This weekend one of my best friends from college came for a visit to get a taste of the D.C. experience. As small as the District is there's A LOT to see, and so much I wanted to show her. I figure I would give her a tour of the city...but there was so much of the city that I haven't even seen yet. I decided that we should start the day with something familiar that I knew quite well - a.k.a. Georgetown and all its guilty shopping pleasures.
Georgetown is a beautiful part of D.C, recognized for its quaint yet plush culture. It's so quaint and "untouched" that there is no metro stop that goes to the downtown area...making it a very exclusive location. Sure it's in the city, but not everyone in the city can get to it. That's possibly something that they want to keep for some odd reason...but as the city continues to expand I'm sure that rules on public transportation will naturally change in that area.
We started by walking around my graduate school - Georgetown University and I have my friend a tour of the historic, architecturally brilliant campus. Quick history lesson: Georgetown was first established in 1789, making it the oldest Jesuit and Catholic university in the United States. Today Georgetown is well known for it D-1 Basketball Team with it's mascot "Jack the Bulldog." While attending a basketball game, you may see fans with shirts saying "Bleed Hoya Blue!." Now what exactly is a "hoya?" Most people are puzzled by this, but a long time ago the sports teams at Georgetown were nicknamed the "Stone walls." Students were required to study Latin at that time, and one clever student made up the chant "Hoya Saxa" meaning "What rocks!" I guess that referred to their "stone-like" defense which rocked? Well there's history...
After we enriched our minds with stoic Georgetown, we poked around M Street in downtown Georgetown. In that strip there are TONS of elite shops - from Michael Kors to Anthropologie Georgetown has it all. It's VERY difficult to not spend too much there...so of course we let go of our restraints and headed to Lou Lou. This store is quite possibly the best kept secret in Georgetown. It has tons of exquisite, quality jewelry that compliments any outfit perfectly - for a really good price. I'd say the store is comparable to one of those small boutique stops you find while vacationing on some remote island in the Caribbean or Martha's Vineyard. Lou Lou was established only 10 years ago but still hasn't received a national market. To be honest, I'll probably head to Lou Lou in my Georgetown backyard as much as possible ;-)
After we were distracted by that irresistible store, we headed to Cafe Bonaparte - this amazing Creperie right in the middle of Georgetown. There we indulged in caramel chocolate lattes and had delicious yet filling crepes. I have to say that Cafe Bonaparte is another little secret in the District that everyone MUST visit once they come down here. The more I'm in Washington...the more I discover how low-key all their amazing restaurants and stores are. Guess that just adds to the mystique of the nation's capital.
Once we were finished with the Creperie we took a trip to the National Mall to visit the Smithsonian Museum of National History and the National Museum of the American Indian. The museum of National History felt like a science trip, but the nerd in me really enjoyed the majority of the exhibits. Most of the shows featured information on mammal development and extinct creatures. So naturally I went straight to the lions and other big cats and several snapshots of them. The National History Museum also houses the Hope Diamond - better known to most as the "Heart of the Ocean" that was featured in the film "Titanic." I think "Heart of the Ocean" is a much more appropriate title than the Hope Diamond, as it is 10x more majestic in person than it seems. This piece of jewelry is quite possibly the most famous diamond in the world and is the second-most-visited art exhibit after the Mona Lisa (Which I guess I saw earlier in France a few posts below...;-) The stone itself is over 1 billion years old, weighing 9.10 grams...and ladies its not for sale. Due to its history and rumored "cursed" past, it will reside at the Smithsonian Museum of National History for quite a while.
We then decided to make our way the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian - one of the most unique museums I have every visited. I have never been to a Native American history museum, and it was truly refreshing to really absorb this distinct culture that was lost throughout time. One of the most profound parts of the museum was the "Our Universes" exhibit, located on the top floor. The museum creates small models of the lifestyle of each Native American tribe documented throughout history. Within these models they depict the story of each tribe's beliefs, traditions and aspirations. While walking through these models, you feel as if you are in a time capsule - gaining a glimpse of the intricately perfect natural world that was lost before us. This was definitely a moving exhibit that I hope to show others in the future.
Once we were done poking around the Smithsonian we headed back for R&R and a night out to town with the fly Washingtonians. It was definitely a full and culturally rich weekend. SO far I can successfully check off two places on my list of Smithsonian museums (and tourist sites): 1. The Museum of Natural History and 2. The National Museum of the American Indian. Stay tuned for more explorations of The Nation's Capital...
