BYOB: Bring Your Own (Picnic) Blanket

This is the week! I'm (finally) posting about the city I'm calling home for a few months.

D.C. has been keeping me incredibly busy, but I've been loving every second.

Starting at the beginning:

The last West Coast sunset for six months San Francisco Airport - San Francisco, CA

First D.C. sunrise

Had the amazing privilege of seeing Hillary Clinton speak on my second night in D.C.

With fellow intern Danielle at the Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

(Shout out to our awesome boss for getting us tickets.)

The Checklist

There are plenty of great articles with suggestions for people who are new to D.C. or only here for a few months (like me), including this one from the Washington Post. Without even realizing it, I've already completed 4/5 on the list so here it is:

1: Nationals Game at Nationals Park

(If you plan ahead, they have great group rates and often have deals like $1 hot dogs if you go on a certain night.)

2: Jazz in the Garden - National Gallery of Art

 

It might be a pretty cliche way to spend a Friday night here, but our office makes a point to go every week. I can't imagine a nicer way to unwind after the week than picnicking with friends and listening to music.

It's also a great excuse to wander the Mall as the sun starts to go down and knock #3 (below) off the list. 

3. Moonlight Monuments

 World War II Memorial with a view of Lincoln in the background.

     

The best time to visit the monuments is after sunset (and preferably some jazz) when they're all lit up and the temperature has dropped a bit. Hopefully.

There's never a shortage of things to do here and, if you know where to look, there doesn't have to be a shortage of cash in your wallet to get everything done.

(Pictures from the 4th item on the summer checklist -- spend a Saturday at Eastern Market -- to come in a post soon!)

Here's a quick thank you to this awesome blog for getting the word out about so many cool (free) events! Last night a group of us met up in Georgetown to see a free outdoor production of Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing that we found out about through the Free in D.C. blog (link above). The company encouraged the audience to bring a picnic to enjoy before/during the show. 

And also thank you thank you thank you to Sparkling ICE for giving out free bottles at the Eastern Market metro station this Saturday.

I think the Coffee Culture of the West Coast has an East Coast rival: Picnic Culture.

It's so contagious that I had a picnic all by myself on the balcony of my apartment tonight, complete with a candle. I had to celebrate two weeks in my apartment somehow!

Cheers!