The Smithsonian American Art Museum: A Roasting in Oil Paints

If you’re in D.C. and want to feel both deeply inspired and mildly haunted, the Smithsonian American Art Museum is your jam. It’s like wandering into America’s attic: some pieces are gorgeous heirlooms, some are historical oddities, and some are the kind of thing you stare at for five minutes wondering if you’re the problem. Spoiler: you’re not. Let’s break down some of the highlights. The Seasons of Life: Your Entire Existence in Four Frames The Seasons of Life paintings are so beautiful they should honestly come with a warning label: “Will cause an existential crisis by the third cavas.”

The Madera, a Kimpton Hotel in Washington D.C.

I don’t know what it is about Kimpton hotels, but I seem to be on a bad streak with them. The last time I stayed at the Palladian Kimpton in Seattle and was hugely disgruntled with the bathroom facilities. This time, at the Madera Kimpton in D.C., I was just an all around hot mess. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve every been such a spaz before–and that’s saying something! It all started with the shower. The bathroom is small which is both good and bad. Good, because they put the sink and mirror part outside of the bathroom so I