It was a looonnnnggg weekend, in the best way possible. In the span of three days I managed to attend two parties, two bar-b-q’s, and a picnic. Plus entire day at the pool and fireworks of course!
Friday night 6x6, LOTR-Emily and I met after work and stayed out far later than our low-key Friday night anticipated - 6x6's friends' birthday turned into a late (but fun) night around Dupont.
Saturday afternoon LOTR-Emily and I went to a friends' patio grill-out. She has the most amazing landlords ever – they’re super into gardening, so her patio is like a little rain forest in the backyard. It was perfect for grilling and sitting in the sun all afternoon. I learned that hominy is delicious, and that "Container Gardening" is a thing.
After the bar-b-q I went to party #2 with SpeedyKate. Her friends hosted a two-house Independence Day Party. You know you’re at a DC party when you a) speak Swahili with someone, b) discuss foreign affairs, and c) see one of your interns.
Post-pool we walked to our favorite fro-yo place in Farragut Square, a region usually reserved for professionals and pencil skirts, but on this holiday weekend empty except for a few incongruous overheated tourists and us – three girls traipsing through the deserted city in our beach wraps and scraggly chlorine-soaked hair, looking like summer camp counselors but somehow simultaneously exuding an air of belonging in downtown DC.
It felt like we had the city to ourselves. Most DC residents leave for the long weekend, so even though the Mall and museums are packed with tourists, all the locals spots are abnormally empty.
At 7pm I made my way back to Northwest to picnic in Meridian Hill Park and watch the fireworks. As the name suggests, the park is on top of a hill with a view of the Monument, so it should have been a great place to watch. Unfortunately there were too many trees in the way! I positioned myself to see about ¾ of the fireworks shooting from the Mall, and of course plenty of local fireworks exploding around us (illegally?) – satisfying my yearly yearning for pyrotechnics.
Friday night 6x6, LOTR-Emily and I met after work and stayed out far later than our low-key Friday night anticipated - 6x6's friends' birthday turned into a late (but fun) night around Dupont.
After the bar-b-q I went to party #2 with SpeedyKate. Her friends hosted a two-house Independence Day Party. You know you’re at a DC party when you a) speak Swahili with someone, b) discuss foreign affairs, and c) see one of your interns.Sunday I spent a semi-lazy afternoon at the pool. I say “semi” because it started with a 75-minute kinda-intense outdoor pool run with SpeedyKate (so that part was very active). But then we lounged in the sun for 4 hours – me attempting to study GREs, and everyone else (my friends met us there) reading their books.
Post-pool we walked to our favorite fro-yo place in Farragut Square, a region usually reserved for professionals and pencil skirts, but on this holiday weekend empty except for a few incongruous overheated tourists and us – three girls traipsing through the deserted city in our beach wraps and scraggly chlorine-soaked hair, looking like summer camp counselors but somehow simultaneously exuding an air of belonging in downtown DC.It felt like we had the city to ourselves. Most DC residents leave for the long weekend, so even though the Mall and museums are packed with tourists, all the locals spots are abnormally empty.
Monday (Happy 4th of July!) SpeedyKate again met at the pool for a workout, then headed to her neighborhood for an afternoon bar-b-q. It was all things ‘Merca – grilling and chilling and pie and Air Force One on tv – pretty perfect. And I cannot stop thinking about the amazing sandwich I had…maybe it was because I was post-pool hungry, but either way it was great: pulled pork on a hamburger bun with SpeedyKate’s no-mayonnaise slaw (Mark Bittman’s recipe, it has vinegar and whole grain mustard), and ketchup. Soooo good! I'm not crazy enough to take pictures of my food in public places...so imagine this:
Plus this:
Yup, pretty amazing.
And that, my friends, is that. Hope your 4th was awesome too!
(Firework pictures compliments of PhotoMan last year.)
(Firework pictures compliments of PhotoMan last year.)
