Cherry blossom bliss

I had the loveliest long weekend in D.C. reconnecting with friends, enjoying lots of good food and drinks (of course!), and sightseeing outside the usual museums and monuments. I'll do separate posts on food and bookstores, so here I will summarize everything else! I picked March not only because it had been simply too long since I saw Hannah (since we moved to our respective cities!), but also because it was her birthday month! We like to celebrate as much as possible :)

On Saturday, Hannah and I-along with every tourist and most residents-went to the Tidal Basin to view the blossoms. I somehow lucked out with my random trip timing to coincide with the perfect weekend for cherry blossom viewing and the start of the festival. We took about a million photos trying to get that postcard view, and I think we succeeded!

We also made a point to actually take a cute photo together as we almost never do-and that turned out to be the only one all weekend. Whoops!

Saturday evening we had a reunion of sorts with another friend from our childhood who has moved to D.C. and his family! We were all going to the Red Baraat concert and went to Saad's fancy apartment courtyard for a cookout beforehand.

Red Baraat were amazing and so much fun to dance to! Unfortunately my allergies caught up with me and I had to leave a little early, but it was well worth it.

Post-Sunday brunch we took a walk through the city, including the City Center designed by a group from NYC-hated by many D.C. residents, but I'll own up to really enjoying it. Maybe it's my NYC roots showing through, but the design and stores really appealed to me-and the pink lanterns for cherry blossom season were perfection!

That evening we all went to see the new Beauty and the Beast and LOVED it. Part nostalgia factor I'm sure, but it really was beautifully done. We managed to restrain ourselves in the theater, but Matt and I definitely irritated the other Metro riders by singing the whole way home.

On Monday, I pretty much just walked around the city apart from lunch with Jen, but honestly that's one of my favorite things to do-especially when it's warm and sunny enough to get a sunburn! I'm not usually into risking skin cancer, but after (during?) this winter I couldn't be upset. I may have also made a pit stop for sorbet...before sitting outside and reading with a beer. Pretty much killing that whole relaxation thing!

Returning to the real world wasn't easy, but it's helped by thinking about my next vacation...I'm pretty sure I should always have one booked! I'm already looking forward to my next trip to D.C. and Hannah and Matt coming to Boston!

xoxoxo
Emma