Washington DC: Discoveries, Insights and More

“Travel whenever you can, as often as you can, wherever you can.”

Dear Universe,

As you know, traveling invigorates me. I’ll take any chance I can to just get up, hop in a car or jump on a plane and go. The destination never really matters. I know wherever I end up, I’ll explore and be inspired.

So when I had the chance to go to Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago with my fiancé who would be there for work, I said yes. Why not? I hadn’t been since I was fourteen years old. Truthfully, I was simply looking forward to unwinding after the completion of the semester. I brought my grading, but knew that wouldn’t stop me from getting some down time in D.C.

Here are some pictures from my favorite places and moments from the trip that I want to share. Consider it my guide to a few of the inspiring, moving, and most tasty destinations.

On our first night we walked through the Georgetown area and stumbled upon a garden at the Old Stone House—the oldest standing house in D.C, built in 1765. Lesson: Always keep your eyes open. It would have been easy to miss this gem, but because I was walking around with an exploratory eye, I didn’t.

Trying all sorts of cuisine and all of it being wonderful like Ethiopian food at Das and Vietnamese soup at Miss Saigon. Lesson: Get out and find new places and be open to what you find. And if your soup arrives with a flame shooting out of it, smile, be careful and dig in. (It will be delicious.)

As soon as I found out about a coffee shop where patrons leave messages written on napkins on the wall, I knew I would have to take a trip to Baked and Wired! The dirty chai was made to perfection and the wall of napkins was a sight to see. Lesson: “Love is life. Life is love.” And if you want to believe, just go ahead.

A new morning and still raining. (Did I mention D.C. was in a 78 year old record breaking rain streak?) Still, I was determined to get out and explore again so I fueled up with coffee and went out. Lesson: Pink lipstick always makes a rainy day brighter. And even the birds know about karma. 🙂

Seeing our national monuments was a moving experience. I’m so glad I had the time to stroll slowly and take it all in. Lesson: It’s true. Age does bring more appreciation. Though I had visited these monuments as a teenager, it meant more to me seeing them now. We are blessed in ways we don’t often stop to think about.

I kept hearing how the zoo was a must-see, but given the rain, I never ventured there. And then finally, on our last morning there, the sun appeared! The zoo was beautiful and a great walk. The rest of the day unfolded and it was a glorious way to end the trip. Lesson: Act like a kid when the orangutans hang directly above you. Stare in wonder. Point, laugh and take video. And remember, dark days don’t last forever. The light always returns.

There were other favorite moments on the trip. Meeting Katie Couric at film premiere—she’s so warm and genuine, walking the streets at night, hopping in and out of boutiques and drinking Sangria on a warm evening where the breeze was just enough to keep us cool, laughing non-stop and just simply relaxing.

And finally I want to leave you all with one of my favorite signs from the trip: