I believe DC is a city you can never be bored in. It is filled with museums, events, and monuments to discover. Many of the attractions are free. Just as in Brussels, sometimes it takes to have a guest over in order to step away from the weekend routine of shopping and/or house maintenance and get me to discover my city. These past three weeks my love was visiting from The Netherlands and it was the perfect occasion to discover DC. Our exploration ranged from the DC freebies to the decadent. These are my favorite moments from the visit.
I'm glad DC rarely gets as freezing cold as NY in the winter, making it a perfect place to go sightseeing in the winter months if you do not like crowds. Ever since my first assignment at Quantico, I fell in love with The National Mall. It is one of those places I do not get tired of experiencing. I love going for a run on the weekends around it, exploring the monuments, and watching how people, Americans and foreigners alike react to its magnitude. One of the buildings I have admired from afar for so many years is the US Capitol. Just recently, I became aware it is possible to go on a free guided tour of the Capitol Building. Our guide, Mr. Judge was filled with interesting facts about the building and found a way to tie in all the guests whether it was by their state or nationality to the building. My Dutchman was able to located the Dutch flag in shape of a rainbow of the painting which depicted the departure of the Pilgrims from Delfs Haven, Holland located in the rotunda. After the tour, we decided to walk to another beautiful structure, Union Station to have coffee and watch the weekly commuters come and go on a Friday afternoon. During the walk, we got the opportunity to admire the colorful row houses which line the streets of DC.
In order to get a change from DC, one does not have to go so far. Only 45 minutes away, you can be in Annapolis. Annapolis is the home of the Naval Academy where currently one of my close friends is stationed as an instructor. We had the opportunity to tour the Academy grounds and go to a Navy Women's basketball game vs Marshall University. My love is a big fan of basketball, therefore the game was the perfect treat for him. Thankfully the ladies won and we celebrated with a Maryland delicacy: crab cakes at Chicks and Ruth's Deli. Although the staff was not the most energetic, the crab cakes were yummy. I'm looking forward to spending more time in Annapolis, especially in the summer months.
We also had the opportunity to indulge a bit. On his last evening in DC we decided to have an indulgent dinner at J&G steakhouse at the W Hotel. We sat in a quiet corner with a view of the south lawn of the Whitehouse. As we indulged in the delicious tasting menu which included tuna tartare and molten chocolate cake, we recounted all the special moments held during these three weeks. Classic moments such as a run around the Washington Monument in the early evening, loving moments such as shucking oysters together on New Year's Eve, and mundane moments such as assembling a dresser at home.
These moments remind me that boredom is something we chose to have. We have the choice to make the most of our lives in the places we live. From learning to cook something new in our home to discovering a new monument, there are so many choices to open new ideas into our lives. That is the life I'm committed to live. I am looking forward to continuous exploration of my new city.
Location:Washington, DC
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