This holiday weekend was definitely a highlight of
my summer so far, (I would probably get dirty looks from across the country if
I didn't say this, but it is true!!) because I finally got to see family! My
mom and grandma were in town for the Fourth of July weekend and it was an
incredible break from intern/dorm life. We ate in real restaurants and slept in
real beds and it was amazing.
They arrived Wednesday night. After surprising them at the airport, I
showed them how to use the Metro system and we began our journey to the up and
coming U Street area for dinner. I’d heard a lot about U Street, but this was
my first time seeing it and it is definitely a fun area. It would probably be
more fun if I were seven months older and could actually go in the restaurants/bars,
but that’s beside the point. We enjoyed a wonderful Mexican dinner at U Street
before taking the Metro back to the main part of the City to tour the monuments
on the Mall after sunset. We saw the Lincoln Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and
World War II Memorial before calling it a night.
We woke up feeling patriotic and ready to experience the Fourth of July
in the nation’s capitol the next morning. The Fourth of July parade was similar
to the Memorial Day Parade and I didn’t necessarily think it was worth standing
in the sun and 90-degree heat to watch, but we did. Check that off the list. We
then stopped by the White House, but were ushered away from the fence by the
Secret Service as soon as we arrived, presumably because of the event that was
about to begin on the White House lawn. Mom was not pleased. Later that
afternoon, because everyone needs a burger on the Fourth of July, we stopped at
Good Stuff Eatery, the best burger place in DC. We finished off our
evening by listening to the Capitol Concert (Barry Manilow!) in a garden near the steps of the
Capitol Building and watching the fireworks with hundreds of thousands of other
people on the Mall. The Fourth of July in DC was definitely an experience, but
to be honest, I would take take a barbeque at home with friends and family any day.
Friday morning we tried to wake up early enough to beat the heat at
Arlington Cemetery, but we soon realized that was not possible. We saw the
landmarks, the massive expanses of graves and made a round trip back to the
Smithsonian Museum of American History, which I could easily spend hours, even
days, exploring. That afternoon we returned to the Capitol for our scheduled tour and ran across the street to the Supreme Court before they
closed – another place I could spend hours wandering around. We were lucky
enough that evening to find a very good Italian restaurant for dinner (thanks Yelp!).
Saturday morning was our boat cruise to Mt. Vernon, the home of
President George Washington. Not only was it interesting wandering around
Washington’s home, I enjoyed checking out Old Town Alexandria, where we boarded
our boat, and the view of the shore from the Potomac River. Mt. Vernon was a
great experience, but it would have been slightly better had it not been the
hottest thing I think I’ve ever experienced. But hey, we checked it off the
list! Saturday night’s dinner at Busboys and Poets was just as good as the last
two nights; I’ve been able to convince Mere Mere that there is no bad
restaurant in DC.
On their final day, I took Mom and Mere Mere to Georgetown, where we
made the necessary stop at Baked and Wired for Cupcakes and wandered through
the stores and streets.
Thankfully, the trip came to an end without anyone melting or dying of
heat stroke and without any tears. I’m so glad they both were able to visit,
both for me and for them! I know it’s a weekend I’ll never forget and I hope
they say the same. Thanks for the fun times you guys and I’ll see you in five
weeks!
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