Visiting

Ashley Bernhisel and I go way back....waayyyyyyy back to elementary and Jr. High school days of dollar movies, Training Table, and wrapping paper sword-fights at Toys-R-Us in Sugarhouse.  So far back that it's weird to call her Ashley instead of just "Bern".  So needless to say I was thrilled when she said she was coming to DC for the TedMed talks conference last week (she's in med-school at the U).  So I took Friday off of work and we toured some of the monuments on the mall, got some delicious dinner in Chinatown, and did a little Zara shopping that afternoon.

 

On Saturday, after a little mishap with the metro (which ate Bern's card and the lady had to open the stile to get it out and she got really annoyed that I took a picture) we went to the American Indian Smithsonian and although it's one of my favorite museums architecturally-speaking, I had never actually been inside.  It was amazing, there was so many wonderful exhibits on the different American tribes, cultures and traditions, and their art and craftsmanship (my favorite) including this insane VW bug that was covered in tiny glass beads in traditional designs.  However,  I was a little disappointed by the fact that there were multiple mentions of Twilight in the Quileute tribe's section. There's just something a little off-putting about seeing a photo from Twilight in a Smithsonian. Bern had to get a picture of course.

Afterwards we stopped by the museum's cafe for a little lunch, which just made me laugh. The prices were RIDICULOUS. As in $17 for 3 tappas, or $13 for a quesadilla.  We opted for some more authentic dishes and then headed over to the Library of Congress, one of my favorite sites in DC.  I'm always overwhelmed by the gorgeous mosaics, beaus-relief, stained glass, etc.  And I got to see the reading room for the first time.

Due to some metro complications and TSA being evil, Bern actually missed her flight home on Saturday evening but ended up going the next morning at 7:00.  Which meant a 5:00 am wake-up call for me, although if I must drive here, I prefer to be the only person on the road.  And I only got a little lost on my way home from the airport :)