The Perfect DC Weekend!

Have you taken a trip to the most beautiful city in the United States???

Washington, DC is a bustling city full of commerce and beauty!  There is so much to do, you could easily spend a lifetime there and still discover new things, everyday!  My husband and I had 3 days to show our friends the highlights of what the city had to offer!!!  Overnight Accommodations: Bethesda, MD.  Hilton Garden Inn or Marriott at the Metro, you'll be close to everything:)
  

Here are our top picks if you want to see the city on a time crunch!
Day 1: Friday.

Start with lunch reservations at The Tabard Inn, Dupont Circle.  This historic inn will delight you at every turn, from the charming atmosphere to the elegant cuisine!  Do try the crab cakes with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts!!!   

After your lunch, walk just blocks away to The White House!  This trip was a special one for us, because we got to show off our home town to our new friends, one of which had never been to our Nation's Capital:)  So The White House was a landmark that was not to be missed!!!

Next, we sailed down Connecticut Ave. and onto Rock Creek Parkway where we visited Hillwood, the beautiful estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post!  You're probably thinking, "Where have I heard that name before"?  She was the heiress to the POST CEREAL company and fortune!!!  I feature this gorgeous house in my Cleveland Park, DC post, for a deeper look into Marjorie's life:)

This home will dazzle and delight you at every turn, dressed in French Antiques, among other curiosities from all over the world, this home also features one of the largest collections of Russian Art in our country!!!

The gardens are as much of a treat as the house itself!  Complete with rose gardens, a putting green, fountains and a Japanese garden that will capture your inner soul!  Marjorie not only entertained her family and friends at this estate, she held extravagant parties and charity balls inviting the creme de la creme of social and political society:) 

The last stop of our first day ended with The National Cathedral.  Visit my post on Tea at The National Cathedral to peek at the interior space!  Although, the outside is just as breathtaking and remarkable!  Sitting on the highest point in the city it is hard not to catch a glimpse of this beautiful cathedral from afar!  And on the land itself, you can see the Capitol, Monument and other DC points of interest from the hill!

Day 2: Saturday.

Start with a hardy breakfast in Bethesda, MD, near Bethesda Ave. at Le Pain Quotidien or Bethesda Bagels, grab water and rent a bike at Griffin Cycle.  Now that you're set, jump on the Capital Crescent Trail and enjoy and beautiful, tranquil bike ride along the wooded pathways, C&O Canal and Potomac River.  The best part, 8 miles down will take you into Georgetown, where you'll wanna park your bikes, have lunch and do a little shopping!!!  Best lunch spots: Dean & Deluca for sandwiches, Chadwicks for Burgers, Cafe Bonaparte for delectable French Faire, Bodega for Spanish Tapas!  Best Shopping: J.Crew, Anthropologie, Wink, Steve Madden, Urban Outfitters, Madewell, Pheonix, Just Paper & Tea.

After your Georgetown Detour, jump back on your bikes and ride along the Potomac for stunning views of The Kennedy Center, Monument and Memorials, Rosslyn, VA, and Arlington Cemetery across the water.  We hit the Lincoln Memorial first! 

Then it was off the the Tidal Basin where the cherry blossoms were in peak bloom and The Thomas Jefferson Memorial was packed with visitors!!!

Always a good spot to cop-a-squat for some macaroons:)

After our day of riding and touring, we jumped on the metro at Gallery Place/Chinatown and took it back to Bethesda where we relaxed, bathed, and hit the town for dinner with some of my gal pals at Mon Ami Gabi:)

Day 3: Sunday.

From Bethesda we took the Red Line Metro Train to Eastern Market and brunched at Tunnicliff's Tavern.  Afterwards we checked out all the market had to offer:)  Eastern Market is one of the best places on Earth!!!  It has everything from fresh, local produce, cheeses, fish, and meats to local artists, vendors, antique dealers and souvenir stands!!!  My top picks: Rebound Designs, where I bought my new favorite purse featured on her home page, a purse made from a vintage History of Art book.  Had Matter, for all things absolutely adorable to hang on your walls.  And all the lovely gals selling vintage clothes and furniture!!!

After our buying binge, we were off to the Capitol, where the views are pretty sweet!!!

From there, it was just a short walk to The Botanical Gardens:)  It's hard to believe that this lovely, lush oasis exists in the middle of this bustling city!!!

No trip to DC would be complete without a visit to The National Gallery of Art, so we checked it out and swooned over the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Monet, Renoir, Van Gogh and countless other artists whose works took our breath away:)

After an incredible lunch at The Museum of the American Indian, which is where you have to get lunch if you're on the Downtown Mall, the Mitsitam Cafe is a treat for your taste buds.  Enjoy indigenous cuisines from all over the Americas and enjoy dishes you've never had before, like braised oxtail tacos, purple corn salad, sweet potato and chili infused rice, and buffalo chilli!!!!!  Oh me Oh my, it's AMAZING!!!! :)

And after a conclusion of visiting The Smithsonian, DC's original museum, we were already on our way home....it goes by so fast!  But we had a great time and you will too, see my many other posts on the many neighborhoods of DC to create an itinerary that's right for you:)    

Bon Voyage:)