Trip to DC

I love getting out of town, and day trips are especially nice. I am fortunate enough to live within reasonable driving distance of three major US cities, and with our President's Day off, Stephen and I decided to head down to DC. Stephen made us a wonderful breakfast of bacon, egg, and cheese croissants and fresh-squeezed oj, and we were off!

After being floored by the jump in Metro prices (almost $8???), we hit up Chinatown, realized that there really isn't much there, then headed to lunch at a place that I've wanted to try since reading the review from Baltimore Snacker (read his blog, you'll like it!). Oya is a fantastic, fancy dancy thrill of a place. Beautifully decorated, quietly elegant, and, as Stephen put it, very "New York."

The place was expensive, but not ridiculous, particularly being in DC. We both had the special prix fixe lunch, which included a wonderful appetizer, main course, and yummy banana bread pudding for dessert. The food was incredible, the service top-notch...overall, it was sublime and worth every penny.

The rest of the day was to be spent in digestion and meandering through the museums and checking out the Einstein memorial. The latter was not to be, as the rain after lunch was intense and forced more indoor activity.

We headed into first, the National Gallery, and after filling our heads with too much Medieval religious art, I really needed to see the Dali. After seeing the Dali, we tried to check out some more modern stuff, but my head was spinning, and Pollock is kind of scary after all that darkness and bronze. Stephen bought an umbrella for $19 (!!), and we headed out.

We next went to the American Indian Museum, which was, well, disappointing. I kept hearing about how great it was, but truthfully, I found the exhibits sparse. Maybe I'll go back on a day that's not rainy and cold, and I'll feel a little less disenchanted with this museum.

We decided to pack it up and go home for some hot food and soft couches, when the umbrella broke in Stephen's hands. Yep, that's right, one use. We tried to return it, but when we got back to the museum, it had closed.

So all in all, a great day, the highlight for me was lunch, and of course, spending time with Stephen. :)