Let’s clear something up immediately: If you go to Washington, DC and skip the dinosaurs, you didn’t “do DC.” You just walked around outside looking at buildings like a Victorian child with no indoor enrichment. The dinosaurs are indoors. The dinosaurs are free. The dinosaurs are the best thing in this city. This is not an opinion. This is a travel truth. The Smithsonian Fossil Hall Is a Flex The David H. Koch Hall of Fossils is one of those places where you walk in and instantly think, Oh, I should have blocked off more time for this and fewer minutes
Tag: Washington d.c.
Hawk ‘n’ Dove: The West Wing Made Me Do It
Let me just start by saying: yes, I came here because of The West Wing. There’s a line (brief, almost throwaway) where Donna mentions Hawk ‘n’ Dove, and my brain went “Oh, that’s real?!” Cue me immediately deciding that I, too, must channel my inner political operative and grab a cocktail in a place where fictional White House staffers might’ve argued about filibusters and friendship. Spoiler: it was absolutely worth it. 🥚 Deviled Eggs Three Ways I ordered the deviled eggs because, let’s be so for real, if they’re on a menu, they’re basically an edible personality test. Hawk ‘n’ Dove’s version came
Bethesda Bagels: A Cautionary Tale in Dairy Excess
Look. I came here for a bagel. Just a bagel. A humble little circle of carbs with some salmon and cream cheese, because sometimes you don’t need bells and whistles. Sometimes you just want breakfast that won’t fight back. Bethesda Bagels in Washington D.C., however, said: “Oh honey, no. You came for a snack, but you’re leaving with trauma.” The Bagel Credit where it’s due: the bagel itself? Solid. Chewy, flavorful, baked by someone who respects gluten. If you surgically removed it from the rest of the crime scene, you’d think, “Yeah, this is a nice bagel.” The Cream Cheese Debacle But
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.”
I Accidentally Time-Traveled in Washington, D.C.: Ford’s Theatre and the House Where Lincoln Died
So, here’s the thing about history: sometimes you read about it in textbooks, nod sagely, maybe even ace a quiz on the date, and then promptly file it away in your brain’s “Random Trivia for Jeopardy” folder. But sometimes (if you’re very lucky), you stumble into the actual physical space where it happened. And that’s when your brain short-circuits because the ghosts of the past are suddenly real estate you’re standing in. That was me at Ford’s Theatre and the Petersen House (aka “the house where Lincoln died”). Spoiler: I was so dumbfounded that I completely forgot to take pictures at the Petersen House. Whoops.
The National Air and Space Museum: Where Nerd Dreams Take Flight
There are museums you go to, and then there are museums you experience. The National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. is firmly in the latter camp. This isn’t just a building full of dusty artifacts. It’s where the Wright brothers’ sketchy little plane rubs elbows with a freaking space shuttle. It’s where you suddenly find yourself whispering, “Okay fine, humanity has done some pretty cool things.” The Vibes Walking in, you’re immediately hit with the kind of awe that makes you want to slap your own face and say, “Remember this moment!” Planes dangle from the ceiling like oversized mobiles, rockets stand upright
Touring the U.S. Capitol: Democracy, But Make It Theater
If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to step into the literal beating heart of American democracy, the answer is… surprisingly like stepping onto the set of a very high-budget historical drama where everyone has memorized their lines except you. The U.S. Capitol is not just a building, it’s an architectural flex, a stage for politics, and the ultimate reminder that marble is apparently the official building material of freedom. Whether you’re a history nerd, a political junkie, or just someone who wanted an excuse to wear sensible shoes in D.C., here’s what it’s like to tour Congress. Step
Thought the Reflecting Pool Was a Giant Swimming Pool. I Wasn’t Totally Wrong.
You know how you grow up with these weird mental images of places you’ve never been? Like, you hear “Mount Rushmore” and picture four giant heads just chilling in a field like forgotten Easter Island statues. Or you hear “Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade” and imagine everyone in New York constantly tripping over inflatable Snoopy. For me, it was the Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. I had never been, but I was absolutely convinced that it was the biggest swimming pool in the world. Not “reflecting” like “thoughtful,” no. Reflecting, like, “the sun glints off my goggles while I do a killer backstroke
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
The Capitol – Then and Wednesday – Washington D.C.
It’s hard for me as an American to put into words the horror that was last Wednesday, watching what could only be domestic terrorists overrun the heart of my country’s government. I want to say that I’m shocked such a coup was attempted, but I’m not. Definitely shocked that the security detail was so pitiful given the obvious rage-building happening amongst Trump supporters on social media. I actually toured the Capitol on my trip to Washington D.C. a year and a half ago. I didn’t blog about it at the time partly because the pictures I took were pretty awful