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.”
Tag: Washington
A Brief History of Washington, D.C. (aka how America’s capital became a hotbed of monuments, scandals, and overpriced sandwiches)
Washington, D.C.—that politically-charged swamp-turned-status-symbol where ambition goes to put on a tailored suit and yell into a microphone. But like every power player, this city has an origin story. So grab your metro card and a sensible pair of walking shoes, because we’re time-traveling through the surprisingly messy, mildly shady, and definitely weird history of America’s capital. The Birth of a City (That Nobody Really Wanted) Back in the late 1700s, America was still figuring things out. They’d kicked out the British, written some spicy new rules called the Constitution, and now they needed a capital. But choosing one? Nightmare
An Open Letter to Seattle, Washington
Dear Seattle, I visit you occasionally but it should really be more often. However, depending on the day and the hour (and, let’s face it–traffic), you can be kind of a pain-in-the-ass to travel to. Besides, you can be a wee bit expensive when I decide to do things like buy artisanal wines, macarons, bread, cheeses and meats so I can be bougie and have the best movie snack EVER. Unfortunately, you are the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. Although I’ve usually bemoaned the fact that you and my favorite piroshki stand are roughly an hour and a half away,
Why I Shouldn’t Be Allowed at Hockey Games
Yesterday I went to my very first hockey game. It was the Seattle Thunderbirds and they were going up against a team from Portland. I’d watched a few NHL games on television and figured it’d be a good fit for me since I’m pretty barbaric. I mean, my fiancé and I shared our first kiss at a bar while watching Floyd Mayweather teach Conor McGregor a thing or two about boxing. I wouldn’t be surprised if my ancestors were amongst the spectators at the Coliseum, giving a giant hurrah everytime blood spilled. So you’d think grown men with hockey sticks
“The Nutcracker” by the Pacific Northwest Ballet – Seattle, Washington
Attending The Nutcracker is almost a rite of passage in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve rarely met a Seattleite who has not seen the show in question, and even rarer to find someone who is disappointed in the performance. I myself saw the show years ago as an eleven year old. It was the Maurice Sendak version and I loved the sugarplum fairy. She was gorgeous, knew how to dance, and had excellent fashion. In my tween years, she was EVERYTHING. Fast forward, and the current rendition being played is George Balanchine. I’m much older now but when I’d heard that
The History of the Little Black Dress
The title of this post is a little misleading. It implies that you’re going to get a discussion on how the little black dress evolved, its origins, and how it became the iconic and timeless wardrobe classic that it is. But really, all you’re going to get is pictures, because I really like pictures and hate reading little museum placards. And that’s where I saw this, the Washington State History Museum where this was their current exhibit. My boyfriend, thoughtful guy that he is, knew that I’d enjoy the time warp back to the start of the little black dress.
My Beef with the Washington State Fair
This fair is an utter rip off. Like holy cow, why I don’t I just give you the PIN number to my debit card and hand over all the security information for my Visa while I’m at it. Oh, you need my checkbook too? Great, let me make sure you have my signature while we’re at it. This is horror disguised as rides, popcorn, and carnival games at its best. Let’s do a small round up shall we? Luckily, me and the man got to enter the fair for free since I’m in education and we get free passes. Students
Strange Bathrooms #1
Confession: I have a weird obsession with interesting bathrooms. I’m sure part of it is because I have colitis/Crohn’s and like makeup so I spend an inordinate amount of time in bathrooms. However, it’s also partly because public and/or restaurant bathrooms tend to be generic. They usually follow a prescribed floor plan. Some sort of mica countertop. Mirror. Two to three stalls. Usually tiles or a plain white wall. Oh, and a floor with drains. They give character to the restaurant or store, but never to the bathrooms. So when I see one that has flair, I do what any
The Palladian – A Kimpton Hotel in Seattle, Washington
I never like to give a negative review. However, there are some things you just have to know about. I’m going to do this with a good old fashioned pros and cons list. First con, a VERY big con. They use sliding doors for the bathroom entrance. The door was OFF its runner meaning that it left a very big gap. Privacy much?! PRO: They immediately repaired the runner situation. CON: There was still a huge gap around the door. Big enough that I could fit both my arms around the door while it was closed. I then proceeded to