Washington DC (#2)

FRIDAY SEPT 8--I had gone to bed late the last two nights previously. On Wednesday night, I went to bed almost 3 am trying to finish typing notes to my boss of a conference call. Thursday night, I was caught up again chatting with my Gah Jeh. But Friday, I was meeting back up with MK to go to the East Wing White House Tour. There are TONS of restrictions ---ie only things you can bring are yourself, wallet and cell phone. So since MK and I were going to traipse all around DC. We didn't think it would be a good option to not bring our stuff.

So I made us meet up at Federal Triangle Metro stop at 8AM and latest wait there by 8:15AM and we had to report to the South East Gate by 8:45AM at the latest. My HS friend's lovely fiancee worked at the White House and got us the chance to get on a tour. Nowadays since 911, there are only two options to go on a tour. Write to your government official or go on a tour group. No more chances to sign up and wait on a tour the DAY OF of the desired visit. (My mom told me when we were young they wanted to do the tour but it was too long of a wait. Also I ended up seeing the Panda's "butts" at that time too).

I got there on time at 7:45 actually and got to do some Sudoku. (I admit, I am hooked and I am getting the hang of them. My sister is better but I fare better with Sudoku than with crossword puzzles).

" Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 3x3 boxcontains the digits 1 through 9. "

I waited and waited and MK never showed. Then he calls me but I am being charged astronomical rates for "roaming". So I don't pick up the phone underground. When it is 8:10am I call MK, turns out he was there but didn't thoroughly look at the platform to find me.

Needless to say, we make it to the gate on time (rushing around and very sweaty in our haste). We gave our bags to be held at the nearby tony hotel called the Willard (the site of our future afternoon tea excursion over the weekend). We thought there would be a tour guide, no there was no one. We went through some security checks and id checks but we were fine. We were told to allot an hour and a half (we zoomed through in under half and hour). Some of the people watching over the room's gave us some great information. My fave was the red room. Seeing alot of the US President's portraits was cool and hearing the stories about the paintings, prepping for official state functions etc were great. But alas I cannot remember them all pleasurable as they may seem. Once done, we had breakfast brunch. My friend MK was starving and had not had eaten at all. I had at 6am Kalbi so I was ok but since it was almost 10am I was game. I recalled my college buddy saying there was a nice view of the area if we went to Hotel Washington.

The prices were reasonable $14 breakfast brunch---make your own omelette, bagels, fruit, scones, muffins, cereal, yogurt, waffles, pancakes, sausage, bacon, ham and regular scrambled eggs. Compared to the Willard with no view it would have cost $25 a person and buffet style either.

I had to go check out the White House Visitors Center nearby after brunch. I got some post cards and watched the 13 minute view regarding some basic information on the White House.
Then we got our bags and had to rush to the other side of the White House to meet up with an old college buddy of mine. She and I share the same name. I always joke it is as if I am talking in "stereo" plus our last names have the same number of letters. She just graduated from graduate school in Upper NY and is originally from sunny LA area. SInce we were stuffed from brunch, we just hung out with her as she only had a one hour lunch break. MK and I shared smoothie at Pot Belly. I heard it is a chain of fast food sandwiche restaurants that has not reached Boston yet. My friend LOVES Pot Belly and I did grab a bite of her delicious Italian Sub and the prices were reasonable for the food. There is a small performing area /stage that a guy jammed on his guitar from. Personally I am afraid of heights and with barely any space, I did not know how he did it.

www.potbelly.com

But alas the time flew by, the last time I saw her I was in LA visiting attending another college buddy's wedding while there.

Since the Renwick is across the street from my friend's work place we checked it out. One of the coolest things was a sculpture of a fabric over an instrument. It is deceptive as you walk up to it you think it is nothing out of the ordinary. But on the contrary it is pretty amazing stuff! Plus on the second floor, there is a room full of Native Americans (Indians) portraits and very beautiful natural scenery paintings.

"George Catlin's Indian Gallery" is hung in the Grand Salon on the second floor of the Renwick Gallery in a way that recalls the Indian Gallery as Catlin displayed it during his tours in Europe. This installation features several hundred portraits, landscapes and scenes of American Indian life. Catlin, a lawyer turned painter, visited 50 tribes living west of the Mississippi River from present day North Dakota to Oklahoma from 1830 to 1836 to record the "manners and customs" of Native Americans. These paintings—drawn from the nearly complete surviving set of Catlin's first Indian Gallery painted in the 1830s—are considered an authentic record of early Plains Indian culture and one of the most important collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum.(http://americanart.si.edu/collections/exhibitions.cfml#current)

Next, MK and I decide to hit the National Galleries (one of my faves and the last time I was there, I noticed there was extensive reconstruction/renovations) as there is always great Impressionist art there. There seemed to be some great Venetian art and at the more modern side a Henri Rousseau -Jungles in Paris exhibit about his fascination with the Jungle (though he never left France). All the paintings from this self taught artist were from studying plants and reading avidly about cultures and exotic people outside of his homeland of France.

The late-blooming career of Henri Rousseau (1844–1910), a self-taught French artist and savvy connoisseur of popular culture in the late 19th century, will be showcased in the first major American retrospective of the artist's work in 20 years. Henri Rousseau: Jungles in Paris celebrates the broad range of his work: landscapes of Paris and environs, allegories, portraits, as well as the largest grouping ever assembled of his iconic jungle paintings. Rousseau's fantasy landscapes depicting a seductive and terrifying faraway world, along with paintings of his homeland France, reflect the fears and desires of a modern era. This painter of exotic locales never left France; his jungles are the fantasies of a city dweller, constructed from visits to the botanical gardens and the zoo, as well as book, magazine, and postcard reproductions of dangerous beasts from distant lands. An extensive display of more than 100 documents, popular ephemera, and other source material will shed light on Rousseau's artistic ambitions, working method, and the world he inhabited.
(http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/rousseauinfo.shtm)

I took my time seeing some of the permanent collection. Wow the plethory of John Singer Sargeant, Mary Cassatt, Whistler, Monets, Van Gogh were amazing.
Now since we did not have lunch and it was fast approaching 5pm we wanted something to eat. We knew dinner would be later so we decided on afternoon tea. Since I did my research, I thought we could check out Teaism -Penn Quarter -400 8th Street NW -Washington, DC 20004 -(202) 638-6010 nearby and have afternoon tea there by the National Archives Metro stop. (Perfect!) Plus the only location to sell it. 888 8TEAISM

Traditional Menu 20.00 (Tea sandwiches, ginger scone, cookies, lime curd tartlets, chocolate truffles & a pot of tea)

Asian Menu 20.00 (Rice balls with pickle & sesame, tea cured salmon and nori, tofu with ginger, green tea ice cream, mochi, chocolate truffle & a pot of tea )

So for $22 a person (with tax) we got one of each the Asian and the regular afternoon tea. As per our other eating experiences we shared. I have to say after having a great "East West Tea" in NYC this one was not up to snuff. After having afternoon tea once here is enough, though the lower level was very peaceful and quiet with a koi fish pool. Very tranquil and peaceful is what I thought anyways in terms of the atmosphere. Ahhhhh.

Then it was off to the newly reopened Portrait Museum (only two blocks away) which closes at 7pm and reopened July 1, 2006. It was 6pm and I had MK go in and walk around without me. I did the good ole trusty sudoku and wrote a few postcards while waiting for my HS friend JH. (I had the pleasure of meeting up with her two weeks ago in Boston when she was in town). Granted as this time, we only had one hour together. We meandered the museum and thought it nice. We did hit the hall of president portraits. The one for President Clinto did NOT look like him at all.

From there, we walked over to METRO CENTER metro stop. En route, I got some souvenirs and more post cards. From there we did not have to switch lines to get to Van Doren metro stop. Gah Jeh was slated to get us at 8:15pm. Unlike Boston, DC has a metro system that has a schedule on-line and in the station that can tell you how long and when the next trains are coming (similar to many a big city I have gone to--ie Tokyo, London) but sadly remiss in Boston.
We were scheduled to have dinner with my friends who got hitched back in July. It was great to see them back from their honeymoon in Turkey and Italy. I was told some interesting tales about traveling. I was told it is not the utmost wisest thing to travel as a woman alone in Turkey. My friend's wife was harrassed even with her husband beside her. A few times she was propositioned and heavily stared at . Turkey is truly one country I do want to visit in the future though.

We end up eating at Hee Been (6231 Little River Turnpike, Alexandria, Va.(703) 941-3737) which according to my friend JH, it used to be a hole in a wall a long time ago now transformed to 10,000 square feet of sleekness and chicness. Now it is this sleek renovated Korean BBQ place. Can I say yummy? It costs $27 to have all you can eat Korean BBQ (they even cut and serve the kalbi for you), sushi---maki rolls, negiri, to pumpking rice congee, fresh fruit, raw oysters, chapchae (clear noodles stir fried with meat and veggies), tofo chigae (soup) and other great stuff. But I was told , if you don't finish your plate, they charge by the pound. So we were fastidiuos enough to be careful NOT to waste food! I got my gah jeh addicted to pork belly (I only had it at LA Korea town and it was YUMMY). The proportion to lean meat and fat was excellent!

MK has been eating well and has not complained once about not being fed well. We always seem to have EXCELLENT eating out adventures.

SAT SEPT 9--My high school friend's wedding which I have talked about already.
Afterwards, we did go window shopping with my gah jeh at the local Tyson's Center Mall (1961 Chain Bridge Road/McLean, Virginia 22102). My gah jeh has to buy some furniture. Since her brother moved out, she feels she should look around at what is available.

Because I was coming from the wedding, my friend MK and I were dressed up. Well I was wearing a dress and heels. Every store we went into (furniture) I got service and the clerk came up to me to ask if I needed help. The actual buyer gah jeh, was in jeans and tshirt and not acknowledged. Per her, MK and I fit the profile of a couple wanting to buy furniture. If you overheard us, I was giving opinions and advice to gah jeh on furniture. If you dress up, they will come over and ask if you need help. (Those who know me are aware of my usual "non dressing up" especially to go shopping). Because the mall was so BIG and HUGE I needed to take constant breaks from the heels I was wearing. I don't usually wear them and if I do I don't like to wear them for long. Give me sneakers or some comfortable sandals and I am happy camper.

Later on, we head to Old Town Alexandria to have sushi at Flying Fish-(815 King St., Alexandria, 703-600-3474.) (Yummy by the way and I love the escolar (the name they give the fatty white albacore tuna which is excellent and melted in my mouth).