D.C. | champagne&backpacks

We were in a sorry state when we finally arrived in D.C. so we pretty much went straight to bed. Being so hung over in a 6-year-old girl’s room covered in Selena Gomez posters and all things pink feels a little wrong. I should probably explain that we stayed with our friends Seth and Jill just outside D.C. and their daughter Chloe generously let us use her room for a few nights.

We got a bit of a late start the next morning and started out going to Seth’s local Dunkin Donuts where Seth is famous and the manager loves their son Cooper (who couldn’t?). We headed down to the Georgetown area as neither Alan nor I had ever seen or spent much time there before. We grabbed lunch at J Paul’s and then walked down to the Potomac where we could see the Kennedy Center and Arlington buildings across the river. I fell in love with the residential areas near Georgetown with the stunning row homes and pleasant streets. This is one of the few places on our trip I felt like I could see myself living (though I’m sure this particular area is no easier to get a starter home in than Santa Monica). We meandered around the campus for a bit and Seth showed us where he taught a class.

Another one of Alan and Seth’s fraternity brothers came down (up?) from Baltimore for the day and met up with us here, and we all went over to drive by the national mall, and walked over to the White House and WWII memorial.

::white house, obligatory around the world photo::

::high fiiiive::

::i love fall::

Back at Seth and Jill’s we kicked some soccer balls around with the kids. I thought it was cute that the neighborhood kids go “ghosting,” which is when they ring the doorbell, drop a bag of candy and run. The neighborhood was full of young families and obviously a great community for raising kids. I was jealous of this, as it’s harder to find in LA.

::cooper and jill playing with the neighbors adorable puppy::

:adorbs::

::how cute is this munchkin?::

::jumbo in a diaper::

Much to Chloe’s dismay the adults went out to Mexican for dinner at Mi Cucina where I was regaled with more stories of the Tufts college experience. Those crazy kids. Seth and Jill even dug out their old photos when we got home and we enjoyed seeing how young everyone looked and how different Alan was.

It was a short visit, but great to catch up with Seth and Jill and I was very happy to finally meet and get to spend some time with their too stinking cute kids.

I finally made it to Chevy Chase, Maryland to visit Seth and Jill. It was so nice to catch up with Chloe and Jumbo and meet Cooper and Winnie.

October 20-22, 2013 (Sunday-Tuesday)

On our drive from Long Island to Maryland occurred three milestones. 1) The most expensive toll I have ever paid, $15 to cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; 2) The Delaware House Travel Plaza was such a vibrant highway rest area that it earns print; and 3) We crossed the Mason-Dixon Line.

The area where Seth and Jill live is great. It really has a neighborhood feel to it. Everyone walks with their kids to and from the elementary school. Well, it is mainly nannies but the spirit is there. In the weeks leading up to Halloween, ghosting abounds. This is where you leave a bag of candy on someone’s steps, ring the bell and run. Seriously. “Bag of candy” is not code for some nefarious prank. This is how they roll on the gentle streets of Chevy Chase.

Nearby, on the rough and tumble blocks of Bethesda, we grabbed coffee at Dunkin Donuts where Seth and Cooper are famous. Then we walked around Georgetown and got lunch at J. Paul’s. My reuben was quite good and Jenni ensured we did not go too many days without a lobster roll. We were both impressed by Georgetown.

Jenni placed it high on the list of locations to consider living. It is a beautiful area with colorful row homes, right on the Potomac River, and the university campus is pretty. Commercial activity centers around Wisconsin Ave and M Street, and there are a few F&B spots down by the river. Tucker drove down from Baltimore which was awesome; I love that dude.

While waiting for drinks at Saxbys Coffee, which has flavors like Grasshopper and Chunky Monkey, Seth asked Tucker a toilet question. He said, “you told me you know how to curve wood so maybe you know something about plumbing.” A candidate for that’s what she said?

Near the Mall, after Seth pulled an outrageous U-turn that should have alarmed the Secret Service, we debated whether the depressing David’s Tent display was a tent rental company or Jesus preacher. It is the latter. The buildings in D.C. are most impressive, and I believe the law still limits height to not exceed the United States Capitol. This makes D.C. feel more light and airy than a typical large city. The Washington Monument was covered in scaffolding but we saw the relatively new WWII Memorial across the pond from Lincoln.

That night, the Giants finally won a game (the first of four straight) and Jenni was a trooper while we perused boxes of old Tufts photos. I already miss the Cohen family and look forward to returning soon!