Karen Lao

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Washington, DC 2016

I traveled to DC this past weekend with my friend Marya! We had been wanting to travel together for some time now, and we both had never been to DC. I actually haven't really hung out with Marya since before 2011... but we found out that we're super compatible as travel buddies! Here's a recap of just some of the things we did on our trip!

Our first coffee stop was Philz Coffee, which just recently opened in DC. It was my first time trying the mint mojito iced coffee... I didn't think I would like the mint, but it was so great! The froth was really addicting - reminded me of a frappuccino. 

We were bummed it was rainy and cold all Friday... we both hate the cold so, so much (we even slept with the heat on this whole weekend). We held out as long as possible at the coffee shop and then decided to do some sightseeing before it got too late. Unfortunately, it was prom night, and the Lincoln Memorial was full of students taking pictures. My favorite part was when a little boy (maybe 7 or 8 years old) looked at some girls and said, "DAMN, THAT ASS." Anyway, it was still raining, so we decided to come back again another day.

Lincoln Memorial

Later that night, we went to Maketto, a Taiwanese & Cambodian restaurant, cafe, and men's retail store. I absolutely loved the aesthetics, food, and coffee here! If only I were Taiwanese, the restaurant would have represented Marya and me perfectly, ha! Although I was a bit confused as to why they named it "maketto" - a Japanese sounding name - and why they served sparkling water in Korean shot glasses... I guess all Asians can be lumped together :P

Retail section of Maketto 

Cafe (try the pork belly kimchi croissant and Cambodian coffee)

The next morning, we headed to La Colombe Torrefaction off Blagden Alley in the Shaw neighborhood. This coffee shop has been on my list ever since I missed the chance to visit it in Chicago. 

Shaw neighborhood

Afterward, we went to the Renwick Gallery. It was the last day to see WONDER, an exhibition I've been wanting to see for months! The line was so long but worth it.

We had a quick bite to eat at Hank's Oyster Bar before heading to our next destination. It started raining again while we were there, so being the wimps that we are, we decided to do more indoor sightseeing.

Marya and her sprained ankle. What a trooper!

We decided to go to the Library of Congress next. And it was just amazing. I remember taking photos outside on the steps before we went in, no big deal, just a historic building... once we stepped in, we were just speechless. What a beaaaautiful building!!

Afterward, we went to the U.S. Capitol (you can get to it from a connecting tunnel in the Library of Congress) and got some learning on. We learned there was a U.S. Botanic Garden nearby, and just happened to pass by it on our way out of the area. We immediately parked and went inside. It was gorgeous!! I'm so glad we pulled over for it.

Our last lunch in DC together was at Momofuku CCDC (HAD to get the cereal milk soft serve). It was definitely a highlight of our food adventure. I forgot how good the soft serve is...

And before we left, we wanted to check out the Wheaton Station, which has the longest set of escalators in the Western Hemisphere. It's seriously so long and steep - it was dizzying trying to Snapchat/take photos of everything while on the escalator.

The end! Wish I could post every single thing we did, but it would be way too much.

Also, I tried something new for the first time: videos! Here's a short video of our trip. Enjoy!