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When you have Pottery Barn travel dreams, but have a Target budget, sometimes you need to get your fix without traveling too far from home. After chatting one day with my friend Krysta of Norman Photo + Paperie, she suggested that I create a blog series about my local day trips in order to fill that need to travel and explore and document. Boom, done. Thanks, girl!
Washington DC is so close, yet so far from us country folk out in western Loudoun County. An hour on a good day, the traffic becomes more nightmarish the closer to rush hour it gets. The intelligent women that we are, Beryl and I chose to leave at 9:30, making good time until Arlington, as the car traffic from the Tidal Basin and its cherry blossoms stretched across the bridge into Virginia. A few legal but risky maneuvers later and we were turned back east with the idea to venture into Georgetown instead.
With voracious appetites for anything gluten-free, we stumbled upon a farm-to-taco eatery called Chaia (3207 Grace Street, NW) which made its name at local farmer’s markets before opening up a brick and mortar in Georgetown. Their taco fillings are fresh and plant-based, such that even the most fervent carnivore would find their eyes rolling into their head in ecstasy.
Georgetown is quite popular for its upscale shops (Anthropologie, Michael Kors) and eateries (like Georgetown Cupcake – which always has a line out the door) along M Street, but after I get my fill of crowds I find the side streets to be quiet and charming. With the trees just barely blooming, we sought relief from the remarkably strong March sun on the shady side of the streets, admiring the historically old homes and pops of color that brightened our day.
Walking certainly works up a thirst, so we paid a visit to our friends at Greenheart Juice Shop, who recently opened a juice bar at Down Dog Yoga (1229 34th Street NW). Another company with roots in the local farmer’s markets, Greenheart seems to be thriving in their new location, with yogis able to score a refreshing organic Liquid Gold or Summer Garden juice after their practice. Beryl and I each opted for bottles of Activated Lemonade, a black juice that tastes so fresh on a warm day. It’s made of lemon, coconut nectar, activated charcoal, bentonite clay and is BALLIN. Not to mention the benefits of activated charcoal, which aids in whitening teeth, helps relieve gas and bloating, and helps fix digestive issues.
With dinnertime approaching, we trekked (via car) up to Union Market (1309 5th St NE), an indoor market featuring local vendors and artisans from around the DMV area. (I don’t usually like to use the abbreviation DMV because it brings back horrible memories of bad license photos and long-ass waits in hard plastic chairs. Yikes.) One of my favorite shops to visit is Salt & Sundry, which sells items for your home and kitchen that are typically made in small batches rather than being mass produced. I picked up a bottle of Marshall’s Haute Sauce in red chili lime for my husband’s Easter basket (which he cracked open last night and loves). Beryl had a quick appointment a few blocks away so I rested my tired feet as I sat at a table and watched thirtsy co-workers arrive for happy hour and hungry Gallaudet students sign to one another as they decided where to eat together.
Union Market features a variety of eateries – from Rappahannock Oyster Co. to Red Apron Butchery – but Beryl and I both opted for TaKorean, a Korean taco grill. Again our food was meat free and completely delicious and filling. (This is not my way of telling you that I’ve gone vegetarian. A world without cheeseburgers wouldn’t be a world worth living in, you feel me? But I am a huge fan of veggies and will proclaim my love for them whenever I can.) For dessert, we – hah, who are we kidding? We were too full for dessert! Instead we walked off our dinner by going outside to enjoy the incredible art on the side of the building.
Golden hour drawing nearer by the minute, we started to drive toward the Tidal Basin for cherry blossom photos. Again, our plan was thwarted by the influx of crowds and traffic in the immediate area. Instead we drove through Capitol Hill and parked along the Mall, walking up to the Capitol building (East Capitol St NE) to a small grove of cherry trees, our own private version of the popular tourist spot. From our spot high up on the hill, we took our best spring portraits, trading off frequently as the sun dipped lower and lower until the clouds overtook the golden glow and turned it into twilight.
So friends, did you enjoy my attempt at travel journalism? Where would you like to see me go next? Answer below in the comments!
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I make whimsical art for color-lovers and California dreamers. I'm based in Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C. where there are most decidedly no palm trees in sight.