The weekend before last (March 12-15) I went down to Arlington to visit Wendy for a girl's weekend. Sadly, I took my camera everywhere, but didn't take really any memorable photos. We did do a lot in our days together. The day that I arrived, Wendy picked me up and then we headed for Moe's for lunch (one of our favorites) and then we went to Trader Joe's. I have been wanting to go there for some time and it didn't disappoint. An intriguing grocery store with lots of organic items and products you won't see in most stores. After a brief stop at her apartment, we went to the Clarendon neighborhood which is a very trendy spot, lots of shopping. We hit the Container Store, Potter Barn, and Williams-Sonoma (should I be getting royalties from these companies for the free advertising????), and then had a coffee at Barnes and Noble. The notable aspect of almost every building in Arlington, D.C., etc...is that they are two stories, even the grocery stores which have elevators for your grocery cart!! I just somehow cannot get over that. We were worn out from the day, so we opted to eat dinner in and relax.
Friday we had decided to go to the Holocaust museum, since that isn't something that I could do with Dave and the kids. We spent 6 hours at this museum and it was the most rewarding and difficult 6 hours you can spend at any Smithsonian or other government building in D.C. There are several floors of exhibits, some you can just wander through and others you must have a timed ticket, which are free, but used to limit the number of people who go through at one time. The special exhibit took us three hours to go through, and that wasn't dawdling around. It was something that I think all visitors should experience. I know that I left as a changed person.
Saturday, we decided to hit the Ikea in Maryland. Wendy loves Ikea (as do many people) and I had never been. Boy, that is another experience. Ikea makes Lowe's and Home Depot look tiny!!! I was under the impression that Ikea was expensive, but the opposite was true. It too, is an all day sucker, as we spent hours wandering through the showrooms. They also have a full service cafeteria with some yummy Swedish dishes. Had we known that, we may have eaten there instead! I bought a few small things, Wendy got her new dressers. A very successful trip there! That night we did go out to eat at a restaurant called Vapiano's (which for some reason I kept calling Flippianos). It is also trendy (I have to say that I am not overusing this word, there are truly gazillions of trendy spots in big cities, and I am just a small town girl, so this impressed me) and has cool lighting, communal seating, just a nice Italian place. I would love to go there again.
Sunday I returned home to my family who I had missed very much, but they seemed no worse for the wear and managed just fine without me. As I walked out of the terminal at the airport, I just clicked my ruby red shoes together and thought 'there's no place like home.'
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