Thoughts and Things: D.C.

Hey there! I was able to visit Washington D.C. a couple weekends ago. It was my first time going and I had been wanting to see it for years! One of my friends from college, Mycah (I met her at the music school - she'e literally the loveliest singer ever!), happened to be visiting her fiancé in Alexandria and asked me if I would "come do touristy things" with her while he worked on Saturday! Christopher, her fiancé, is an actor/singer around the D.C. area and had a few shows at Ford's Theater that day.

It took about 3 and a half hours to drive from Morgantown to Alexandria, where I met Mycah! It was my first time experiencing that area as well! I arrived around 1:15pm and was definitely ready for lunch. I know what you're thinking - Angela, hungry? That never happens! 😛

We went to a restaurant called Don Pablo's and had some delicious Mexican food! Mycah and I share a deep love for Mexican food, so we pretty much default to the closest restaurant that serves chips and salsa and/or anything covered in queso when we are together.

Oh, yes.

After we were uncomfortably full, we headed to D.C.! Thank goodness Mycah was driving because I'm not entirely sure I could have done it without having a panic attack. Also, I'm pretty sure we almost crashed like, 5 times (super crazy traffic!). We got a little detoured, so it took us a tad bit longer to get where we wanted to go! I loved seeing all of the colorful townhouses (which I'm sure cost a fortune 😩) that lined the streets everywhere!

National Archives Building

We made our way over to the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden (located in front of the National Archives building) where this beautiful fountain and tons of interesting art pieces were placed!

I don't think we could have asked for a prettier day!

I don't know why I thought wearing heeled booties would be a good idea for walking miles around D.C. - dumbest decision ever! My back, legs, and knees were in total pain that evening and the next day. 😭 Comfort over cuteness, Angela.

Sculpture Garden

Thanks for letting me borrow your snazzy shades, Mycah!

It was pretty dang hot outside while we were walking, so we found this gelato shop called Pitango! I had a mini crisis trying to decide if I wanted gelato or iced coffee, but I eventually went with a cinnamon cold brew and Mycah was nice enough to let me taste her gelato!

Next on the list was The Washington Monument!

Bright tulips near the monument!

We stopped by the WWII Memorial which was incredibly beautiful! From this point you can see the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial directly in front of and behind you!

On each side of the fountain are these amazing arches, one labeled "Atlantic" and the other "Pacific".

The fountain was also surrounded by these pillars with state names, territories, and districts. Of course, I had to find West Virginia!

View of the Lincoln Memorial from the WWII Memorial

Hey, Abe!

Phew! We were tired by this point and ready for dinner! We started on the trek back on a quest for something yummy!

Jefferson Memorial

We were heading to see the Jefferson Memorial, but were starting to not feel it, as you can see above...

So, this is as close as we got! We saw what was left of the cherry blossoms (literally one, lone blossom) and kept walking.

We walked around trying to find an *affordable* restaurant (no luck) and ended up at the always good choice, Hard Rock.

The next morning I asked Siri to "find me a place with bagels". And he (I have Siri's voice set as a dude 😛) certainly did! Everyone knows a bagel and iced coffee is my favorite breakfast combo. I went to Manchester Bagel in Springfield VA. Super quick service and I loved their chocolate chip bagel!

While in Del Ray, I met up with Kate, my good friend from high school! I hadn't seen her since I photographed her wedding in July of 2014! 😮 I'll include some of those wedding photos at the end of this blog you're interested! It was one of my favorite weddings that I've had the honor of shooting.

Kate!

I got to meet Kate's adorable baby girl, Allie! We took a stroll around the neighborhood and caught up on life.

Coconut iced coffee from Emma's Espresso and Wine Bar!

I was able to do a mini photo shoot with Kate, her husband, Scott, and little one! Here are a few:

Such a happy baby!

We drove out to the Old Town and found a Greek restaurant called Taverna Cretekou. Such a beautiful atmosphere and a great gyro!

I feel like I did so much for only being in VA for a day and a half! That was a fun impromptu trip and I'm so glad I got to take it, see some great sights, and be with lovely friends!

-A

Here are some photos from Kate and Scott's wedding that I took in July of 2014! They had it at Blennerhassett Island in Parkersburg, WV!