Ringing in Spring

Welcome to spring in our nation's capital (even if the weather hasn't made up its mind yet) - first stop, Cherry Blossom Festival!

Lots of love from one happy springtime DC resident!

Lauren

Hiking, Cook-Out and Friends, Oh My!

The past two weeks have been awesome times with some great college friends. So awesome, in fact, that I have had zero time to blog about it (my bad). But never fear, I will always catch you up... so heeere we go!

The weekend of St. Patty's Day, Kaitlin came to visit DC!

[this is not from our DC weekend. but still a cute picture.]

Kaitlin was one of my college roommies and with her in DC, 3/4 of our college apartment was reunited! Yahoo! On St. Patty's Day the three of us (Kaitlin, Wendy and I) headed to a local Irish Pub to take in the St. Patty's craziness. We made Kaitlin blow out some early birthday candles on her cake that night and started the big 2-3 celebration a few days early!

Friday I met up with Kaitlin on the mall after class and went to the Air & Space Museum with her. Such a cool place!! We found Wendy after work in Chinatown for a fun sangria happy hour, then headed back home to cook a yummy dinner [and, of course, eat more birthday cake].

Saturday we headed out bright and early to the Billy Goat Trail. This was an awesome trail in Great Falls Park right along the Potomac with really gorgeous views. It also seemed like it should maybe possibly be illegal to just be open to the public... but besides that, it was beautiful!! We packed a lunch and enjoyed our sandwiches along the river. Once we got back to the apartment, it was time to clean up and head into DC for our reservations at Founding Farmers. Yumm!! It was a really fun and super yummy find. After dinner we enjoyed the nice(r) weather by taking a stroll around the city to Dupont Circle and found a few neat places along the way. After getting home [and eating our last serving of birthday cake], we crashed on the couch while trying to watch a movie. A sure sign of a great weekend! Kait headed home on Sunday and it was back to the real world. Until...

It was time for Wendy and I to head south to Chapel Hill to see Cleveland!

[this is also not from our CH weekend. but still cute.]

Friday we discovered the joys of a weekend rush hour in DC (gross) but finally made it outside of the beltway unharmed. A pit stop at Chick-Fil-A for dinner had us back in the road trip mood in no time! Once we made it to Chapel Hill, the three of us had a great time catching up until the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday we got to sleep in (oh, how I have missed sleeping in!) and take it easy in the morning. In the afternoon I got to visit with my cousins and their new baby over lunch - so great to see them and meet the newest addition! Back in CH, we spent some time watching basketball games before heading out to a salsa night on campus. It was lots of fun with a live band playing (plus we had a lead who really knew what he was doing!) After dancing the night away we tried out a sushi restaurant - yum! Between sushi called "Spiderman" and "North Carolina Sunset", we were a happy (and full) bunch.

Sunday after more sleeping in (yesss) we packed up and headed back to DC. Lunch was at Cook-Out, and it did not disappoint! (36 flavors of milkshakes??? really?!?)

After back to back weekends of fun with great friends, I am feeling much more ready to tackle the next few weeks. Plus, spring is practically here! Checking out the cherry blossoms this week and looking forward to warmer temps soon. :-)

Lots of love from your still happy traveler, Lauren.

To-Do

I am a fan of to-do lists. A huge, huge fan. Ask anyone who knows me. Many personality tests and strength analyses this year have confirmed that this love is here to stay. I get a strange joy from crossing something off of my to-do list - so much, in fact, that i've been known to add something to a list for the sole purpose of crossing it off as soon as it is written.

So, of course, it is time for some to-do lists. Short-term, long-term, somewhere in the middle... so. many. lists.

For the week: Get some reading done. Start writing my paper. Finish Financial Aid Apps. Write update/interest letters to med schools. Grocery store trip. Make a Target run.

For the month: Hang out with Kaitlin in DC!! Hang out with Cleveland in Chapel Hill!! (apparently, only really fun and exciting things are allowed on this list)

But the to-do list on my mind most frequently lately is my "to-do while I still live in DC" list. To name a few: Cherry Blossom Festival. National Zoo. Newseum. Holocaust Museum. Spy Museum. Georgetown sightseeing. Mount Vernon. Trip to Baltimore. Trip to Annapolis.

And this is where you come in: what do I need to add? [Even if I've already done it - that way I can just cross it off! :-)]

Love from a busy Lauren.

New York State of Mind

At long (long, long) last, here is all the details you ever wanted to know (and then some) about my weekend in the Big Apple!!

Wendy and I headed out of DC early Friday afternoon with 50 of our (new) closest friends on the Bolt Bus! [Side note: If you are considered any travel between big East Coast cities (i.e. DC, NYC, Baltimore, Boston, etc.) the Bolt Bus is the way to go! Super cheap tickets + Wifi + not paying for gas and parking = well worth it.]

We arrived Friday night and quickly decided that going to sleep was just not an option. Instead, we traveled to Little Italy in search of a true slice of New York pizza and found it at Lombardi's. After enjoying our (entire) pizza, we navigated the subway system and found our way (via three different trains...) to the Staten Island Ferry! A free trip there and back gave us gorgeous views of the nighttime Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty, up close and personal. Once we were back in Manhattan it was time to head back to our hotel and rest up for a full day in the city!

Saturday morning began with a delicious breakfast at Ess-a-Bagel - the perfect place for a true New York bagel and excellent Saturday morning people watching. The next stop was Grand Central Station...

...followed by a quick view of the Chrysler Building and a power walk to Rockefeller Center...

...and another power walk to Bryant Park and the New York City Public Library.

[ceiling in the library. SO cool!]

Next, we hopped back on the subway to head to Greenwich Village and the Magnolia Bakery for an early afternoon cupcake. We strolled around the neighborhood, saw a farmer's market, did some more people watching, and even found a few green patches to sit and rest. It was so neat to get a taste of where the "locals" live - we couldn't believe we were still in the middle of Manhattan!

Next stop: Central Park. Hands down my favorite place in NYC! Along with our signature hot pretzels, we found the Belvedere Castle (and saw a proposal there!), Bethesda Fountain, Alice in Wonderland and Hans Christian Anderson statues. It was a gorgeous day to be outside and enjoying the park!

From there we headed to the Metropolitan Museum of Art - a very close second for my favorite Big Apple destination! Although we didn't have nearly enough time to see even half of the exhibits, we loved taking in the period rooms and musical instruments. After a quick tour, we headed to the Balcony Bar and enjoyed a Saturday evening happy hour with a string quartet accompaniment. [so classy I could hardly stand it!].

From the Met it was just a quick walk (jog) over to Two Little Red Hens, where we devoured some incredible New York cheesecake. [If you're starting to think that we ate our way through the trip... you'd be right.] Next stop...

Times Square! All lit up and as crazy as ever. We just got a quick look because we wouldn't dream of being late for...

...the Lion King!! These tickets were the original inspiration for a weekend in the city, and the show did not disappoint! If you ever have a chance to go, I would definitely recommend it - the visual effects are just unreal. It is absolutely amazing how they bring these animals to life on stage! We had a great time.

And then, totally exhausted, we went back to the hotel and crashed, right? Wrong. Of course not. We had more food to eat! Our last item on the to-do list was burgers at the Burger Joint - a place so mysterious I can't even give you a link. First, you have to find the hotel.. make your way through the very fancy lobby.. then through the very fancy happy hour.. through a curtain in the back.. and into the definition of a "hole-in-the-wall" burger joint. The burgers hit the spot after a long day! Then - finally - we crashed. Sunday morning we caught the bus back to DC and bid farewell to a whirlwind two days in the city that never sleeps.

More updates on life in DC coming soon!

Much love to all,

Lauren

Teaser

If you think it isn't possible to see...

...a nighttime view of the Manhattan skyline from the Staten Island Ferry

...Grand Central Station

...the Chrysler Building

...Rockefeller Center

...New York Public Library

...Bryant Park

...Greenwich Village

...Central Park

...the Metropolitan Museum of Art

...Times Square

...and THE LION KING

in just 24 hours - you'd be dead wrong. :-)

Details of my whirlwind weekend in NYC coming soon!

Lots of love from your Big Apple traveler!

Never Say Never

I have a fever. And the only prescription is...

MORE BIEBER.

That's right, my friends. Believe it or not, I have officially caught the Bieber fever! (stand clear. this thing is ridiculously contagious.)

Last Sunday, I firmly cemented my love for the Biebs by going to see his movie, Never Say Never. On opening weekend. In 3D. (I mean, if you're going to go, go big, right?!?) Along with two of my girlfriends, we journeyed through Justin's (we're on a first name basis now) life and career, enjoyed 3D scenes from his concerts, sang along (of course), and learned all about the oh-so-crucial hair flip.

If you want a true movie experience - complete with squealing preteen girls - this is the movie for you!

And if you think you'll never catch the Bieber fever...

NEVER. SAY. NEVER.

Lots of Bieb-a-licious love,

Lauren

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Guys. My apologies. I have neglected my blogging duties like woah.

But have no fear, all (2) of my readers! I have returned!

The past few weeks have been crazy, wonderful, and busy (hence, no blogging). Allow me to catch you up!

I turned the big 2-3! My parents came up to DC to celebrate the big day, and we had a wonderful, busy weekend together. Sadly I do not have nearly enough pictures from the weekend, but just to share a few...

Thursday (the actual big day), I picked up the 'rents after I got off work and we got settled at their hotel (complete with happy birthday sign!). We went to Alexandria and got a quick tour of the Torpedo Factory (super cool art galleries and shops!) before heading to dinner. We ate at Gadbsy's Tavern just like George and Ben (Washington and Franklin, that is) to celebrate the big day! Yum yum. It was delicious!

Friday after my morning class, the three of us ate a yummy Irish lunch at the Old Brogue before heading to Great Falls Park. It was a b-e-a-utiful day to walk around and see the falls!

Friday night we journeyed into the city for a night at the Kennedy Center and the NSO! This was my birthday present from my parents and it was soooo much fun! Between taking in the view of DC lit up at night from the Kennedy Center balcony, champagne around the fountains before the concert, and the gorgeous music, it was a night I won't soon be forgetting!

[The view of the stage from our seats.]

Saturday started early with a "host-parents-meet-real-parents" morning. So fun for me to see everyone finally putting names and faces together! After coffee we headed into the city one more time and had a tourist-y day around the National Mall - we saw the WWII Memorial, Washington Monument, the White House, and the National Archives on our own, and then met up with some of the Fellows for a personal "highlights" tour of the American History Museum! After a thoroughly historical (and exhausting) day, we went back to the hotel to just hang out for the evening. Wendy got to come visit and brought one delicious homemade birthday cake with her, complete with candles! I got to make a wish and we didn't even set off the fire alarm. That, my friends, is a great success.

Sunday, my parents headed back nice and early to the ATL, and my crazy DC life continued! Details coming soon...

Lots of love from your favorite newly 23-year-old.