Going Local

This weekend was my last weekend in D.C. With summer internships coming to an end, the girls and I wanted to relax and celebrate our last few days as true D.C. citizens. We’ve spent the majority of our time here exploring every tourist destination we could and wandering around the city from Embassy Row to Adam’s Morgan and Chinatown. This weekend we wanted to continue our exploration of D.C. in a different way.

On Saturday, we wandered around DuPont Circle and had brunch at a small bookstore restaurant that is popular among DuPont residents. It was wonderful. I think the biggest thing tourists forget is that there is a reason locals frequent certain restaurants and shops and that those places show you the real flavor of a city.

Saturday night, we threw Lindsay a surprise birthday party. David printed photos of us that he had taken from around D.C. and put them on the table around the cake. We went out dancing, and when we came back to the dorm, we moved the mattresses from Kate, Lindsay and Ashley’s rooms into one room, and all the girls had a “sleep over.”

Sunday afternoon, we went to Eastern Market and spent the day wandering from vendor to vendor looking at various crafts and food. It was hot that day and the smell of peaches filled the air. We ate a late lunch at a Belgian café—another one of those places that came highly recommended by people from the area.

Eastern Market is frequented by some tourists but is more often filled with people from surrounding neighborhoods. The area is iconic, like something out of a movie—locals purchase produce, meet neighbors and inquire after children. Friends meet for lunch or laze around outside sipping coffee and reading the paper.

As the market was coming to a close and we were making our way back to the metro, I couldn’t help but wish we had more time in the city. Everything went by so quickly. We’ve had a great mix, enjoying both the history of D.C. and the local flavor, but I can’t help thinking there is still so much left for me to see and do.