Weekend Shenanigans: Ms. Bronson Goes to Washington

On Saturday morning I headed out to the 30th Street Station to pick up a 7:50a megabus to Washington, DC to spend the weekend with Jenny, one of my good friends from graduate school. We've been trying to coordinate plans to visit since I moved to Philly; our schedules finally coincided for this three-day Columbus Day weekend. I've been to DC a few times -- including trips with my family, on a fourth-grade trip, and a few years' back with my friends from graduate school. However, there's always plenty to do (and seemingly always new things to see as well) in DC.

After dropping off my bags at Jenny's apartment, we set off for Eastern Market (an outdoor/indoor farmers and craft/flea market), where we perused the goods for sale and stopped for lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. We spent the afternoon getting manis and pedis at a local nail salon, then headed downtown to catch an evening program at the observatory on the campus of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Unfortunately, 6:45p came and went, and no astronomers were to be seen. We waited about a half-hour before finally giving up and heading on to dinner. Later we found out that the museum had shut down early due to protests against a new exhibit on drone aircrafts in the museum. Too bad, as the closure made us miss International Observe the Moon Night! Boo.

We bussed/walked to dinner at Rosa Mexicano, a fairly chi-chi Mexican restaurant located across the street from the Verizon Center. Jenny and I shared an appetizer of freshly-made guacamole, as well as a pitcher of red sangria. (Oh, so good!) Dinner was great, if not exceptionally filling! I was definitely glad that we took a cab back to Jenny's place; I think otherwise I would have had to be rolled back home.

Sunday morning we headed out for breakfast at Ted's Bulletin, a kitschy diner that takes some of its art deco decor from the now defunct (and since imploded) Philadelphia Convention Hall. (Ah, like a little piece of home!) Since overdoing it the night before, I went for a simple plate of scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, and toast. Just the right amount of carbs and protein to set me straight! The lunch/dinner menu (and long list of "adult" milkshakes) looked awesome -- I think next time I visit we'll definitely have to check out the Bulletin for an afternoon or evening meal.

Following breakfast, we headed out to the National Archives. We walked past the archives the previous night on our way to dinner, where I noticed they were currently showing a special exhibit on "the government's role on the American diet." Given that this topic is near and dear to my heart, of course I had to visit the exhibit! Since the archives also houses the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights, there was a short line to get in. But soon enough we were inside and beelined toward the special exhibition. I found it to be quite interesting -- the exhibit covered the government's involvement in the introduction of crop species to the United States, traditional farming, industrial farming, factory food production, nutrition, and eating habits (with a large focus on the years before and just after World War II). I couldn't help but buy a book about the exhibit, so you may hear more about this topic in the future!

After visiting the National Archives, we headed to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History where we caught the IMAX 3-D movie Grand Canyon Adventure. (The movie was "meh" -- the 3-D effects were kind of cool, but the story itself was kind of lacking.) After the movie we headed back to Jenny's Capitol Hill neighborhood, where we stopped at The Old Siam Thai restaurant for dinner. Gotta love a place that has a daily happy hour!

This morning Jenny and I grabbed lattes at Starbucks and then headed off for a walk down to the Lincoln Memorial and back. (About a five-mile walk in total.) Along the way we stopped off at the Korean War Veterans Memorial

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and the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, which just opened to the public in late August.

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Lunch was at sweetgreen, a made-to-order salad place. I opted for the seasonal salad with local apples, mesclun greens, fresh basil, goat cheese, candied walnuts, and champagne vinaigrette. This salad is top on my list to recreate at home. In fact, I think I might already have most of the ingredients on hand!

I hopped back on the bus to Philly at 2:15p and arrived back just before 5:30p. Though a bit of a whirlwind weekend, I had a great time and already have a list of things that I still want to see (and places where I want to eat, too). One thing I noted during my time in DC was how expensive everything was! And I thought Philly prices were bad. Guess I'll need to save up my nickels and dimes before my next trip. Thanks for a great weekend, Jenny!