of Southern Efficiency
and Northern Charm.//John F. Kennedy
Last weekend marked the third year in a row I have made the trip down to DC to visit my best friend, Chelsea. In past years a group of us girls had gone down each year for her birthday in March, but this year we all had different schedules and it just didn't work out. I still really wanted to find a time to get down there, and so when looking at my summer schedule I realized that I didn't have any weddings this one weekend in June. A rare occurrence, I decided to jump on it and booked flights with Nick. Despite a very SLOW start (three hour delay for a 45 minute flight) we arrived Friday night after planes, trains and automobiles and were so just so relieved to finally be there. I hadn't seen Chels in a few months so I was so happy to get to see her. It's not fun being without your best friend for long periods of time. It's lonely. We have been best buds since first grade, and just surpassed 20 years of friendship this year. That's crazy! Besides my family, there are very few people I have known and had in my life for that long. Needless to say I love her dearly and wish I got to see her more.
Since we were delayed nearly three hours at the airport- why not sit have have a couple glasses of vino to ease the pain!?
Once we FINALLY got into DC and to Chels' apartment- her roommate Devon welcomed us with none other than back woods, West-Tennesse Moonshine! This was the real deal. She told us the cool back story of how her Dad gets it, and we all had to try a taste. For how awful it smelled, it was surprisingly smooth and easy to drink! Feel free to send some up to CT anytime Devon ;-)
After we got settled in, we changed outfits and got ready for a night out on the town. Couldn't leave the house though before taking a few pics with my beautiful BFF!
Love her!! Coordinating in our black and white ensembles.
We went to a pretty cool indoor/outdoor patio bar in Georgetown called "Town Hall". I loved the strung bulbs over the outdoor terrace. We had some good drinks, got stared at by creepy men Sergei, and sat in adirondack chairs on the top deck overlooking the whole bar. It was a beautiful night! From there we headed a couple doors down to Mason Inn, which was more of a club scene, and did some dancing until we were too tired to stand anymore. It's hard to do those 6am-3am days!
Waking up was a bit of a struggle but once we got going and out into the fresh air we were able to rejuvenate a bit. Didn't want to waste any precious time since we were only there for two full days. Our original plan was to go stand up paddle boarding on the Potomac in the morning, but the wind and current was too strong so they weren't renting them out. We grabbed breakfast at Dean & Deluca and then decided to hit the Georgetown waterfront and the monuments instead.
There was a huge dragon boat race/festival going on. Can someone please explain this to me? I don't...get it. It was pretty funny to watch though- everyone was so into it!
I loved strolling through Georgetown. It is such a unique and beautiful area with lots of history, shops, and restaurants. All of the row houses and painted brick were so cute. I'd love to live in one!
Yes, please!
Boston represent!!
We got to see the WW2 Monument, the fountain, the reflecting pool, the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. We got a tiny peak at the tidal basin and didn't make it to the Jefferson. Gotta save something for the next trip! Also it would be great to come back in March when the Cherry blossoms are in full bloom- they are AMAZING! We all threw in some lucky pennies and made wishes, I hope they come true!
Abe-Selfie! The man, the myth, the legend. Abe is one of the coolest people to ever live, in my opinion. Just an awesome and interesting person who really helped change our country for the better.
A perfect night of food, friends and fun. Another girl we went to high school with lives in DC also, and was able to come over for the BBQ. It was great to see her and we had a lot of fun reminiscing on old high school shenanigans.
Ari made sangria in a mason jar- my kind of gal! It was whiskey based. God Bless ya....
Monument view from our rooftop grill station. SO cool at night.
Ari convinced us to head out with her for the night to the Georgetown waterfront. We ended up at a Bar called Tony&Joes, right on the water with a big patio. It was really pretty, but got pretty chilly that night. I was definitely under dressed and was freezin' my bum off by the end of the night! We had fun anyways and it was definitely a bit more relaxed than the night before!
Love these! Thanks Ari for capturing these moments.
EH girls for life!
The next day we woke up and made attempt #2 at stand up paddle boarding on the Potomac. Although there was no wind and the water was really calm, we were still told paddle boarding was a no-go due to "strong currents". Whatever. So we did the second best thing and went kayaking. We rented from Key Bridge Boathouse and it ended up being a really fun activity! Anything to get on the water. Even the dirty brown river water DC has to offer! Since a very young age Chels and I have always been down for an adventure and activity, and to this day I am glad we are both still the same way. Kindred spirits, her and I. "Let's do a craft." ;-)
After kayaking we just headed back to the apartment and spent the rest of the day lounging at the rooftop pool. it was the PERFECT day. Crystal blue sky, hot and sunny with a little breeze. Couldn't have asked for better weather. There was quite the party going on at the pool deck, but eventually someone had to be a mole and a good chunk got kicked out for not having wrist bands. We had a great time just relaxing and chatting and laughing about the weekends funny moments. Ask me about the U-Haul story or the Uber story. I love you Chels!! Always guaranteed a laugh when we are together.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T PRINT MY BOARDING PASS!? A little travel frustration on the left, and sad to be going home on the right. We went through the sell your soul to the government TSA pre-check process a couple of weeks ago and both were approved- I can't recommend it enough if you are a frequent traveler! SO convenient and way less wait time and stand-in-line time.
Gorgeous sunset on the way home. The colors were so vibrant and it happened right over NYC. Too bad someone else I know was sound asleep!
Check out NYC on the left!
An amazing end to an amazing trip! Until next time DC! Miss you already Chels, can't wait to see you in a few weeks, love you.
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