Brunch and a Stroll in Washington, DC

One of the perks of having guests is that you get to explore your own city. Since we have no long-haul travel plans until the TBEX travel blogger conference in September, we are doing more exploring of DC and all things within a 100 mile radius. There are so many things Washington, DC has to offer: great food, free museums, and plenty of sights to see. Although I live here, I find myself exploring the city and don't tire from the many wonderful sights the city has to offer.

Love at the National Sculpture Garden

We began our Sunday with brunch at Poste, a lovely restaurant tucked away behind Hotel Monaco. When you enter the former General Post Office's former mail sorting room, you're transported away from the madness of Penn Quarter and into a lovely intimate space. The first thing that caught my eye was the Bloody Mary bar which welcomes you upon arrival.  I was given a glass with bacon infused vodka and was free to add all kinds of goodies to it: pickled carrots, old bay, pickled jalapenos, and my favorite bacon. The bar has every possible variety of hot sauces and plenty of pickled peppers to satisfy those with a spicy palate. 



The Bloody Mary Bar at Poste

We began our brunch by sharing the duck fat doughnuts. It was delicious but very rich, thankfully we shared! I enjoyed a delicious dish of stewed tomatoes, eggs, and merguez (lamb) sausage  made in-house. We traded stories and shared truffle fries in a tucked away cove of the restaurant. The intimate space is refreshing compared to some of the delicious yet noisy restaurants of DC.

Duck Fat Doughnuts at Poste

In order to walk off the merguez and truffle fries, we decided to walk from Poste to the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. To me, the space is a tucked in oasis in the middle of the madness of the National Mall. It was surprises me how serene it is given how many tourists are there at any given time.  I was also pleased to find out the garden gives guided tours Fridays at 12:30pm (makes for a fun lunchtime activity) and Saturdays at 1:30pm. You can also mingle with the locals during the Jazz at the Garden series, which take place every Friday from 5:30-8:00pm. 

Claes Oldenburg's Typewriter Eraser

For those who prefer to visit DC in the winter (best time to avoid the crowds), an ice skating rink comes alive in the garden.  I enjoy walking around and discovering the eclectic pieces which are sporadically placed in the garden  Installations include Claes Oldenburg's Typewriter Eraser, Scale X (model 1998, fabricated 1999), and Joan Miró's Personnage Gothique, Oiseau-Eclair (1974, cast 1977), as well as new acquisitions. such as AMOR (LOVE) by Robert Indiana. But the cutest installation (not intentional) is the duck ramp to the fountain. The security guard explained to us that a mother duck and her ducklings couldn't make it to the fountain on their own, so the grounds carpenter built it for them (collective aww from the group). 

Duck Ramp

In a simple Sunday stroll, we discovered a beautiful space to dine, rediscovered one of my favorite places in DC, and we got to share with our friends from New York City why we love Washington, DC so much. Being bored in the city is a voluntary action.