5.31.2004
weekend sightseeing
steph was in town for the long weekend, so dana and I again got to see some dc sights that we usually don't take in. thankfully, it was not as blazing hot and humid as the previous weekend when we all turned to little prunes walking around on the mall. the weekend was cool and rainy, so much so that we stayed in several nights and had to close up the windows.
on friday, when dana was at work, steph & I went down to see the rivera exhibit at the east gallery. it was small, but well worth the trip. after that, we went to the thai place near dana's office for lunch and then visited the main library of congress building. the mosaics throughout the halls are lovely, and we had a fun time on the tour, hearing the history from an elderly volunteer. you could easily spend hours looking at all the inlays and frescoes (the paintings were not technically frescoes, as apparently they were done on canvas, cut out, and plastered onto the walls and ceilings. but they provide the desired effect of appearing to be. similarly, the mosaics were not done directly on the walls themselves, but set into beds and transferred to the walls in sheets). after that we were museumed out and took the metro home, where we had bread & cheese for dinner and watched several brainless movies for hours on end.
saturday, in an attempt to avoid all the hoohah on the mall, we walked downtown to the national museum of women in the arts. the building was more ornate than I was expecting, and the sponsorship plaques that were everywhere struck me as a bit crass. it was a little odd to be perusing art in "[evil well-known weapons manufacturer] hall," complete with gilt ceilings, marble floors, and elaborately carved cornices. the special exhibits were interseting, though, and it was worth the trip just to see the two frida kahlos that were on display, as I'd never seen an original of hers before.
after that we snacked and then visited eastern market, where I finally caught up with the artist I'd been looking for since we moved out here. I'd seen her pendants when we'd first arrived in 2002 and had been kicking myself since then for not buying one. after window-shopping through the stands, we headed back to the house to freshen up for dinner. we took steph to la tomate, where the service was disappointing. this was unfortunately a bit of a theme for us, as we brought steph to several of our favorite places and they weren't really up to par. after dinner we set steph up for her early morning training run (I was sending her out the capital crescent trail to bethesda) and then went to bed.
sunday, after we'd all slept in, steph & I went to georgetown to wander about, have lunch and see a movie. everything went according to plan, and we returned home for a pasta dinner and...yet another movie. since dana had the day off on monday, we braved the mall and visited the botanical gardens. althouth small, some parts of the conservatory were quite pleasant, notably the children's garden (in an interior courtyard) and the desert section (which reminded me of my favorite part of phoenix). the outdoor garden across the street is really the best part, with the central fountain and the wildlife garden off to the side. I'll have to go back when the weather's nicer and see how many familiar birds I can spot. after the gardens, it was lunch and then back home to get steph off to the airport.
it was lovely to see steph, and for all the walking around we did, the weekend was surprisingly restful. and, for all the time we spent outside, I only got attacked by cicadas twice.
on friday, when dana was at work, steph & I went down to see the rivera exhibit at the east gallery. it was small, but well worth the trip. after that, we went to the thai place near dana's office for lunch and then visited the main library of congress building. the mosaics throughout the halls are lovely, and we had a fun time on the tour, hearing the history from an elderly volunteer. you could easily spend hours looking at all the inlays and frescoes (the paintings were not technically frescoes, as apparently they were done on canvas, cut out, and plastered onto the walls and ceilings. but they provide the desired effect of appearing to be. similarly, the mosaics were not done directly on the walls themselves, but set into beds and transferred to the walls in sheets). after that we were museumed out and took the metro home, where we had bread & cheese for dinner and watched several brainless movies for hours on end.
saturday, in an attempt to avoid all the hoohah on the mall, we walked downtown to the national museum of women in the arts. the building was more ornate than I was expecting, and the sponsorship plaques that were everywhere struck me as a bit crass. it was a little odd to be perusing art in "[evil well-known weapons manufacturer] hall," complete with gilt ceilings, marble floors, and elaborately carved cornices. the special exhibits were interseting, though, and it was worth the trip just to see the two frida kahlos that were on display, as I'd never seen an original of hers before.
after that we snacked and then visited eastern market, where I finally caught up with the artist I'd been looking for since we moved out here. I'd seen her pendants when we'd first arrived in 2002 and had been kicking myself since then for not buying one. after window-shopping through the stands, we headed back to the house to freshen up for dinner. we took steph to la tomate, where the service was disappointing. this was unfortunately a bit of a theme for us, as we brought steph to several of our favorite places and they weren't really up to par. after dinner we set steph up for her early morning training run (I was sending her out the capital crescent trail to bethesda) and then went to bed.
sunday, after we'd all slept in, steph & I went to georgetown to wander about, have lunch and see a movie. everything went according to plan, and we returned home for a pasta dinner and...yet another movie. since dana had the day off on monday, we braved the mall and visited the botanical gardens. althouth small, some parts of the conservatory were quite pleasant, notably the children's garden (in an interior courtyard) and the desert section (which reminded me of my favorite part of phoenix). the outdoor garden across the street is really the best part, with the central fountain and the wildlife garden off to the side. I'll have to go back when the weather's nicer and see how many familiar birds I can spot. after the gardens, it was lunch and then back home to get steph off to the airport.
it was lovely to see steph, and for all the walking around we did, the weekend was surprisingly restful. and, for all the time we spent outside, I only got attacked by cicadas twice.
