Exploring for Beauties

Last Thursday morning, John was a champ and after pulling an all nighter at the hospital, he joined me for morning doughnuts at GBD (Golden Brown Delicious). I had heard good reviews and since it was in our neighborhood, we took advantage of the morning. We split the Tres Leches doughnut (soaked in sweet coconut custard, topped with coconut icing and toasted coconut) and a chicken biscuit (crispy fried chicken on a creme fraiche biscuit with spicy honey). It was a small breakfast, but a nice little pick me up before the start of the day.

On Friday, my dear friend Meagan flew up to spend the weekend with me. We started the evening off by going to Jazz in the Garden at the National Gallery of Art. The free event occurs on Fridays in the summer and people are invited to bring their blankets and picnic snacks (or dinner) from home and enjoy some free jazz. Even though the event doesn't cost anything, we did splurge on some of their famous sangria that was offered on site, which was worth every dime. Plus, a refreshing sip of a cool drink helped us to beat the July heat.

After listening to a few tunes and sipping on our Sangria, we headed to Truckeroo, a food truck rally that occurs once a month during the summer. John and I went when we first moved here and were delighted to go back. This time we split a most delicious Vietnamese baguette sandwich from Bonmi that was filled with chicken, pickled daikon and carrot, cucumber, cilantro and chili-lime mayo. That with a little kick of Siracha made for a very unique and addicting sandwich. We also got a few tacos from Surfside including a pork taco and a shrimp one. They were good too, but Bonmi took the prize, in my opinion. After walking around for a bit, taking in the sights, and introducing John and Meagan to a friend from work,  we finished up our food truck adventures with an ice cream cookie sandwich from Captain Cookie & the Milkman. We chose to sandwich a scoop of caramel pecan ice cream between one Nutella cookie and one pumpkin snickerdoodle. Hello, delicious! If there's one word of advice that I could give,it would be to bring a friend to Truckeroo so that you can get the most bang for your buck and try a variety of what the trucks have to offer.

By the time we finished up our cookie sandwiches, the sun had slowly gone down and it was time to go on our night time self-guided tour of the monuments. I find that seeing them at night is best since it's usually cooler and the crowds (while still present) are not nearly as large as they are in the day. Plus, I feel that the grandeur of the monuments are magnified with the night sky as a backdrop-especially so thanks to the super moon. Our friend Hannah Beth, who joined us at the tail end of Truckeroo, came along too. So, there was fun to be had indeed.

The next morning, John made breakfast, which we enjoyed on our rooftop. Then, Meagan and I began the day's adventure by walking to Georgetown. Our first stop was Keybridge Boathouse where we rented a double kayak in which we toured the Potomac and Georgetown waterfront. It was a workout, but one of the neatest ways to see D.C. Plus, lots of laughter helped to keep us motivated and keep our paddles rowing.

We rewarded ourselves for all of our walking and paddling by having lunch at Good Stuff Eatery followed by dessert at the president-approved Thomas Sweet. We walked around the quaint boutiques and shops in between and oohed and ahhed over the stunning row houses that lined the street behind the main thoroughfare. Then, we made our way to a hidden gem of the city, Dumbarton Oaks house and gardens . The 1801 Federal-style home was once owned by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Bliss, collectors and patrons of art and scholarship in the humanities. The home is now owned and administered by Harvard University. The interior contains an exquisite art collection including a Byzantine and Pre-Columbian collection as well as a library full of rare collections and editions. The gardens were the crowning piece with their sprawling hills, wandering trails, and well thought out design. It literally felt like we were in the Secret Garden.

That evening, Hannah Beth met up with us again and we had a girls night out at Aqua al 2 followed by some old timey cocktails with large cubed ice from Harold Black speakeasy. The food and drinks were superb (I had Farfalline alle Zucca- bowtie pasta with butternut squash, rosemary, garlic and a touch of cream) and the quiet atmosphere was much appreciated. The speakeasy, which would have usually been a little tricky to find, ended up being next door to dinner. So, it worked out perfectly and I can't wait to go back for a date night.

It wouldn't have been a complete meal without a dessert, compliments of Hannah Beth.

The next day after church and brunch, Meagan and I went on a walking excursion to see some Dupont Circle establishments including the Spanish Steps and the former home of Woodrow Wilson. We then walked to Adams Morgan to duck inside some vintage shops and enjoy a Pleasant Pop (I had Carolina Sweet Tea while Meagan had the Lemonade Mint). Luckily, the rain held off the remainder of the afternoon and we were able to walk back to Dupont for dinner at Zorba's before milling our way down to the White House. It was a day packed full of walking, but well worth it due to the pretty sighs we saw along the way.

I am thankful to have such amazing friends, especially ones who are willing to travel miles and miles to spend a weekend with me. I don't claim to know everything about this city, but it is fun to share the beauties that I have discovered while exploring and finding new ones along the way.