This Puts the GEE in Georgetown

So.  I awoke in Alexandria/Crystal City, VA on my last morning in the DC metro area.  After packing, piddling and pondering, I decided to snag an Uber and jet over to Georgetown.

I had bought no souvenirs on this trip.  If anything, I thought, I would have liked to purchase a meaningful book; something I loved.  I could write inside the cover where I had acquired this book.  It would be spectacular, and it would MEAN something to me.  Not just a t-shirt or mug... you know what I mean.

My FAVORITE, FAVORITE author on the planet is Nevada Barr.  I am enraptured by her Anna Pigeon novels.  Anna is a law enforcement ranger with the National Park Service and the series of novels moves her from park to park.  Hence my newfound passion for visiting and experiencing National Parks.

None of the bookstores I had visited offered any Nevada Barr anything; neither Anna Pigeon nor any of her other works.  I guess maybe her books aren't new enough to be in NEW bookstores... but, neither are they undesirable enough to be shelved in USED book stores.  (Believe me, I went to several of each during my week in DC.)

But Georgetown, I thought... Georgetown might just offer my sought-after treasure.

Here are some photos I took on my Georgetown jaunt:

  A Dr. Martens STORE!  No outlet mall needed; this was an actual store full of Doc M footwear.  How sweet it that.

  Don't remember why I took this picture.  The sight must have struck me as cool at the moment.  Ehh.  LOL

  Haagen-Daas AND Starbucks.  It's like... very unhealthy next door to a little less unhealthy.  Haha  Seriously, you see so many Starbuckses in DC you might start to think you're hallucinating... but, no, they are all real.  THEY... ARE... ALLLLLLL... REALLLLLLLLLLLL... HAHAHAHAHA

*ahem*

Moving on.

  Puppydog pic!!  I can barely resist photographing pets in public.  What a sweetie.  

  Now THIS!!!  This is a little piece of heaven designed just for people like me.  You pay a small fee, and get to go inside and have a "Kitten Experience" !!  For me, this would entail laying spread-eagle on the floor and letting kittens run across me back and forth... and a lot of huggling (hug/snuggling) and of course teeny kisses on top of teeny, furry heads.  The goal is for people to come in, fall in love with a kitten or several, and take them home to love forever and ever.

They were not open for the day when I came by, but a chick who worked there did come out to see me and explained how the facility operated.  They don't take in rescues off the streets, but they do take as many kittens as possible from shelters to make room for other, older cats.  If I'm ever back there, I have a kitten date in mind.  LOL

  CLICK HERE FOR AWESOME KITTEN VIDEO :)

  Okay.  So THIS was my first of two main goals for visiting Georgetown.  An Amazon-freaking-STORE.  WHAT??  It's like... heaven come to earth.  Seriously.

  ...WITH a downstairs coffee shop.  Like any self-respecting modern bookstore.  I mean, come on.  haha

(A view of yon coffee shop)

BUT... they had nary a Nevada Barr creation.  Sure, you can order her stuff from Amazon online, but I wanted to buy a NEVADA BARR book, IN WASHINGTON, IN PERSON.  Crapmonkeys.  Ehh.  Moving on.

I had one other straw at which to grasp... I had Googled the location of a used bookstore in Georgetown which appeared promising.  So I got out my Google maps, entered the address, and power-walked my way through the streets of Gtown.

Seriously, I put any power-walking, elbow-swinging soccer mom to shame that day.  I was sweating and everything. hahaha

  Finally I got there...

 ...and they were CLOSED!!!!  On my face, I must have looked a little disappointed.  Inside, I was throwing a temper-tantrum to rival the terriblest two year old.

 (Exactly.  That was my inner-child.  No words necessary; the picture says it all.) LOL

Resigned... I turned around and walked, searching for a definable place with an address to which I could summon Lord Uber... to take me back to my doggoned rattletrap stinkin stupid no good idiotic unfair donkeypoo hotel.  (I was so disappointed.  If you didn't pick up on that.)

  (Grey skies are gonna clear up... put on a happy face...)   (NO!!! YOU put on a happy stupid face!!)  ha ha ha ha ha.......

Anywho, the adult portion of me did stop and catch a few more cool photos.

  This was a park near the dark and cloistered bookstore.  I would have loved to explore this place, but I had to get back and get ready to head to the airport.  So... next time I'm in Georgetown... my new seven kittens and I will play in this park!





They even have LGBT (XYZ...) REAL ESTATE.  Sweet.

So.  Got back to the Holiday Inn on the other side of the river, lugged my stuff to the elevator and out the front door.  This was the very nice guy who drove the hotel's airport shuttle for a nice couple and myself:


So.  No Anna Pigeon keepsakes, but I did have a fantastic adventure over the course of my week in DC.  And I made it home in one piece.

  TA-DAH!!

Happy Friday, everybody!

From Silver Spring to Crystal City

Had enough DC pics yet?  No???  Well good news; I still have lots more!  haha

These are from one place I ate called BURGERFI.  I had the best veggie burger on the face of the earth.  Plus the decor rocked.







Here we have Nicole, once again enjoying public transit.  Yeah, not the most flattering pic but, you have to understand... as the week wore on, I wore DOWN.  Really.

 

Then finally, the training part of the week ended.  I felt like a kid at the beginning of summer break!  I stayed one extra night on my own dime, just to relax and enjoy more of my trip.  After class ended on Friday, I commuted my little butt back over to Alexandria in an area called Crystal City.  LOVED it there.

On the way from the Metro station to my hotel, I passed some sweet art... and someone's house... I wonder how long they let this person alone before making them relocate their tent?  If you have to stay in a tent, this would be a pretty decent location, in my opinion.



 

Then I got to my room.  




More of Crystal City:
    Such pretty parks, and such nice weather!




  Hats off to the person who said, "You know what?  I'm going to design a park with skinny blue boards poking out of the ground at random angles and people are going to LIKE IT!!"  Not sure I would have been brave enough to pull that one off... but it works!  Looking at this makes me smile every time.



 Of COURSE Nicole found a Starbucks.  Actually I found 2, but one of them closed crazy early.  Baahhh.  No worries; I went to the OTHER one.  So there.  LOL

Also got to see (from a distance so as not to seem TOO weird) a couple of sand volleyball games.  Nice!






Seriously, I was there less than 24 hours but I walked all OVER that area.  Just taking it all in!  I even found an underground mall - how sweet is that.  You could basically make your way from point to point throughout Crystal City in their underground tunnel system.  Very clean and nice.  I just didn't go far from my initial "You Are Here" sign.  I didn't feel like getting lost.  By myself.  Under-freakin-ground.  Naaah.  But at least I got to experience it!

More Crystal City:

  This is the Holiday Inn where I stayed for my last night of the trip.

  And the view from my room.  Nothing extravagant, but it was my very own space for a whole almost-day and a half.  Call me happy.

  I thought this was going to be a restaurant; turned out to be kind of like a convenience store with a counter and barstools, and a few tables.  Very greasy-spoon-ish.  But I had set out intentionally to find CLARK STREET GRILL.  I was a little nervous as this was my first time venturing out in this new area.  So, when I found it, I sure enough did eat my late lunch there!  hahaha





The next day, my flight was set to leave in the early afternoon.  So I went back to Starbucks...



(Which had a FIREPLACE!!!  Sweet!)


And, from there, I made a quick Uber-adventure back across the river to explore Georgetown.

But, for that, you will have to wait for my next post.

Take care, friends!
Nicole

Dupont Circle

OK.  More pictures.  Here we go!


  This is a fountain behind the mall in Silver Spring, MD near where our training was held.  It was a really cool area; kind of blocked off from cars like some parts of the French Quarter.  Just much... cleaner.  HA

These next few pictures are from a Greek restaurant I went to one evening in Dupont Circle.  I believe it was called Zorba's somethingorother.  Great food and very cute little place!

  I sat by this window in their little upstairs area.

  Some of Zorba's Greek decor... looking down from the dining loft.

  My Zorba Greek FOOD!!  It was sooooo good.

  This is what the food was called.  Could not pronounce; I had a humbling "point and order" experience with the guy at the register.  Like, "I would like... THAT."  haha  

  The view from my dining loft.  Private dining loft, actually, because I was up there by myself and it was GREAT.  :)

  People dining in the little courtyard out front.  I don't like to eat outdoors because someone might smoke and I don't like smoke.  Plehh.



  After Zorba's, I wandered down the street a little ways and got some... wait for it... CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER GELATTO!  Heaven.

After filling up, I Google-Map-Walked my way over to Kramerbooks.  This was a place I had found online when planning my trip's free time and I was excited to check it out!





  Just inside the doorway

  Books books books books books!!

  And a CAFE/BAR in the back!!  I did not imbibe but... how totally freakin' cool is that!!

  The chick at the register... notice my favorite-colored flag in the window there.  *grin*  I've heard Dupont Circle is a rather rainbow-ey area.  Sweet.

  Had to snap a shot of this.  I painted my version of it and posted it on my Instagram.  I am myblueart75 on there if you want to see.

And that about sums up my evening in Dupont Circle!

More yet to come!

Keep calm and stay Cajun!  LOL