Bucket List Explosion

This weekend mama and papa Byron came down for their last DC visit and it was a bucket list explosion! In less than 12 hours, we destroyed 4 bucket list items. The total tally for the weekend was 6 crossed off the list. Buckle up, kids, this is a long one.

After a delicious throw-back lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup at Founding Farmers (yes, all of us. We are so cultured) we took the shuttle to the Kennedy Center for a tour. I must say, I was a bit unimpressed. Perhaps I have been spoiled by the amazingness that was the Sydney Opera House tour or the total behind the scenes tour of the Guthrie, but the Kennedy Center, well, it shows its age. It was built in the late 60's and really really reflects the tastes of that era. Even the one theater that had undergone a complete renovation still looked a bit worse for wear. And, while I really can't complain because the tour was free, our tour guide left a little to be desired. She kept forgetting facts and at one point, declared that a bust was of Kennedy. From the side I thought, hmm, that looks like Eisenhower. Lo and behold, I moved in front of the bust, to see a big blazing sign proclaiming it was indeed a bust of Eisenhower. NMac went easy on the woman, thinking that she was in training, only to realize at the end that she was the trainer, not the trainee. The one question that I asked (the building is 10 stories, while the building limit in DC is usually 9) - is if they got permission for height because no building was supposed to be higher than the Capitol Building - she corrected me, saying that nothing should be higher than the Washington Monument. False. Its the Capitol Building.

After our memorable if not informative tour, we were back on the Metro headed to Eastern Market. We walked around the new building and even found some good ol' products from back home! They had several Hatfield products and some Keller's butter. Just goes to show that only good things come from Pennsylvania! (except for Pittsburgh).

Eastern Market - Yummy!

Good Ol' Fashioned PA Sauerkraut!

From there we strolled to dinner at Matchbox. Even though our waitress was a few cards short of a full deck, it was a very enjoyable meal. We then enjoyed the Marine Barracks Evening Parade and it was great! Beautiful music and a very impressive "silent drill team" exercise.


And while we were all worried that all the walking would take its toll on the still-recuperating-from-surgery Papa B, it turned out that Lauren was our little medical-emergency excitement of the day. The combination of heat and dehydration caused what we are calling a "faint/seizure/but not really either" episode that added a plot twist in our friday evening. After scaring the pants off of everyone around her, everything turned out fine and we were back in our seats by the beginning of the parade.

Saturday morning we drove into Clarendon for breakfast, only to be thwarted by road closures thanks to the Air Force Cycling Classic. After a fortuitous parking spot only two blocks from the restaurant (thank you, Echo, and your ability to make hairpin turns!) we ate breakfast while hot, sweaty, thoroughly in-shape cyclists sped past the window. Then it was off to the Smithsonian Air and Space museum annex out near Dulles. That place was incredible! The giant hangar full of aircraft was definitely the most impressive. We weren't able to spend nearly as much time there as we could have. My favorites were seeing the Anola Gay (the plane that dropped the Atom Bomb on Hiroshima) and a Concorde. They even have a space shuttle! And it was HUGE! Check out the picture of Mama B standing next to it.

Little NMac, Big Space Shuttle

Mom's impression of a Stealth Bomber - so good you can barely see her!

We hurried back to Arlington and, after three failed attempts, found a table at a local dive bar where we settled in to watch the US/England soccer game. This mostly consisted of my mom and I yelling at the TV "that CAN'T be legal."

Go USA!

Two beers later, my mom took my keys and drove us back to my house, where we rested/watched a horrible Phillies game and took a nap. The family capped off Saturday with dinner at Ted's Montana grill. Following the soccer theme, mom, Lauren, and I watched "She's the Man" that night. I like Amanda Bynes and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

Sunday we started out with an impromptu drive into DC to visit the Jefferson Memorial. Only one wrong turn/accidental bridge crossing back into Virginia and we were there! We were able to park within a reasonable distance and made our way over. The neatest thing about the Memorial is that from within it, one view looks straight across the Tidal Basin and frames the White House and the Washington Monument. From another view, you can see straight across the Potomac to Arlington House, the home of Robert E. Lee that sits above Arlington Cemetery.


We finished off our delightful weekend at our favorite breakfast spot: Afterthoughts Cafe within Kramer Books in Dupont. It was entirely too much deliciousness on each plate, so we teetered back to the car, full to the brim. And a fun time was had by all.

After the parents headed back to PA (which was unfortunately the ride from hell), I picked up Beth and we met up with Marisa and her sister at Ikea. I'm going to miss Ikea. While one is slated to be opened just south of Denver in 2011, that is a lot of time to live without fun yet inexpensive home wares and furniture. I bought a brand new set of dishes, replacing the ones I've had since junior year and are now chipped, broken, or permanently crusted with food.

Overall it was a fun and action-packed weekend. I'm glad that mom and dad were able to come down one last time to polish off all the things we've always wanted to do but never seemed to get around to actually doing. Now they'll have to create a new list of things they want to see and do in Denver!