Filed under: general
So… is blogging like riding a bike? Likely still as easy, but unlikely it’s still as addictive…
Last night, I made my best friend’s husband’s dream come true.
I shouldn’t take all the credit though. My husband helped too. Well, so did she. It was a full three-pack support effort.
Luckily, his wildest fantasies are food- and beverage-based.
E and T are visiting from England and T was recalling his short-lived residence in Ottawa as a time of, well… poverty. He spent yesterday eve reflecting on the dire financial straits that they endured while they lived here and specifically the one weekly dilemma that used to pain him. Every Wednesday he had to choose between a pint and a gelato. Being the good Englishman that he is, he went for the pint… every time. One can only imagine his longing glance into Pure Gelato on his way home every Wednesday.
So, after dinner at Oz Kafe last night we went to Woody’s for a pint (ok, maybe that should be plural) and then for gelato. When I say gelato, it’s best to get a vision in your head of the magnitude of gelato that the boys went for. We’re talking GELATO. The waffle cone filled with four flavours that took them the entire length of the 15 minute walk home to consume.
I was a bit sad to find out that he had faced this weekly dilemma unbeknownst to us, as surely we would have been happy to treat. When I expressed this last night on the walk home though, T looked at me, ice cream smeared across his gigantic grin, and said “and take away from the joy of this moment?! Never!”
Filed under: travel
I wasn’t sure how to frame this entry, but was sure that the extended narrative is not appealing to the writer nor reader at this point, so I thought perhaps a top ten list would work.
Top Ten DC highlights (and things to do/remember, if you’re interested in my advice):
1. If you want a glass of wine and you’re under 75, bring your I.D. But when they ask you for it (because they will ask you for it), pretend you forgot it and try to talk them into serving you anyway. I can almost guarantee you’ll get some variation on the following story: The bartender here/next door got arrested yesterday/last week/month because he served someone without i.d. who ended up being underage (note: that means the person could have been TWENTY). The dude was arrested, put in jail for the weekend and will never work in this city again. Plus, he’s got two/three/ten kids. Note: I’m not saying that they’re lying about this, in fact I’m pretty sure they’re not. What I’m saying is: Bring your ID because they’re nuts about alcohol.
2. Dupont Circle – so peaceful, especially in the summer and just begs you to go buy some books (that you can’t fit into your luggage on the way home, but will figure something out), cancel the rest of your day’s plans and sit there to read/nap/read/nap.
3. Metros are fun. Super fun. Always.
4. Jaleo – sure, it’s just a tapas restaurant in Penn Quarter, but oh mon dieu. We went on my birthday and took the server’s recommendations (before she told us about the bartender being jailed) and oh my goddess was it ever good! We went back again two nights later. That good.
5. I’m pretty sure the reason that the Air & Space Museum in the Smithsonian complex is the “most visited museum in the world” is because it’s touted as “the most visited museum in the world.” Think about it. However, I did learn how things fly, which I’m sure will come in handy one day.
6. The Planetarium in the Air & Space Museum is worthy…
7. Georgetown, where as my co-worker discovered and so aptly stated, the 80’s yuppy lives on. Polo Ralph Lauren: Check. Boat shoes: Check. Khakis everywhere: Check. Check the comments on davesblawg’s DC entry to get a fantastic summary.
8. The people are ridiculously nice. I was trying to recall the last time I’d been somewhere that I encountered such a high response rate to my test of smiling at people on the street to see if they smile back. The only place that rivaled it was Husband’s parents’ small village in Italy where they not only say hello (ok, “ciao”) but also try to force you into their home and make you eat pasta… at 9 a.m.
9. Hard to boycott Starbucks in DC. Yes, that’s a confession.
10. Pay attention to the signs about which sidewalks you can and can’t walk on. Should you miss a sign and be walking where you’re not supposed to, be prepared to be threatened with an arrest. This is the exception to #8 above. Also, probably best not to get your back up in response to their power trip. Then again, I take that back… why not?
