most fun concerts I've been to. I liked Joe Pug before, but he was phenomenal in person. Amazing songwriter and such an energetic performer - I swayed and danced the whole show. I was super excited to see the opening band - David Wax Museum, after seeing a few of their videos on YouTube. They did not disappoint - they have such a unique sound (described as Mexo-Americana) and play rare instruments including a donkey's jawbone! Plus, I have a bit of a girl-crush on Suz.

And when the two bands teamed up and sang a Gillian Welch song at the end of the show? Well, let's just add that to my list of best musical experiences, too. Bravo.

This video is beautiful and look how much fun they're having:

RHETT MILLER and THE SPRING STANDARDS at Jammin' Java

One of the main reasons I was excited about this show is - confession time! - Rhett Miller is easy on the eyes. He also puts on a rockin' concert. But the best part of this show was The Spring Standards - the best performance by an opening band that I've ever seen. All three band members are multi-instrumentalists and they sound fabulous live. Pure fun.

The Eats:

BIRCH & BARLEY
Love this place and it was the perfect location for a girls' night with two of my best and oldest friends who were visiting from out of town. The best part about dining with your oldest friends? No one's shy about ordering the mac and cheese (truffled, no less!), the cheese plate, entrees, AND dessert and washing it all down with a few glasses of wine. Also, I highly suggest the halibut. And the ricotta dumplings. And the olive oil panna cotta...

GREEN PIG BISTRO
Clarendon's newest hot spot lives up to the hype! Oh boy, this place was delicious, had great atmosphere, and was another perfect spot to meet up with girlfriends for a gabfest. Try the pork tacos - rumor has it they contain pigs' ears - and let me tell you, they are delicious! (As was the cornbread, the beet and burrata salad, the shrimp roll, the mac and cheese (yes, again!), the dressed crab, the cheesecake, and the donut topped with peanut butter ice cream. What? I'm not going to eat at a restaurant with PIG in its name and not take the opportunity to pig out!)

CHURCHKEY
This is the upstairs/bar portion of Birch & Barley. We found ourselves here for dinner and happy hour to celebrate Larry's birthday before the Joe Pug concert. The original plan was to go to Standard, but there was a two hour wait. No worries - the 555 beers on Churchkey's menu plus multiple orders of tater tots kept us more than satisfied!

ALEGRIA ON CHURCH
Delicious tacos and the best sangria I've ever had! Love this adorable little Mexican place next to Bazin's in Vienna and it was the perfect spot to celebrate our ninth anniversary before heading to Jammin' Java for a concert.

SHAKE SHACK
Yeah, yeah, it's a burger joint and it's a chain. So what? It's freaking delicious! (Especially after a night of drinking and concert-going!) Yes to the Shackburger, yes to the crinkle fries, and yes to splitting a cup of frozen custard! Mmmm!

a tourist in my own city

Yesterday, I mentioned that after we watched the Space Shuttle Discovery fly over the National Mall, Larry and I went out for a lunch date. It was during that dead hour between breakfast and lunch, so we walked a bit (and started getting a little frustrated) while searching for a restaurant that was open.

We ended up on Pennsylvania Avenue, and buoyed by the fact that there was a huge patio full of outdoor seating and that it was just about to open for lunch service, we got a table at The Occidental. The Occidental is a Washington institution - it's been around for 100 years and is located in the historic Willard Hotel. Perhaps it is due to its central (read: touristy) location or perhaps it is because of its stodgy-sounding name, but Larry and I had never eaten at The Occidental before - despite the fact that it shows up on every Google search for restaurants in DC. We were missing out!




We had a delicious lunch and cocktails on the gorgeous patio and were halfway through the meal before we realized that our seats offered a fantastic view of the Washington Monument. This got us talking about how easy it is to become oblivious to the landmarks in your own city. I mean, had the Washington Monument been the Eiffel Tower, no doubt I would've been staring at it in awe throughout our entire lunch. But I grew up seeing the Washington Monument all the time and have to remind myself how amazing it is that I get to live near our nation's capital - a place full of history and landmarks.





As we admired the monument and watched tourists pour out of the hotel looking for brunch and boarding red double-decker tour buses, Larry and I both admitted that for a few minutes we felt like we were on vacation...in our own city. Just last week, when I was in New York, I was that tourist coming out of a hotel and searching for a brunch spot. So what if I've lived in the DC area my whole life - does that mean I should stop exploring my hometown? So what if the big camera around my neck made me appear to be a DC tourist - is there anything wrong with being a tourist in my own city?


As we walked along Pennsylvania Avenue and ate lunch at The Occidental, I snapped a few photos and relished those few minutes of I'm-on-vacation feeling. I tried to look at and appreciate my city through new eyes.

Throughout the years I've lived in the suburbs of DC I've gone through phases that ranged from regular sightseeing to nearly ignoring the city. As a kid, DC was where you went for field trips. Days spent in DC always seemed hot (who hasn't spent a day at the National Zoo when it was 95 degrees out? Ugh!), long, and tiring (children's attention spans can wear thin at museums). When I moved to Arlington and worked in DC after graduating from college, I finally experienced DC as an adult - and I loved it. I was an avid explorer of the DC restaurant and bar scene. I went to concerts, street festivals, and watched the fireworks over the monuments on the 4th of July. I went to museums on my own terms - both re-exploring the ones I visited as a child and checking out the ones I had missed. Then we bought our house and I started working in the suburbs and with the exception of going to hockey games at Verizon Center, I don't make it into the city as frequently anymore.

Yesterday served as such a great reminder that I need to be active about being a tourist in my own city. Yes, it's easy to complain about the traffic and humidity, but I live in a place where I can hop on the metro any day of the week with my Nikon around my neck and explore the nation's capital at my own pace. There is so much to see, so much that I still haven't seen. So many ways to look at what I have seen from a different perspective.

It also made me ponder my favorite DC landmarks and attractions. My ten favorite things:

THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM
The arboretum is gorgeous and is perhaps my favorite place in DC - maybe because it is so un-city like?

SCREEN ON THE GREEN
Watching movies on a mega screen while surrounded by the monuments on the National Mall is a truly spectacular experience.

WASHINGTON NATIONAL CATHEDRAL
While I'm typically a lover of modern architecture (and am not the slightest bit religious), the National Cathedral just might be my favorite building in DC. It feels sacred and reminds me of the old cathedrals in Europe. It amazes me that the sixth-largest cathedral in the world is in DC.

THE KENNEDY CENTER
I always feel fancy when I see a performance at the Kennedy Center. The view of the Potomac from the terrace is pretty great, too.

A CRUISE DOWN THE POTOMAC
I've mentioned before that DC never seems like a river city to me, despite the fact that the Potomac divides my home state from downtown. Perhaps this is because I don't have any rich friends with boats, so my view of the Potomac is usually from Memorial or Key Bridge instead of from the water. A few years ago we took one of those cruises from Georgetown to Alexandria and had the best time. I feared the trip would be overly touristy - but it was such a fun way to see DC from a different perspective.

THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART EAST WING
One of the few modern buildings in a city full of traditional architecture, and home to a great collection of modern art. I've always loved Pei's glass pyramids that serve as sculpture on the exterior plaza.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT ISLAND
A favorite spot for a quick hike with our dogs, Roosevelt Island offers another unique view of the city from the water. It is also home to what I believe might be the scariest statue in the country.

THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL
Such a sad and powerful place. The wall is so understated that you'd never be able to find it if you didn't know where it was. At the same time, the memorial quite effectively portrays the shocking amount of American lives lost during the Vietnam War. It means a lot to me - my uncle's name is on the wall. I'll never forget seeing the memorial as a child when my mom found her brother's name for the first time.

THE U.S. CAPITOL (AND THE CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE)
There's no denying the Capitol as a symbol of DC. I love it because you can spot the dome all lit up at night and glowing from just about anywhere in the city. The Capitol Christmas Tree is so much better than the National Christmas Tree (which is fugly in my opinion).

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY & SMITHSONIAN AMERICAN ART MUSEUM
I visited this museum for the first time maybe 5-6 years ago - after the renovation was complete. I honestly thought that a portrait gallery would be the most boring type of museum - but it was fascinating. The modern art in the other half of the museum is also top notch.

It was harder than I thought to limit this list to ten (and my list would obviously be a lot longer if I included attractions in the suburbs). As a kid, my favorite sights were "the big pencil", the Air and Space Museum (especially the IMAX theater where I saw To Fly! on an elementary school field trip and thought it was the most amazing thing ever), the National Museum of Natural History (especially the big elephant in the lobby, the dinosaur skeletons, the Hope Diamond, and the rocks that glowed in the dark) and oddly enough, The Sackler Gallery.

......................................................

I'm curious - fellow Washingtonians (both lifelong, new, and former residents of the city), what are your favorite spots in DC? Perhaps you have some favorite places that are off-the-beaten path (and I haven't visited?). If you're not a native, but have visited, what were the highlights of your trip? Never been? I'm curious to what's on your list of places to see in DC.

And who wants to explore with me? Take a photo safari of the sights? Check out the landmarks you're embarrassed to admit you've never visited? (For me it's the Newseum and the Holocaust Museum.) This spring and summer, I'll be the girl with the big camera around my neck embracing being a tourist in my own city.

flyover!

Yesterday, I got to witness the Space Shuttle Discovery fly over the National Mall. Discovery made its final journey from Florida to Virginia riding piggyback on a NASA Boeing 747 aircraft. (Isn't it freaking amazing that they can engineer a plane to fly with a space shuttle strapped to its back? Boggles my mind!) The shuttle was decommissioned in 2011 and will be put on display at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport.

Waiting for the shuttle on the National Mall.

Thousands of Washingtonians looked skyward to watch the shuttle, the 747, and the fighter jet escort (it turns out this was a NASA-owned T-38 Talon and it took some spectacular aerial photos of the event) fly over the nation's capital yesterday. Larry and I went downtown to the National Mall to watch, but I think better views may have been had from Virginia. There were hundreds of people watching from rooftops in DC and there were even some amazing views through office windows and along the highways where people pulled their cars over to watch. (I wonder if I could've seen it from my own yard?)

For some reason, I thought the shuttle was going to be REALLY CLOSE and didn't bring the appropriate camera lens, but it was still awesome to witness the shuttle fly over the National Mall - even if I didn't get the perfect photo. (Check out the Washington Post's gallery for some amazing up-close images.)

It first appeared as a tiny speck behind the Washington Monument:

And then circled the Mall three times, flying down towards Alexandria and National Harbor and then over the Capitol and down the Mall again. Here she comes:





As you can see, Larry was fake smiling blown away:

After the flyover, we had time for a lunch date, and since I had my big camera with me - to play tourist in our own city. More thoughts/photos of that tomorrow - but this day was such an excellent reminder to take advantage of and appreciate where you live! DC is such a great place for witnessing history.

weekend adventures: washington sailing marina

I love being on the water. River, lake, or ocean, it doesn't matter - the water calms me. Despite the fact that the Potomac River separates Virginia from our nation's capital, I never really think of D.C. as a water city. I think many Washingtonians just view the Potomac as something to cross (either by going under it via metro or over it via Key/Roosevelt/Arlington Memorial Bridges), rather than as a source of recreation.

I particularly love boats - power boats, sailboats, rowboats, kayaks - being out on the water is even better than just being near the water. But I'll settle for watching boats from shore (particularly if I have a cocktail in hand). I even love just strolling among docked boats. Larry and I love to check out the boat names (some funny ones I've seen: MASTER BAITER, BIG BALLS, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID) and discussing what we'd name our boat (THE GRAVY BOAT).

The weather on Sunday was glorious, so we decided to check out the Washington Sailing Marina on Daingerfield Island in Alexandria. We wandered among the boats (one was named KE$HA) and checked out a sailing regatta. I clearly know nothing about sailboat races because the boats appeared to be going in circles to me.



(However, I did learn that sailors are quite good looking!)

But it was cool to be able to watch boats (and planes taking off and landing at National Airport) with the D.C. "skyline" in the background.

Don't forget your portable couch, er, bench seat from your mini-van:

Due to the building height restriction, D.C. is an extremely flat city - besides the Washington Monument and the U.S. Capitol, you might miss it if you didn't know what you were looking for. We don't have hundred story buildings here, we have ten story buildings. But I promise you, the monuments are here if you look hard enough:

A few more snaps of our afternoon:










A good reminder that I need to spend time by the water whenever possible. Now I just need some friends with a boat!