Food:
Ben's Chili Bowl
On our way to Trader's we explored U street a bit, and found Ben's Chili Bowl. You know, President Obama's favorite place to eat. I convinced Miranda to share some chili cheese fries with me and we did not regret it. Their shakes are unfortunately not the best I've had, but that's okay, I'm going back for the chili.
Butter Bowl Bakery
I came here to do productive things, like job search things. I bought tea and a peach croissant so I didn't feel bad sitting there all afternoon. They have great tea, decent croissant, and acceptable wifi. I didn't end up getting much done because of how interesting the people watching was. I can never observe too many scarily well-put-together young suburbian moms trying to get their giant strollers through the tiny space to order their frauppichinos.
Lem Lem's coffee shop
Best-kept secret of the Library of Congress. It's just a tiny little coffee and convenience store in the bowels of the Library, but they sure can make a good and not grossly-overpriced cuppa joe (squinting angrily at you, cafeteria coffee bar).
Tunnicliff's
It's an upscale place right across from Eastern Market. We had brunch. I tried corned beef hash because apparently that is a thing you should do, and it basically tasted like spam. No really. So I'm not sure I'd get it again, but yeah, I'm a fan of this restaurant and its attractive Russian servers.
Tortilla Cost happy hour
I went with my roommates and the new upstairs neighbor to their happy hour on a Wednesday night. Happy hour is definitely the way to go if you want something affordable in this city! Let's see, their chips and salsa are really delicious, because the salsa is fresh and light. I got a bowl of their chili con queso, and it was exactly what you would expect from that sort of thing.
Ethiopian Restaurant
I forgot what this place is called, since we just stumbled upon it on H street last night. Miranda and I just wanted to try something different. The waitress recommended we just get the vegetarian and meat samplers, so we got to try a range of what they had to offer. Also there were no forks. We got to use this spongy tortilla-shaped bread to scoop up food. Super fun. I enjoyed a lot of what they had, though I think it will take me a while to really get used to their flavors. It was fun trying something really new and different! I'm so adventurous.
Fun:
Eastern Market
Miranda and I came here on a Saturday morning just because. First, we went to the food stand and got amazing breakfasts from the crazy awesome guy running it. She had their blueberry buckwheat pancakes, which were quite delicious, and I got eggs benedict, which was actually the best thing ever. Ten out of ten, would go there for breakfast every day if I could. Then we wandered around the indoor part of the market and a few stands outside (it was cold). I bought some handmade letterpress cards from Grey Moggie Press, and oh my, you need to check them out.
A walk on the Hill
It sounds mundane, but one evening just to get out of the house I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was quiet, dark, serene, and beautiful. I really enjoy the Hill. In my wanderings, I found lots of houses I would buy in a heartbeat if I had the money, some churches, a flower shop, a fountain that was partially ice and partially running water, and Lincoln Park, with a statue of Lincoln built in his honor by slaves that were freed because of the Emancipation Proclamation. I only got a little lost, and only checked my phone once to make sure I was headed in the right direction when I wanted to get home. I was.
The Post Office under the Hill
The tunnel system under the Capitol is elaborate and basically a tiny city that you could live in if you wanted to. I want to. There's a post office! I've been there a few times, and it's about what you would expect from a post office, except it's underneath Capitol Hill, so it's way cooler somehow. When I move into the tunnels permanently after my lease runs out here, you can forward my mail to "The Tunnel Sage Under the Capitol." They'll figure it out.
Book sale at DC Northeast public library
I went here with some friends, and while I originally didn't go with the intention of buying books, it happened. They had a great selection! I bought four books for $3.25. It felt like a good investment. Now I just have to figure out how to get them home.
National Museum of the American Indian
This place is cool. Super duper cool. Just look at that building! It's the most visually interesting buildings in DC, I think. The exhibits were state-of-the-art and really pulled you in with their windy passageways and nooks and crannies. It was definitely information-heavy, generally focused on explaining to people that, yes, Natives do exist and have traditions and are meaningful members of society. Because there was so much packed in, it was hard to focus on everything and take in all the information in all the exhibits, so next time I think I'll limit myself to going through just one or two, so I can try to focus more. But the video presentation was great, and presented in the round so I felt like I was friends with all the other people watching it. I also saw the Pottery of Central America exhibit, on its LAST DAY, which was super cool since I'm a pottery nerd now.
Fancy dinner for work
Yep, I got to work a fancy dinner at the Library. My job was to stand and make sure no one stole a couple of seats that someone had saved already. No, really, that was my job for the night. Man, the Library just works its interns to the bone, I swear. Then I got to sit down and eat because there were extra seats, and wow, that meal was delicious and amazing and wow. I'm so lucky I'm interning for the Library, because not many other interns on the Hill get to go to fancy dinners!
Shows:
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Miranda and I just decided on a whim that we wanted to hear this string quartet play in the LOC's free concert series. I found out that one of my coworkers, the one who knows everyone who works at the library (even the ladies who work at the cafeteria checkout. It's crazy), could just asked nicely for them to reserve some tickets for us, and Miranda and I were able to go! They played on Stradivarius instruments from the Library's collection, as well as a Fritz Kreisler violin. Swoon. They were a dynamic group that was incredibly entertaining to watch. Especially the first violin's legs. He practically danced in his chair to the music. The highlight was the second public performance of a recently-finished piece by John Adams (not the one you're thinking)--and he introduced the piece in person!
Tiny concert at Ebenezer's coffee shop
Nothing mind-blowing here, just a local couple with a guitar and a microphone. They were decent enough, and the hipster groupies seemed to enjoy it.
Mary Stuart at the Folger Shakespeare Library
College Night meant $15 tickets to the play, which we learned really just meant that they ripped Holly, Kay, and me off by selling us the bad seats for slightly cheaper than usual. The left 2/3 of the play looked great! I have no idea about the right 1/3 of the stage, since I was too involved in getting well acquainted with the pillar to my right. But that's fine; the play was wonderful anyway! It was about the struggle of Mary Queen of Scots as Queen Elizabeth tried to decide whether or not to execute her. The script was modernized so we just got to sit back and enjoy the intrigue without using most of our listening power figuring out what they were saying. The costumes, set, lighting, and sound were all fantastic. Those two leading women were just incredible, and well-supported by the rest of the cast.
Christopher Atzinger at the American Art Museum
This was what Miranda and I did this afternoon. I don't know how I stumble across these things, but I found out the American Art Museum has a free concert series. This one was part of their Steinway series, and it was awesome! We even got second-row seats since the hall wasn't even filled up. Atzinger is a pianist who is a professor at St. Olaf (wood, Minnesota represent!), and he played a wonderful selection of old favorites along with some recent pieces he found in his project on American Lyricism. So they were modern and fresh, but less avant garde than you expect modern music to be. In all, it was extremely listenable, and I was able to deeply appreciate the range of emotions he performed.
In other news: DC can be pretty sometimes.
I came here to do productive things, like job search things. I bought tea and a peach croissant so I didn't feel bad sitting there all afternoon. They have great tea, decent croissant, and acceptable wifi. I didn't end up getting much done because of how interesting the people watching was. I can never observe too many scarily well-put-together young suburbian moms trying to get their giant strollers through the tiny space to order their frauppichinos.
Lem Lem's coffee shop
 |
| Thanks to Miranda's candid photography, I look less than thrilled, but I promise, it was good. |
Tunnicliff's
It's an upscale place right across from Eastern Market. We had brunch. I tried corned beef hash because apparently that is a thing you should do, and it basically tasted like spam. No really. So I'm not sure I'd get it again, but yeah, I'm a fan of this restaurant and its attractive Russian servers.
Tortilla Cost happy hour
I went with my roommates and the new upstairs neighbor to their happy hour on a Wednesday night. Happy hour is definitely the way to go if you want something affordable in this city! Let's see, their chips and salsa are really delicious, because the salsa is fresh and light. I got a bowl of their chili con queso, and it was exactly what you would expect from that sort of thing.
Ethiopian Restaurant
I forgot what this place is called, since we just stumbled upon it on H street last night. Miranda and I just wanted to try something different. The waitress recommended we just get the vegetarian and meat samplers, so we got to try a range of what they had to offer. Also there were no forks. We got to use this spongy tortilla-shaped bread to scoop up food. Super fun. I enjoyed a lot of what they had, though I think it will take me a while to really get used to their flavors. It was fun trying something really new and different! I'm so adventurous.
 |
| Eggs Benedict and savory grits = <3 |
Fun:
Eastern Market
Miranda and I came here on a Saturday morning just because. First, we went to the food stand and got amazing breakfasts from the crazy awesome guy running it. She had their blueberry buckwheat pancakes, which were quite delicious, and I got eggs benedict, which was actually the best thing ever. Ten out of ten, would go there for breakfast every day if I could. Then we wandered around the indoor part of the market and a few stands outside (it was cold). I bought some handmade letterpress cards from Grey Moggie Press, and oh my, you need to check them out.
A walk on the Hill
It sounds mundane, but one evening just to get out of the house I went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was quiet, dark, serene, and beautiful. I really enjoy the Hill. In my wanderings, I found lots of houses I would buy in a heartbeat if I had the money, some churches, a flower shop, a fountain that was partially ice and partially running water, and Lincoln Park, with a statue of Lincoln built in his honor by slaves that were freed because of the Emancipation Proclamation. I only got a little lost, and only checked my phone once to make sure I was headed in the right direction when I wanted to get home. I was.
 |
| Abraham Lincoln statue and the waxing moon |
The Post Office under the Hill
The tunnel system under the Capitol is elaborate and basically a tiny city that you could live in if you wanted to. I want to. There's a post office! I've been there a few times, and it's about what you would expect from a post office, except it's underneath Capitol Hill, so it's way cooler somehow. When I move into the tunnels permanently after my lease runs out here, you can forward my mail to "The Tunnel Sage Under the Capitol." They'll figure it out.
Book sale at DC Northeast public library
I went here with some friends, and while I originally didn't go with the intention of buying books, it happened. They had a great selection! I bought four books for $3.25. It felt like a good investment. Now I just have to figure out how to get them home.
National Museum of the American Indian
This place is cool. Super duper cool. Just look at that building! It's the most visually interesting buildings in DC, I think. The exhibits were state-of-the-art and really pulled you in with their windy passageways and nooks and crannies. It was definitely information-heavy, generally focused on explaining to people that, yes, Natives do exist and have traditions and are meaningful members of society. Because there was so much packed in, it was hard to focus on everything and take in all the information in all the exhibits, so next time I think I'll limit myself to going through just one or two, so I can try to focus more. But the video presentation was great, and presented in the round so I felt like I was friends with all the other people watching it. I also saw the Pottery of Central America exhibit, on its LAST DAY, which was super cool since I'm a pottery nerd now.Fancy dinner for work
Yep, I got to work a fancy dinner at the Library. My job was to stand and make sure no one stole a couple of seats that someone had saved already. No, really, that was my job for the night. Man, the Library just works its interns to the bone, I swear. Then I got to sit down and eat because there were extra seats, and wow, that meal was delicious and amazing and wow. I'm so lucky I'm interning for the Library, because not many other interns on the Hill get to go to fancy dinners!
 |
| The gray-haired guy is THE John Adams |
St. Lawrence String Quartet
Miranda and I just decided on a whim that we wanted to hear this string quartet play in the LOC's free concert series. I found out that one of my coworkers, the one who knows everyone who works at the library (even the ladies who work at the cafeteria checkout. It's crazy), could just asked nicely for them to reserve some tickets for us, and Miranda and I were able to go! They played on Stradivarius instruments from the Library's collection, as well as a Fritz Kreisler violin. Swoon. They were a dynamic group that was incredibly entertaining to watch. Especially the first violin's legs. He practically danced in his chair to the music. The highlight was the second public performance of a recently-finished piece by John Adams (not the one you're thinking)--and he introduced the piece in person!
Tiny concert at Ebenezer's coffee shop
Nothing mind-blowing here, just a local couple with a guitar and a microphone. They were decent enough, and the hipster groupies seemed to enjoy it.
Mary Stuart at the Folger Shakespeare LibraryCollege Night meant $15 tickets to the play, which we learned really just meant that they ripped Holly, Kay, and me off by selling us the bad seats for slightly cheaper than usual. The left 2/3 of the play looked great! I have no idea about the right 1/3 of the stage, since I was too involved in getting well acquainted with the pillar to my right. But that's fine; the play was wonderful anyway! It was about the struggle of Mary Queen of Scots as Queen Elizabeth tried to decide whether or not to execute her. The script was modernized so we just got to sit back and enjoy the intrigue without using most of our listening power figuring out what they were saying. The costumes, set, lighting, and sound were all fantastic. Those two leading women were just incredible, and well-supported by the rest of the cast.
Christopher Atzinger at the American Art MuseumThis was what Miranda and I did this afternoon. I don't know how I stumble across these things, but I found out the American Art Museum has a free concert series. This one was part of their Steinway series, and it was awesome! We even got second-row seats since the hall wasn't even filled up. Atzinger is a pianist who is a professor at St. Olaf (wood, Minnesota represent!), and he played a wonderful selection of old favorites along with some recent pieces he found in his project on American Lyricism. So they were modern and fresh, but less avant garde than you expect modern music to be. In all, it was extremely listenable, and I was able to deeply appreciate the range of emotions he performed.
In other news: DC can be pretty sometimes.
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