Bucket List: Georgetown Cupcake

On one of our DC trips in 2013 Josh and I decided to cross something off of my bucket list.  We headed to Georgetown to try Georgetown Cupcake!  The co-founders are the stars of the show DC Cupcakes!  I absolutely love cupcakes and I had heard nothing but good things about this place.

The little bakery is located on M. Street in Georgetown, Washington DC.  The place was crowded but it only took us 5 minutes to get in, order and get our cupcakes!  I was definitely impressed, I was expecting to wait way longer!

 They all looked so good, I really had a hard time choosing and almost got a half dozen just because I didn't know what to pick, neither did Josh.  They had a ridiculous amount of flavors to pick from!  I ended up picking Chocolate Banana and Josh picked Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl.  They were both delicious!  I really loooved the frosting on my Chocolate Banana it was very fluffy and not like normal cupcake frosting.  It was definitely worth walking a bit to get there.  (Closest Metro is Foggy Bottom/GWU).

A Eurotrip Reunion in DC

I can not believe that my People to People trip to Europe was 8 years ago!!  I also can't believe how lucky I am to have stayed in touch with 2/3 girls that I was really close with on that trip.  Britt and I live in the same county so we get together a few times a year and have done day trips together and what not.  But Meagan is from FL and is currently living in TX for grad school.

As luck would have it, she got an internship in DC this summer!  Unfortunately, we couldn't get our schedules together and were only able to go down once to see her.

Technically, actually it was twice.  I texted Brittany a while ago and said I was going to a concert in DC and that she should come down that day and we could all meet up.   Luck again, she said she was going to the same concert!!!   Meagan was able to hang out, out front of the gates with us at Nationals Stadium until the concert started.  (The concert was FL/GA Line and Jason Aldean, btw)

While we were standing there, we determined that Britt and I both had off work the next Tuesday.  We decided to do a quick trip down to DC for dinner and drinks that day once Meagan got off work.  We ended up getting to Dupont Circle around 330 and she got off at 4 - perfect timing!

We decided to eat outside at the Mad Hatter Bar and Grill where I got the best  burger ever!  And an orange crush.  We sat there for probably 2 hours talking and catching up and trying to get over the fact that we hadn't all been together in 8 freakin years!!

After dinner we weren't ready to say goodbye so we headed towards the White House and then The Mall.  We ended up sitting on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for probably another hour doing more talking.

 The FL group was delayed getting to Rome so they missed the roman sites such as the Trevi Fountain, so Meagan made up for it! (Ok, so it's totally not the same, but still).

 

We had such a great time, it was just like we picked up right where we left off.  Saying goodbye to Meagan at the Metro Station sucked just as bad as it did saying goodbye at Dulles 8 years ago.  We definitely wont be waiting that long to get together again, hell, we may not even wait til Christmas!

Around DC: The Lincoln Memorial

Perhaps the most well known memorial in DC, the Lincoln memorial is definitely worth a visit.  This memorial is featured on the back of the Penny (until 2008) and is where Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech in 1963. 

The Lincoln Memorial was built in honor of our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln.  The memorial was designed by architect Henry Bacon.  Construction began on Lincolns birthday in 1915 and was dedicated in 1922.

The memorial is classic Greek, in style and measures 189.7ft by 118.5ft and is a 99ft tall.  The 36 columns represent the 36 states that were in the Union at the time of Lincolns assassination.   The columns are 44ft tall and 7.5ft around.  

The statue of Lincoln which sits inside of the memorial is 19 feet tall and is made of Georgia Marble.  Behind the statue, is an inscription which reads:

"IN THIS TEMPLE
AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE
FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION
THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN
IS ENSHRINED FOREVER."

Location:  Potomac Park, Washington DC
Price of Admission: Free

Around DC: Korean War Veterans Memorial

The Korean War Veterans Memorial is definitely the most haunting memorial in DC.  

The Korean War Veterans Memorial was created in memory of those who served in the Korean War.  Construction of the Memorial began on June 14, 1992 and was dedicated on July 27, 1995.

The monument consist of 19 stainless steel statue that stand 7 feet tall.  They consist of all members of the US Armed Forces (except the Coast Guard): 14 Army, 3 Marine, 1 Navy and 1 Air Force.  The granite strips between the soldiers represent the rice paddies in Korea.

The monument also includes a Mural Wall, United Nations Curb, Pool of Remembrance and Honor Roll. 

The Mural Wall consist of 41 panels and is 164 feet in length.  This mural consists of over 2,400 pictures from the Korean War.  The mural has photos from every branch of the Military as well as the equipment they used.

The United Nations Curb is a curb located north of the statues which displays the names of each country involved in the Korean war.

The Pool of Remembrance is a pool at the tip of the triangle which the statues stand in.  It is 128 feet in diameter and on it is etched: Freedom is not Free as well as the statistics from the war.  It is situated on a peninsula like area to represent the peninsula of Korea.

The Honor Roll is a computer which contains the names of all verifiable personnel who were KIA, MIA or POW's.

Location: Potomac Park - SE of the Lincoln Memorial off Independence Avenue.
Price of Admission: Free
For More Information: Here

*Photos are from July and November of 2009
*It's sad how few pictures I have of this!  I have to change that!

Around DC: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is one of my favorite memorials in DC.  The names of every victim of the war is etched into this 493 foot long wall.

In my opinion, The Vietnam Memorial is the most humbling of all of the memorials in DC.  They have papers that you can take and etch the named of family and friends onto that paper from the wall.  Every time I see someone doing this, my heart goes out the them.  It's a sharp reminder of the repercussions of war even decades after it is over.    I am so thankful to the men and women who make the choice to be this countries first line of defense and I am glad that they have been memorialized. 

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was constructed specifically to honor the people who served.  Construction of the wall was started in March 1982 and finished in November of 1984.  

Currently, there are approximately 58,272 names etched into the wall.   The names are ordered chronologically by date and time of death (approximately).   

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is located northeast of the Lincoln Memorial.  It is not technically on the National Mall.  Also, right by the Memorial is another Vietnam memorial called The Three Soldiers.

This memorial was actually placed here in 1984 because people so strongly objected to the concept of the wall.   One man is white, one is black, and one is Hispanic.  The concept of the memorial was chosen in a contest and this was actually the concept which came in third place. 

If you are ever in DC, The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is definitely worth a visit and is located just adjacent to the mall so it is within walking distance of pretty much everything. 

Location: Constitutional Gardens, Washington, D.C.

Price of Admission: Free 

Wanderlust Wednesday: Culinary

I have a confession ... I am the pickiest eater on the planet.  No, seriously.  Think of that person that you always want to hit when you go out to eat because they get the same thing every time ... that's me.  I have been getting better at trying new things but this is where I seriously fail as a traveler.   A bunch of the foods I tell you about will be Josh's.

Also, sorry for the lack of pictures and the poor quality, I usually eat my food before I remember to take a picture.

I love spaghetti!  But, the sauce has to be my Mom's and if you put cheese on it I will cut you (partially because I don't want it and partially because I am seriously Lactose Intolerant).   So, I was very pleased when I got this plate of spaghetti in Rome and fell in love!   I could have eaten that throughout the whole trip!

Just looking at this picture makes me want to vomit.  I know I am a MD girl and I am supposed to love all seafood, but I can not stomach mussels, oysters, or clams.  Sorry, I just don't do slimy.  My homestay Mom in France took us to a nice dinner on our last night and this was what was put in front of me.  I had to eat it - I couldn't be rude, but I also couldn't chew it.  Seriously, I was swallowing them whole.   Yeah ... never again.

This was one of the meals that was offered on the cruise: alligator fritters.  Josh decided to go ahead and get it.  I like alligator meat but I wasn't sure about the fritter part.  I am glad I didn't order it though, it was a bit too spicy for my tastes.  Josh really liked it though.

Josh got this dish in the Bahamas at Senor Frogs. I believe this is Chimichanga.   Josh actually asked me to take a picture of this dish because he thought it looked really good.  Then, he took a bite out of it and was really glad I got that picture because he was in love!  I still hear about this dish from time to time.  I could never eat this.

Josh got this is Bluffton, SC when we visited my friend, Heather.  I really don't remember what it was exactly but he loved it.

Now this is my kind of meal!  Good ol' Southern food! We got this amazing buffet meal at Michie Tavern in Charlottesville, VA.   It was nothing short of amazing and I would have stayed there all day if they'd let me!

And this is my kind of dessert!!  Peach cobbler! YUM!  This is also from Michie Tavern in VA.  Josh and I were each going to get our own but our server recommended just getting one first and he was right!!  It was huge and we couldn't even finish it together.

Remember Georgetown Cupcakes?  Yes, I am still salivating over these cupcakes!  Cupcakes are absolutely my favorite dessert!  We are even having them at our wedding instead of having cake :)

This meal was from one of those times I decided to try something new. We tried a new restaurant, Tidewater Grille, and I decided to try the Dijon Chicken with Crab Meat.  I had never tried Dijon anything but I'm glad I did!  This was one of the best meals I have ever had.

 This was Josh's meal from the Tidewater Grille.  I had a taste of the crabcakes and they were amazing!  I am extremely picky about my crabcakes (made the mistake of getting them in AZ, eww) and these were definitely some of the best I have ever had.

I got this Cream of Crab Soup at Brooms Bloom.  I loved it!  Really good cream of crab soup is hard to find and this one is definitely one of the really good ones!  I highly recommend stopping in and trying some if you ever find yourself in Maryland!

This was one of our meals in Costa Rica.  Everything on that trip was amazing!!  All of the food was fresh and tasted so good!  I wish I had gotten some photos of the fruits, they were sooooo good!!

Trying new and different foods is something that I am getting better at but I am still really picky.  Some foods that I have tried while traveling and ended up liking but didn't get photos of include: Tapas (all different kinds of dishes), Seafood Paella, Calamari, Frog Legs, Buffalo and Alligator.