This past weekend I headed to the blustery East Coast to enjoy four days of reprieve from the January slump in Washington, D.C.

Prior to this trip, my only time visiting D.C.  was in 8th grade. Picture an entire class of 100 and something students piled into multiple buses for a six-hour drive full of truth or dare and teachers yelling “HAND CHECK” every so often to prevent the dares from going so far. I remember spending most of the trip listening to my iPod and CD player full of punk music and watching movies on my friend’s portable DVD player–a coveted possession during that time.

Even as a whiny 13-year-old who was upset she couldn’t go to the Spy Museum or Medieval Dinner, I knew this city felt special and have felt a longing ever since to return. Aside from the bitter cold wind/rains and government shutdown, Martin Luther King Jr. weekend was the perfect time to visit.

I took the red-eye to Baltimore and arrived very early Friday morning to be greeted by the bitter cold that bit at my nose and cheeks. Since my hotel check-in wasn’t for a while I took the time to do a bit of exploring on my own. The hotel was just a couple of blocks away from The White House, so I walked around that area for a bit before taking the metro to Dupont Circle to browse Kramerbooks & Afterwords Cafe.  A crowd of the press had gathered at a nearby hotel and it turned out they were waiting for the Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo to come out–pretty interesting for my first few hours in the city.

Unfortunately, the shut down was still in full swing so some of the museums that I wanted to visit–particularly The Smithsonian’s–were closed. I was delighted that the Holocaust Museum would remain open for the time I’d be there since it has been on my to-visit list for quite some time. I originally wanted to go back in 8th grade, but that day trip was full, so I was sent to the Native American Museum instead.

One of my good friends from high school who works on “The Hill” took me on a tour of the Capitol building complete with access to Nancy Pelosi’s Speaker’s Balcony.

Saturday was spent exploring Georgetown, including the main city area and the campus. Though the weather was gloomy, it did warm up enough to run around all day. We even stopped by the steps filmed in the last scene of The Exorcist.

Sunday was supposed to be dedicated to museums, but after a night on the town I was physically unable to leave bed until the afternoon. We did manage to go to The Holocaust Museum for most of the afternoon and wasn’t able to make it to the Newseum–but I’m excited to go next time! I can’t even begin to explain how important I think it is for everyone to visit The Holocaust Museum while they’re in D.C. It’s a devastating part of history, but a period of time that needs to be remembered so we can learn from the past and build a better future.

After another incredible dinner, we enjoyed drinks with friends and then headed back to the hotel with aspirations of waking up to watch the sunrise. This didn’t happen, but not for lack of effort! I woke up, saw that it was -4 F with the wind chill and that there was an advisory to NOT go outside, and promptly went back to bed.

It didn’t warm up on Monday, which left us running through The National Mall like crazy people from monument to monument, trying to get all the views in without also getting frostbite. We did manage to see MLK’s memorial on his day so I’d call that a success!

Sadly, I had to leave, but there is so much more of the city and surrounding area that I would love to see, so I’m looking forward to my next trip back–hopefully in the Spring!

The weekend marked the beginning of restaurant week in D.C., which featured tons of amazing restaurants serving three-course Brunch, Lunch, and Dinner for a set price. I fretted for hours over the menus and ended up not even going to one of the places I picked though I have no complaints about any of the places I did go.

Where We Ate:

I can’t say enough good things about the food we enjoyed in DC. Though we mostly ate dinner, none of the meals disappointed.

Old Ebbit Grill (Dinner)

Get the oysters, flash-fried oysters in a stew, or clams casino to start with and you’ll be so glad you did.

Chef Geoff’s (Brunch)

While this wasn’t my favorite meal, it is a popular food spot.

La Chaumiere (Dinner)

Cozy inside with intresting decor that reminds me of Schrute Farms. I wasn’t a huge fan of French before, but after the lemon-almond trout and chocolate mousse, I may have softened a bit.

The Holocaust Museum (Lunch)

This might be a weird addition, but they had delicious matzo ball soup and spinach/potato knish.

Acqua Al 2

Go here. Seriously. The Filetto all’Aceto Balsamico aka filet mignon in a balsamic reduction sauce and the Filetto al Mirtillo aka filet mignon in a blueberry reduction sauce was LIFE CHANGING.