A few weeks ago at the start of summer we decided to spend the day in DC as a family. For all we knew this would be our last chance to do this for quite some time. We also really wanted to take Birdie to the Natural History museum. We had been waiting to do this until we were sure that she could enjoy the experience and we were so glad we waited!
We started with breakfast at Le Pain Quotidien. Over tea and coffee we mapped out our day making sure to leave room for the inevitable parking disasters or toddler tantrums. Thank goodness we did because we encountered both situations. Papa bear decided to take the brunt of the toddler tantrum and take Birdie on the Mall in her stroller while I looked for parking. Eventually Birdie calmed down and I found a space and we were finally on our way to the museum! We thought we may have just squeaked by without encountering tourist season in the city but alas the museum was exploding at the seams. We made a brisk walk around the mammal exhibit and spent some quality time with the elephant (which was her favorite anyway) and headed out the door before another tantrum hit. At this point it was time for Birdie's nap so we found a nice quiet street in Eastern Market where we parked the car and then took turns exploring our favorite bookstore - Capitol Hill Books.
I love Amazon and the fact that I can realize that we need baby forks on monday night and have them waiting for us at our door wednesday morning but it also kills me to know that they are the reason that brick and mortar bookstores are closing their doors. Capitol Hill Books is such a gem of a shop and it breaks my heart to think that its days may be numbered, even though the crotchety owner seems to be taking this fact in stride. I can't imagine a world where I won't be able to enter a space bursting with books, the scent of the yellowed pages filling the air and losing myself there amidst stacks of books. In case this day is imminent I highly recommend you pay Capitol Hill Books a visit if you ever find yourself in DC.
And speaking of beloved places I figured I might as well wrap this post up with a list of our favorites:
There may be some that I missed this first time around so keep an eye out for an update potentially. That being said these are the places we visit most often and love dearly.
As our day in DC was winding down and the sun began to set I felt a familiar heaviness weighing on my heart. I am beyond thrilled about our move but at the same time the thought of no longer being a little over an hour away from our favorite city makes my heart ache. My mind wandered back to the dates we had here before we were married, all the birthdays and special occasions we had celebrated at this or that restaurant, all the memories we had made here with Birdie and truthfully it made me sad. To me there's just nothing like DC, it captured my heart almost ten years ago in a way that no other city ever had before or ever did since.
Brace yourselves for many more of these overly sappy emotional posts over the next couple of weeks. I am such a wuss when it comes to moving, even though this will be my fifteenth move... You would think it would get easier by now...
