Heh… since John brought it up, I should say a little bit about each picture, shouldn’t I?

This is from a Middle Eastern restaurant in Adams Morgan called “Mama Ayesha.” I’ve never had Middle Eastern food before I came to DC, so the picture kind-of represents the bigger perspective of the world and life that I’ve gotten since moving here from my hometown. Also, this restaurant is kind-of a hole in a the wall place. Coming from the Woodley Park metro, you cross the bridge heading towards Adams Morgan, and if you just glance at the building, it’s not much. You might even think it’s abandoned. However, it’s not and it’s quite beautiful inside.

When people talk about DC and planning a visit to the city, the monuments, the memorials, and the museums are the first places that they want to see. That’s fine. However, there are lots of little secret places that y’all should visit on your next visit. The picture above is from the pebble garden at Dumbarton Oaks. It’s an estate that’s located in Georgetown and it kind-of makes you feel transported to another place. Although the garden wasn’t laid out and created until the 1920′s, you can still imagine people dressed up in their hoop skirts and powdered wigs walking about. The house, itself, was built in 1801 but its history is more towards the time of World War II where it hosted meetings that resulted in the charter of the United Nations the following year. Another estate that’s just down the road from Dumbaron Oaks is Tudor Place which belonged to Martha Washington’s granddaughter and houses the second largest collection of George Washington artifacts (the first, of course, being Mount Vernon).

Aww… I hate to burst John’s bubble but at least you were correct with one thing: it’s a cathedral. The Washington National Cathedral to be specific. However, it’s not where I was heading on Sunday. The National Cathedral is actually Episcopal and I’m Catholic so yeah… But the National Cathedral is about five blocks away from me and I can see it from my balcony. It’s quite pretty and I actually like it more than the Catholic Basilica that’s in Northeast DC. Most likely whenever you’ve seen a President’s memorial service or a national memorial service, such as the one after September 11th, it’s been taken place at the National Cathedral. Way back when, when L’Enfant was planning out the city, he wanted a spot for a national church, but the Cathedral was only started in 1907 and wasn’t completed until 1990. It sits on the highest point in DC and so if you’re flying in or out of the airport, you’ll most likely see it in the distance. Fun fact: Woodrow Wilson is the only President who is actually buried in Washington, D.C. (Arlington Cemetery is in Virgina), and  his tomb in the Cathedral.

If you weren’t able to figure it out, this is the Capitol on Inauguration Day. I’ve been to two, in 2005 for Bush’s second and this year for Obama’s. Yeah, they were pretty different in terms of the crowds and whatnot but they were both great experiences. I was able to get a ticket from my FL representative for Bush’s, the week before, actually, so that was nice and we arrived that around 7 am and still got a decent spot. For Obama’s, my friend, visiting from FL, and I left my place at around 3 am just to make it down to the Mall to find it good spot. Yeah… 3 am. The crowds were already gathering and it was freezing. Fun times. Trying to get out of the Mall afterward was quite ridiculous, I must add.  Moreso after Obama’s than Bush’s, because the crowds were larger. I don’t remember what time we got back from Bush’s but it wasn’t until 8pm that we got back to my place after Obama’s. But at least I can say I’ve been to two inaugurations and had an amazing time.

All through my years of undergrad, I’ve heard about Eastern Market but I never went until my friend, who just moved to DC, dragged me to it last summer. And I fell in love. My mom will vouch for me that I love art & craft fairs and farmers’ markets as well as antiques and whatnot, so Eastern Market was an instant hit. There was a fire a few years ago which gutted the main building but it’s been restored and reopened less that a month ago. Yes, there’s probably a better farmers’ market closer to me but I still prefer Eastern Market. Quick mention: there’s a jewelry artist named Zooey Moon, who I’ve bought three necklaces from, who’s really nice and actually remembers me, even when I don’t buy anyting. I don’t know, but I like that small town feel even though it’s a pretty big city. Eastern Market, besides the market itself, can be refered to the area and there’s a used bookstore nearby that called Capitol Books which is the epitome of “organized chaos” and I love it. I’ll wander through that store, because it’s just amazing to me that although books are in closets, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the basement, etc., that they’re actually organized and all in really good condition.

Eep! I didn’t know that this post was going to be so long, but I hope now, you get a little bit more sense about me. So, in short, I like to travel and learn about the world. I like historical places and great architecture. I like once-in-a-lifetime moments. I like antiques, used books, and handcrafted items. Heh… feel free to ask any questions or make any comments. I hope that this was somewhat interesting.

Until next time…