Around DC: The Eastern Market

It's crazy to admit that I spent most of my life living in the DC area and never once made the trek to Capitol Hill for the Eastern Market, the oldest fresh food public market in the city. Fortunately, I remedied the situation last weekend. My mom, sisters, Max, and I navigated into town, squeezed into a too-small parking space, and spent a couple of hours weaving in and out of the numerous craft, jewelry, and produce stands. It was the perfect way to spend a steamy Sunday and we left with lots of local fruits and vegetables, as well as some pretty baubles and inexpensive friendship bracelets. The peaches, corn, and tomatoes were all in their absolute prime of the season, and complemented various dinners throughout the rest of the week. I definitely recommend visiting the market if you find yourself in the DC area. I can't wait to go back next time I'm home!

Miniature eggplants in pretty shades of purple.

I'd never heard the term 'ecoganic' before.

Heirloom tomatoes that later made juicy BLT sandwiches.

Rows upon rows of colorful friendship bracelets. 

Vendors as far as the eye can see!

Panama hats in a variety of textures and colors.

Softball-sized peaches that Chef Max turned into pie for Sunday night dinner.

Gummy sharks at the candy shop inside the market.

Tiny, piping-hot doughnuts fried to order before being sprinkled with cinnamon + powdered sugar.

Oh There's No Place Like Home

One of the best parts of coming home for the holidays is the constant roaring fire in the living room. It's just so cozy. I am so ready for vacation. Ten full days of doing whatever I want and, most importantly, not working!

Pictures of People

Travel days are the worst part of vacation. It means back to the regular routine: work, working out, laundry, and the end of relaxation. Luckily, I softened the blow by watching Jack Johnson in concert on M's iPad and sorting through all of the photos I snapped in Chicago. I can't wait to share some of them with you!

Hometown Pride

I love these DC throw pillows by Uptown Artworks! I'm definitely thinking of getting a couple, especially since they mention Georgetown and Ben's Chili Bowl, two iconic places within the District. Check out their website to see if your city or town is represented!

Belated Birthday Bubbly

road trip. mimosas. spa. sister bonding time. presidents lounge. champagne. minibar snacks. oldies. bliss.

I am one lucky girl.

Relief

I treated myself to some green tea the airport while waiting for my insanely delayed flight. Day two of no coffee and I kind of miss it, but not in that 'I haven't had caffeine so I'm a psycho' way...yet.

Happy to finally be home and get my picture in before midnight!
It was a close one.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm a horrible packer. I always bring too much and don't end up wearing half of what I have planned. I'm trying to overcome this vice as I throw together my bag for this weekend's getaway. I'm just ecstatic to be headed home for a long weekend, catching up with friends and family, and going for my very first massage. Yes, ever. I'm also overly excited about trying Sprinkles in Georgetown!

How do you pack all the essentials for a quick trip?

More Vacation Snapshots

One of the best parts of visiting Vermont for my cousin's wedding last month was exploring the quaint little town of Lyndon, nestled in the Northeast Kingdom. It had so much personality and charm. My favorite stops were the used bookstore, where I snagged a couple of paperbacks and stumbled upon a beautiful origami crane mobile, and the local coffee shop. I wish I could go back and spend some more time hiking the trails and checking out more bed and breakfasts.







It's hard to believe that vacation is winding down and it's already September! Are you excited for fall?

Better Than Pushpins

This is pretty much the coolest thing ever. It's a world map that you can scratch off different countries as you visit them. I would love to own one of these to hang in my apartment! The bright colors are just waiting to be revealed underneath that layer of gold foil! What a fun project to keep over the course of lifelong travels.

Seen over at A Cup of Jo.

Special Visits

I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of my cousin (who's visiting from France) and staying with moi for a long weekend! I can't wait to catch up and hear about everything that's going on in her life. Plus, it's a great excuse for me to get out and be touristy in my own city (something I looove to do). Can you imagine being a high school student in Paris? It seems like such an amazing opportunity. I'm hoping to brush up on my French a little bit too in preparation for Montreal in a few weeks. There's so much going on in August. I love it! Here are some of the fun things I have planned for this weekend.

Morning coffee at my favorite local spot


Minor league ball game at McCoy


Sushi date night


Beach day at Little Compton


Crepes at Duck & Bunny


Seaside dinner (with lots of local seafood!) in Narragansett


Late-night games of Scrabble



I just wish her flight would stop getting delayed & she could be here already!

Cookie Monster

I've been keeping a mental list of things to do and see next time I visit New York City and at the top of my list is a stop at Levain Bakery. Their cookies have an amazing reputation and are literally the size of frisbees! They've been featured on Oprah, Food Network, and even made Yelp's top 100 foods of NYC. The bakery has their very own blog that you can check out here. There's something so inviting about the smell of chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven. I love when food evokes memories of childhood and I can't wait to try the dark chocolate peanut butter chip. Yum!

Have you been to Levain before?

top image via z-mation; others via Levain

Aidez-Moi

I'm super excited about my upcoming trip to Montreal in August! It'll be the first time in several years that my mom and both of my sisters take a vacation together. We're staying at the W hotel, but as of right now, we don't have any very specific plans. I'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations of places to go and things to see/do in Montreal. I know my younger sister has some shopping destinations in mind and my mom wants to see the older parts of the city, but other than that we're open to ideas! I know the city has lots of great architecture to see and I'm hoping to do a lot of walking and exploring on foot (and brush up on my very rusty high school French). Any ideas would be great, especially places that are off the beaten path.

Merci beaucoup!

Blurry

I seriously don't know where this week went. I've been on vacation (which always flies by) and had to make a (quick) unexpected trip home for a few days. The weather down in the DC area has been uncharacteristically gorgeous, but I'm definitely looking forward to heading back up north this afternoon. I managed to squeeze in lots of family time this week, as well as my first cal gel mani, several frozen yogurt runs, and some little shopping excursions. Somehow in the process I also managed to stay on track with my heathy eating and exercising, which is a huge relief. Now, I'm off to lounge by the pool for a couple hours before my flight. Not bad, right?!

What are you up to this weekend?

Daydreaming

It's a chilly, dreary morning here in New England and all I can seem to think about is floating away in a hot air balloon to somewhere warm and sunny. I've already told Marc I really, really want to go on a hot air balloon ride this summer. Have you ever been? What's it like? I imagine it would literally take my breath away.

pictures via Beauty in Everything

Whew! What a Week

I don't know where in the world this week went! I obviously didn't spend it blogging! Work has been insanely busy and I've found my days getting longer and longer. Fortunately, it's finally the weekend and I can take a chance to catch my breath. It has been lovely and warm this week and I'm happy to finally see (and feel) the sun consistently.

I was lucky enough to spend last night catching up with my cousin and his two adorable kids. We went to a fun family-style Italian restaurant in Providence and the kids had a blast. I hope to spend some more time with them this summer! I'm also excited because there's only five more days until I head home for a long weekend and a much-needed break from work. I'm trying to cram as much fun into next weekend as possible (and hopefully a visit to Georgetown Cupcake!). Hope you all enjoy this gorgeous weather!

What do you have planned for this weekend?

Luxe-urious Travel

I couldn't resist these chic travel guides when I read about them on Tiane's blog. That girl definitely knows how to travel and to squeeze every little ounce out of a city in just a short amount of time. I had to take her word for it with these travel guides from Luxe. First of all, they don't look anything like touristy guides (like Fodor's or Michelin) so if you have your nose in one, no one will know! You can pose as a local, even if you have no idea where you're trying to go! That's definitely a plus. The purpose of these guides is to show you a city from more of a local's perspective. They don't cover all of the main touristy attractions, but instead give you inside info on places off the beaten path. Perfect, I know!

I scooped up the US travel pack that includes Chicago, Miami, New York, and Los Angeles. I'm a little embarrassed to say that of those cities, I've only been to New York. It's okay though, because I'm actually planning a trip back to NYC at the end of April, and I'll have my Luxe guide by then to steer me to some fun new places. My only disappointment was that there wasn't a San Francisco edition, because I'm planning a trip there for late summer/early fall. San Francisco seems like a city where it'd be nice to have a local's perspective. I'm looking forward to pouring over these books when they arrive next week. I will definitely keep you posted!

Oh, and if you hurry, you can get them at a HUGE discount at Gilt. I basically got four for the price of two. Yay!

Crayons Make Me Happy

I wish I was doing a fun art project today instead of work and tackling the towers of reports that need to be finished by this afternoon. At least I can look forward to the weekend! It's supposed to be chilly in Providence, not like the warm weather that we've had the past few weekends. I'll be happy to have some down time after a hectic week. I'm counting down to my visit home in April. Only three more weeks until sisterly bonding time, shopping, and catching up with old friends! I can't wait!

Do you have any fun plans this weekend?
taylor

C'est Magnifique

I am so intrigued/tempted by this opportunity. It probably isn't in the cards for me this summer, but I sure hope the chance comes around again. Amazing. Can you think of a better way to spend three days?

Bubbly

These champagne flutes are so pretty! I first saw them advertised in Spirit magazine on my Southwest flight home for the holidays. When I finally looked them up online, they had already sold out. I keep checking their website to see if they've gotten more in stock. Sadly, I think they are gone forever. I know there are other models of double-walled glasses out there but I really like these because they look like little test tubes. The science nerd inside of me yearns to sip some bubbly out of them. If you ever come across them, please scoop them up for me. I will be indebted to you forever and ever. Plus, they will be the most unique pieces in my champagne glass collection (which is constantly growing).

A side note--Spirit magazine is fantastic. I wish I could get a subscription to it at home or else travel on Southwest once a month just to have the chance to read it. One of my favorite columns is the travel feature. They have a spotlight on one city and four different approaches of what to do in that city. You take a little quiz and they tell you the best things to do in the city based on your interests. For example, they might highlight outdoor activities, shopping trips, historical excursions, or adventurous restaurants depending on your answers. It's so clever! The only problem is I'm usually interested in doing all of the suggested things in each city. Oh well!