I don't like tourist attractions. I have an undying love for traveling and exploring the world, but my idea of learning about different cultures, and what makes each country or city unique, is not by exploring the already most sought out sites and scenes. I want to know where the locals are, what they do and where they go on their days off. I want to be the most incognito tourist...except when I'm taking pictures of course. Why this soap box on covering unchartered territory and not succumbing to some of the most popular and well-known attractions in the world?? Because I folded. An opportunity came up for a last minute weekend trip to the nation's capital, and it would have been uncharacteristic of me to pass it up. So! Off to the city that is practically made up of tourist attractions...only missing a large camera hanging around my neck, a fanny pack at my waist, and a t-shirt doting the stars and stripes.
Washington D.C. is a nice little city. I say 'little' because it only covers 68.3 square miles, but sparse it is not. In fact, during the workweek 'The District' bulges to a population of over 1 million due to all of the federal workerbees having to commute in from surrounding areas. On the weekends, this number is more than cut in half, and from what I experienced, it's mainly made up of tourists! Monument-seeking gawkers shuffle in herds anywhere within a mile radius of the famed attractions. Not exactly my scene. That being said, however, the neighborhoods that surround this historical and politically charged area are all very charming. I can see why D.C. is named one of the Top 10 cities for young professionals to live in. Spot on!
As stated earlier, I was hardly chomping at the bit to cover every inch of every museum, or take in the history and beauty of, say, the Lincoln Memorial. Lucky for me, it was raining cats and dogs the day we arrived so there was no option other than to explore some artifacts indoors. Aside from feeling like I was in the middle of 50 school field trips, and sharing the personal space I would usually only share at a concert, the Smithsonian was a fascinating place. It could take a good three days to cover the whole thing, but being that I have the attention span of a gnat, I located the 4-5 prized possessions I wanted to see and called it a day. My favorite?? Why Julia Childs kitchen of course! The Holocaust museum is another must-see; even though we've all read about it, seen movies about it, and even visited concentration camps, the personal stories that are re-told with such vivid detail provide a very moving experience.
As far as the other major monuments and memorials go, they're almost all one in the same to me. In all honesty, the only scene I was truly looking forward to capturing was the view of the reflection pool and the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.
Vast dirtland and a handful of bulldozers, scattered about was all I got. As disappointment set in, my friend and I took some time to lounge on the grass surrounding the ever-so-erect Washington Monument, and people watch. Such an underrated activity, it's a shame. Before completely losing ourselves into the melting pot of cultures lingering around the monument, we decided to surge ahead towards the highly spoken-of neighborhood of Georgetown.
Washington D.C. is a nice little city. I say 'little' because it only covers 68.3 square miles, but sparse it is not. In fact, during the workweek 'The District' bulges to a population of over 1 million due to all of the federal workerbees having to commute in from surrounding areas. On the weekends, this number is more than cut in half, and from what I experienced, it's mainly made up of tourists! Monument-seeking gawkers shuffle in herds anywhere within a mile radius of the famed attractions. Not exactly my scene. That being said, however, the neighborhoods that surround this historical and politically charged area are all very charming. I can see why D.C. is named one of the Top 10 cities for young professionals to live in. Spot on!
As stated earlier, I was hardly chomping at the bit to cover every inch of every museum, or take in the history and beauty of, say, the Lincoln Memorial. Lucky for me, it was raining cats and dogs the day we arrived so there was no option other than to explore some artifacts indoors. Aside from feeling like I was in the middle of 50 school field trips, and sharing the personal space I would usually only share at a concert, the Smithsonian was a fascinating place. It could take a good three days to cover the whole thing, but being that I have the attention span of a gnat, I located the 4-5 prized possessions I wanted to see and called it a day. My favorite?? Why Julia Childs kitchen of course! The Holocaust museum is another must-see; even though we've all read about it, seen movies about it, and even visited concentration camps, the personal stories that are re-told with such vivid detail provide a very moving experience.
As far as the other major monuments and memorials go, they're almost all one in the same to me. In all honesty, the only scene I was truly looking forward to capturing was the view of the reflection pool and the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.
Vast dirtland and a handful of bulldozers, scattered about was all I got. As disappointment set in, my friend and I took some time to lounge on the grass surrounding the ever-so-erect Washington Monument, and people watch. Such an underrated activity, it's a shame. Before completely losing ourselves into the melting pot of cultures lingering around the monument, we decided to surge ahead towards the highly spoken-of neighborhood of Georgetown.
Georgetown, to me, felt like a lovely mix between England and Boston. The main drag, M Street, is lined with both locally owned as well as chain businesses, while the outlying neighborhood streets give off a very cozy, charming, colonial feel.
Normally I don't find chain stores or restaurants all that quaint, charming, or bursting with character, but Georgetown must have some kind of ordinance that each and every storefront must be disguised as the most adorable, one-of-a-kind business. Mission accomplished, I fell in love! Even the Anthropologie fooled me into thinking I was walking into a little blue farmhouse! Blocks and blocks of cafes, shops, bakeries, and little pubs, I wanted to eat everywhere! Alas, my appetite needed to be saved for a very special treat that was, in all honesty, a top priority on this trip to the nation's capital.
In search of a very popular cupcake joint, Georgetown Cupcake, my friend and I re-traced our steps several times, certain that we had missed it. One more block up, low and behold, we didn't need to find a small sign or even storefront. The line stretching the entire block assured us that we had found the mothership. A 2 hour wait....for cupcakes?? Again, having the attention span of a gnat, I couldn't imagine standing in line, for anything for 2 hours. That is how much I love cupcakes. It practically took the full 2 hours to read over the entire menu of cupcakes that they graciously hand out to the patient treat-seekers. Funny thing is, once we finally set foot into cupcake heaven, it was like the smells and the visual stimulation took over and all pre-planning on what to order was out the door.
It didn't matter. I am confident that every single cupcake in that little sugar shop would have sent me to the moon and back. Unfortunately, I had no reason to buy more than a couple of the little treasures, so I went with the basics and enjoyed every last sugar crystal. It was like biting into a fluffy, sugary cloud.
Recovering from a sugar hangover the next morning, the day of our departure, we had little time to meander around the Dupont Circle area and find some breakfast to balance out our glutenous choices from the day before. Could it have been fate that we stumbled upon a bustling farmers market that stretched for blocks around Dupont Circle?! Samples of fruits, vegetables, jams, honey, and breads left us satisfied but it sure was disappointing having to walk away from a farmers market empty-handed. Now we know where to start next time....hangin with the locals on their day off.
