Washington DC - Part Two

My last few days in DC were glorious -   I can't wait to bring my kids to this ahhh-mazing city.

Day three I attended conferences all day and that night I visited the Ford Theatre, the Spy Museum, and I went shopping in Chinatown.  By the time I stopped to eat at my favorite Cuban restuarant I was ravenous.  Here's the squash red pepper bake with fresh herbs on top - this was out of this world!

Cuban Squash Dish - Amesome!


The next morning I headed to the U.S. Supreme Court as the Affordable Care Act was being deliberated.  As the decision was handed down chaos ensued.  Wowser.  I have some video of people in suits laying on the ground reading bibles, people screaming, hollering, crying, cheering - peeps were WORKED UP. 

Outside the U.S. Supreme Court



Afterwards, I toured the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress (awesome), BUT I got locked into the Library of Congress because of a security threat.  A security guard helped me find one side door that was left open (whew).

Later that night (after more conferences), I decided to rent a bike and ride 16 miles into DC to check out the city via bike.  Nevermind the fact that it was almost 100 degrees and I didn't know where I was going.  Once I got into DC, I found myself in Georgetown, riding right in the streets of DC traffic with no helmet and I was beyond hot, so I quickly flagged down a bus with a bike rack and loaded not knowing or caring where I was going.    Eventually, I made it to Whole Foods at Foggy Bottom and took the subway back home.  It was an experience!

Biking the streets of DC

And the last day, I spent a total of 15 hours in airports.  What joy! 

What did I miss, have you ever toured anything cool in DC that I haven't seen yet?

Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Washington DC - Part One

Believe it or not, I was actually dreading my trip to DC, because Hayward, Wisconsin is such a magical place in the summer, but my sixth trip to our nation's capitol was by far the best.  Usually I'm in and out for work but this time I had 5 days with a little more free time built into the schedule.

Day one - I spent hours walking around Arlington Cemetry.  What an awesome place!  Next, I walked the National Mall which is even more extraordinary.  The Korean Memorial is one of my faves.

Korean Monument



The sun was perfect for picture taking.  And I have about 100 good pictures - just ask me sometime and I'd love to show them to you if you care or have the time.

Here's the White House garden with Mrs. Obama and a news crew following her. 
Disclaimer, I don't know for sure if it was her - but I like to think so.

The night ended at Whole Foods Market and I fell in love.  I visited 12 times in the time I was there, and I had to take a subway to get there.  It was so worth it.  Great quality food, local goods and produce all at reasonable prices and people waiting forever just to pay.  What a place.

This their organic yogurt selection -  ONLY organic yogurt.  Can you imagine?
I swear, I was in heaven.  I ordered sushi several times via computer and when the chef was done I received a text to pick it up.  They had these computers all over and you could order whatever your hearts desired.  Serious love.

The highlight of Day Two was the meeting of one of my heroes, Temple Grandin.  After I met with her and heard her speak I wrote 5 pages of notes - she had a lot to share.  She's an amazing, eccentric (her words), humble, funny human being.

Me and Temple Grandin

That night, I toured the Holocaust Museum (coolest museum ever), and then Air and Space Museum.  Next, I walked over to Georgetown for supper.  Yum!

Mushroom Tortellini with Roasted Red Peppers - yum!


I was way out of my league in Georgetown.  Lots of amazing homes, beautiful people, and Jaguars.  When I got myself lost, I asked for directions to a bus stop and no one had any idea how or where to take a bus.  Luckily, I figured it out on my own and the bus took me to the subway.

I'm stuck in Chicago (thunder storms), so I'm blogging about my trip. 

Part two is coming since now our plane is experiencing mechanical problems.  I hope I make it home tonight.   Have you ever been to DC?  What do you recommend seeing?  I'm sure there's a lot that I missed.


Click here if you want to read part two - trust me, it's short:  Washington DC - part two
Thanks for reading,

Kristin

Book Update

Since I'm in Washington DC with some time to kill (I'm not inclined to roam the city at night by myself), I felt the urge to write an updated book review since my last book list written in January.

My mom has a crazy passion for books unlike no one else (seriously!), so it didn't surprise me when she set up a "Little Free Library" in her front lawn filled with good books for anyone to grab.

Here's information about the Little Free Library movement.  Gosh, I would love to set one up in my community of Seeley but I have to make sure I have the time to properly care for it.  Isn't that a cool idea?? 

Here's a list of my books in 2012:

• The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway  - 1 thumb up
• The Immortal Times of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot    - 1 thumb up
• 50 Shades of Gray by E.L. James - 1 thumb up 
• 50 Shades Darker - 0 thumbs up
• 50 Shades Freer - negative 0 thumbs up
• The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes - 2 thumbs up
• Quiet: The Power of  Introverts, Susan Cain- 2 thumbs up

As I said in my earlier post, I read a non-fiction book in between every fiction book but Quiet is a long book so I picked it up in between each book I read above.  I really, really loved this book mainly because I've spent a lot of my life disliking the fact that I'm on the quiet side or that I'm not good about promoting myself or any accomplishments.  Anyway, I highly recommend this book for an introvert looking for validation or trying to figure out how to better communicate or co-exist with an extrovert.

Currently, I'm reading The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht and so far I'm REALLY enjoying it.

My trip to DC has been great!  My favorite hang-out has been the local whole foods market and the white house garden (pictures coming soon).

On the back side of the Washington Monument.  My pictures have been turning out GREAT because of the amazing clouds and the way the sun is hitting.  LOVE IT.

I had two big rookie mistakes though on my first day.  First of all, I reached in my suitcase and pulled out a gun.  Yes, one of my boys put an air soft gun in my suitcase and I really have no idea how or why they would've put it in there.  Zoinks - so glad no one searched my suitcase.  Then, the first time on the subway I hoped on the wrong train (oops), and I wore cute but uncomfortable shoes and then walked close to 10 miles.  Luckily, I was able to go barefoot on the clean DC streets.

More to follow!!


What book are you reading?

Kristin