Be Cultural: WASHINGTON, DC. Home Sweet Home.
We were in our hometown of Washington, DC last week to bask in the city's Springtime splendor. It was nostalgic, inspiring, educational and fun to walk down memory lane and discover the new hot spots that have been popping up all over the city since our days of youth.
Our rooms in the house we grew up in are literally time capsules-- Mary had to photograph and share hers below-- so over the top pink princess! The Marky Mark Calvin Klein and Patrick Swayze "Dirty Dancing" posters just came down....
SEE
One of the coolest things we did while home was have a special visit to the National Cathedral which last August was badly damaged in an earthquake. The Cathedral has a special place in our histories and hearts as we both attended the elementary school adjacent to it and Mary went on to the all girls National Cathedral School through the tenth grade. On this visit, we got to go behind the scenes, up into the rafters and literally scramble up onto the spires which are being restored.
from top: Mary on one of the spires with cousin Nick Firestone; Lucy in the bell tower; the Cathedral from the top of the Main Tower; the Main Tower under restoration; the magnificent Rose Window which we were able to walk just beneath-- the black netting is to prevent any stones/debris from falling during restoration.
From the highest point in the city, we had an incredible bird's eye view and a new appreciation and respect for our hometown and what we had taken for granted seeing everyday growing up. If you'd like to make a donation to aid in restoring the Cathedral, click here!
EAT
New on the scene in Adams Morgan, an ethnically diverse and artistic neighborhood, Mintwood was bustling on a Tuesday night. Bistro inspired in both ambiance and menu, the cast iron chicken is a favorite as are the fish dishes. The rhubarb-strawberry crumble was declared one of the best desserts ever by our group!
Mary with Katie Lindsey O'Connor and Jen Sloan Ortwein before the wall of wine at Proof.
Proof has been around for a few years but is still hip and fun -- located smack next to the Verizon Center downtown. Dinner was delicious-- the gnocci with asparagus, ramps and wild mushrooms to start and pan roasted halibut for the main event. The wine list is extensive and we sampled a great deal of it with our group....
DRINK
The Gibson is the hot unmarked spot in the new cool area of town-- 14th & U Streets, which when we were growing up was the mecca of prostitutes and drug dealers. Now it is home to upscale and cool bars, restaurants and shops. The Gibson is the pinnacle of cool in the area. The mustachioed host made a fuss about looking over his reservation book (even though we just wanted to pop in for a before dinner drink) and then ushered inside. We opted to sit on the outdoor patio out back which was busy with an attractive and more hip than normal for DC crowd. We tried different cocktails which were good but we may just stick to the basics next time.... Happy this place that hints at NYC or Silverlake exists in more conservative DC.
More to come on a few favorite DC boutiques and a divine yoga studio we wish was in LA!