To wrap up my Spring Break posts, I decided to put together a little city guide for anyone interested in the places I went to. All in all, it was a great trip and I can’t wait to return to DC next year! There are so many things to do and places to eat at. This is going to be a little lengthy so click below to check it out 🙂
Food
Brunch: Cava Mezze (Capitol Hill)
Cava Mezze was definitely popping on Sunday morning, and I understand why. The space is nice, and the menu is even better. The restaurant boasts a $30 all-you-can-eat brunch menu with penny mimosas. Pictured above is the Nutella waffle dish, which was great! I also had the hash browns and a mimosa, which didn’t fit in my picture, but they were also on par. It was about a twenty minute wait for a table for two around 11, but I would definitely recommend making reservations.Dessert: Dolcezza, Ice Cream Jubilee, Ted’s Bulletin, Zombie Donuts
Dolcezza
Ice Cream Jubilee
Ted’s Bulletin
Zombie Donuts
One thing I always do while traveling is scope out the coffee and dessert spots. For all of your coffee and gelato needs, check out Dolcezza. There are several locations around the city. I got a dirty chai latte, which was great, and tried a gelato push pop. I love that you can get a push pop to take on the go with you; it also helps if you’re just there to try stuff. For actual ice cream, I recommend Ice Cream Jubilee. I got a scoop of Chocolate Matzo Crack and a scoop of Strawberry White Chocolate. Their flavors are very original and very good!
I stumbled upon Ted’s Bulletin in Capitol Hill. They are infamous for their pop tarts, which I didn’t try because I was saving room for some mini cupcakes later on in the day. I ended up splitting an Oreo milkshake with one my friends – it was probably one of the best milkshakes I’ve ever had. Last but not least, you know I had to check out the donut scene. District Doughnut had already run out of donuts by the time I got there, but Zombie Donuts was pretty good! What I liked about them was that you can put in your order for your donut(s) with whatever frosting and topping you would like, and they put it together for you on the spot.
Not pictured above but recommended: Sprinkles Cupcakes and Olivia Macaron
Everything: Union Market
Union Market is the perfect food spot, whether you’re going for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Everything is local, and there’s a great variety. Some of the highlights include DC Empanadas, DC Mediterranean Corner, DC Dosa, and Peregrine Espresso. I got the lunch special from DC Empanadas and tried three different fillings; ‘The Badass’ (Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese), ‘El Greco’ (Spinach, Feta Cheese and Onions), and ‘El Toro’ (Chipotle Beef, Onions, Garlic, Cilantro, Black Beans, Cheddar Cheese & Corn). I normally don’t eat beef, but I was feeling adventurous that day, and I’m glad I tried it! These are obviously different than traditional empanadas, but I liked the twist. I also had an iced coffee from Peregrine which was good, but in the future I would like to try something hot. There were obviously a bunch of other vendors in the market that I didn’t get to try anything from, but it’s okay – I’ll definitely be stopping by on my next DC trip.
Sightseeing
Museums: Smithsonian Museum of American History, Museum of Natural History
Museum of American History
Museum of Natural History
Let me start off by saying how much I love museums. My dad and I have taken a few trips to the Smithsonian museums in DC when I was younger and we lived a train ride away; so of course I had to go back to my two favorite museums. The best thing about the Smithsonian museums is that they’re donation based – you can visit all of the museums during your trip without feeling guilty if you have the time! The Museum of American History is very interesting, with exhibits on transportation, food, and the military history of the United States. My favorite exhibit is the First Lady exhibit, because visitors get to know them a little bit more than you will ever learn in history class. The Museum of Natural History is right up my alley, since I have a degree in Anthropology. I was nerding out at all of the human origins exhibits and interactive labs! The Gems & Minerals exhibit is also noteworthy; the rooms are beautiful and very informative.
Georgetown
I think I’ve said it before, but Georgetown is one of my new favorite places. Ever. My friends and I walked around Georgetown to take in the waterfront sights, and ended up on the infamous M Street. M Street is one of the best places in DC for shopping. There are stores such as Kate Spade, J.Crew, Anthropologie, All Saints, H&M, and more. If you’ve seen my Instagram feed, you know how much I love the Kate Spade store on M Street. All of the stores on M Street have the same classic brick look, but Kate Spade takes its aesthetic to a whole new level. Inspiration everywhere!
In addition to the shopping, there are nice little food and dessert places such as Sprinkles Cupcakes (pictured in the collage) and Olivia Macaron.
Let Girls Learn-Inspired Mural
Fun fact: I happened to be at Union Market eating lunch on International Women’s Day, where the Let Girls Learn inspired mural by Mr. Brainwash was unveiled. Not only is the artwork beautiful, but I love the purpose behind it. It was also pretty cool seeing the Secret Service in action, as well as the FLOTUS herself (from a distance, of course!) – for the second time. It was a struggle to get pictures of the mural, let alone in front of it, but I’m so glad I was able to! For more information, check out this article.
I spent four days in DC and I feel like it wasn’t enough, but I’m so impressed with everything I did get to see. I did a driving tour of the monuments/memorials/icons at night, but mostly everyone has that on their list of things to do in DC so I wanted to put together some other options. Let me know what you think of my city guide!
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