Easter Weekend in DC

Of any adventure I've had, I have to say that my five days spent in Washington, DC was one of the most fun trips I've had in such a long time! I spent Easter weekend, in DC with one of my longest, and dearest best friend's, Nate. After five years of him living in the Nation's Capital, I finally made the voyage east!

Getting there, proved to be a little frustrating. I had a quick layover in Minneapolis, and was excited that it seemed my flight to DC would leave a little early! Well, after sitting on the runway for about 20 minutes, they announced that we were having "maintenance problems", and would have to taxi back to the gate. We ended up sitting at the gate for almost 2 hours with nothing being served to us, before it was announced that we would have to take another plane! Well, needless to say, I was ready for a drink on the next plane, only to find out that the cabin was entirely dry of food, water, and alcohol :(

Landing in DC!

But after a long day of travel, I made it! We had dinner at a popular joint in Nate's neighborhood where you could put a pin on a map of where you were from. I was so excited to put a pin in Lamar, CO; only to find out that someone else beat me to it :) We got back to Nate's house, where I had the great pleasure of meeting his roommate, Kyle. What a character he is!  Although we did not see eye to eye when it comes to fashion, Kyle and I had a great time bonding over our similar personalities and senses of humor. However, I did not find it funny how he loved to keep referring to me as a dirty hippie from Colorado. Not. Funny. At. All.

Kyle

After having my first Metro experience (which I absolutely LOVED!!!), Nate and I spent the next day doing all the touristy stuff. I couldn't have picked a more perfect weekend to go, as far was the weather was concerned! It was perfect, and not a cloud in the sky! We went to the Smithsonian Museums of African Art, the Portrait Gallery, and the Hirshhorn Sculpture Gallery. We had such a fun day walking around seeing the sites. That night we went to Good Friday Easter service at The Falls Church in Virginia. This was such a beautiful Anglican church, that is almost 300 years old!

The Smithsonian Castle

Film strip of Abe Lincoln in the Portrait Gallery

The next day, Nate and I went to the Old Post office, where we took the elevator up and were able to have a bird's eye view of the entire city! After that, we had drinks on the rooftop bar the the W Hotel. We sipped on the local craft brew, and had a perfect view of the White House. This was by far my favorite moment of my entire trip :) It was the most beautiful day, and such a perfect moment. I couldn't help myself of being flooded with happiness, as we talked, laughed, and had such a good time all with the backdrop of being high above our nation's capital city. After that, we walked to the White House and later enjoyed an amazing meal at an Ethiopian Restaurant in a jazzy district of DC. We cabbed back to enjoy the most spectacular view of the monuments at night. The Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Vietnam Memorial, The Korean War Memorial, and my personal favorite, the Lincoln Memorial, were beyond breathtaking in their glory. We toured in awe, while under the light of a bright orange full moon.

Sunday morning, we slept in, and then walked over to the Iwo Jima Marine Corps Memorial, in Arlington, VA, where we also viewed the Netherlands Carillon, and the Arlington National Cemetery. The Tulips and flowering trees were in spectacular full bloom, and was a beautiful site. That evening, we attended Easter Service at Nate's Church. We enjoyed a nice walk after service, to see the Capitol at sunset. It was so spectacular!

Monday morning, Nate had to head into the office, so I took full advantage of the day and took the Metro to Alexandria, VA, to King Street. This was a beautiful, historic neighborhood with brick sidewalks and colorful row houses. I took the Metro back into DC, where I spent the day in Georgetown. This was my favorite area of the city! It was a wonderful, colorful place with hip shops, historic buildings, coffee shops, restaurants, and people, galore! This is where I stood in line for 20 minutes to purchase an overpriced cupcake, from Georgetown Cupcakes, setting of the hit TV show DC Cupcakes. *NOTE: It was NOT worth the wait, nor the price, but it was fun for the novelty of it :)  I took the bus downtown to meet back up with Nate for a late lunch, before we had to rush back home to get packed up.

I left DC back to Colorado Monday night, and was so sad to leave. I had the most wonderful time with Nate, and it was so awesome to visit a part of the country I had never experienced before! I can't wait to go back! There is so much to see and do, and it is a part of our nation's history, and my own personal history, that I will never forget.