Best of Washington, D.C.

Well, my two months in our amazing capitol have come to an end.

I'm back in Fort Lee, NJ with my grandmother for the week,
then hopping back to Pennsylvania for a semester at 'Berg.
Things are moving fast.

Saying goodbye to D.C. this week was really, really tough.
That being said, it's a great chance to re-live my summer and share some of my favorite places through a blog post!

(Hint: click through first picture of each section to be taken directly to the business' website.)

Best Brunch

Open City

Nearest metro: Woodley Park-Zoo

There a million wonderful places for brunch in D.C., but Open City gets the nod for the variety and prices; I wasn't looking to drop thirty dollars that Sunday, so I ordered a bagel and coffee and left with a tab that wasn't much more than five dollars. They have a huge and diverse menu, which I hadn't seen at many places I had brunched before.

         

Open City has it all - Full coffee and 21+ bars

(extra points for the silent films playing, as seen in above left photo)

Click here for a calendar of all the cool events they have coming up.

         

Open City might not have the bottomless mimosas everyone in D.C. looks for on Sunday mornings, but they do have carafes available for $28 which split nicely between two people (or one if you're ambitious).

Best Lunch
District Taco 

Cheap, yummy, FREE GUACAMOLE WITH VEGETARIAN ORDERS.

Need I say more? If you think I do - District Taco started as a food truck five years ago, and has since grown and can be found in locations all over the district. Plus they strive to be environmentally friendly and FREE GUACAMOLE.

Best Happy Hour
Tonic

Nearest metro: Foggy Bottom

I know there are (quite literally) hundreds of amazing happy hours in the area, but my friends and I found ourselves back here time and time again. It's a nice affordable option if you're near GW and don't wanna head to another part of town. 

Tonic has three beautiful floors, plus a front patio and back garden bar, and how can you resist $6 totchos?

The servers at Tonic are always super friendly and accommodating of big groups like ours (above).

Bonus: Click here for a calendar of awesome events like weekly trivia to take advantage of.

Best Dinner
Keren

Nearest metro: DuPont Circle

The fact that I only took two (mediocre) pictures at dinner is probably a testament to how amazing this little place was; I couldn't wait to put my camera down and dig in.

That's one thing no body tells you about photographing food - chances are you'll be too distracted to pay much attention to your camera.

To be honest, I have no idea what my bud and I ordered, but I have a feeling it was the beef tibsi, served on a flat bread called injera, which also doubles as your utensils. 

Warning: This is not a meal for dainty eaters! (But that's why it's fun.)

The prices and staff are absolutely unparalleled, making Keren a must if you're in the D.C. area and looking for a fun place to grab a meal. It's also located just down the hill from Adams Morgan if you're looking to keep your evening going.

Best Coffee Shop

Pound the Hill

Nearest metro: Eastern Market

 Pound gets an A+++ for atmosphere, service, variety, and anything else you can ask for in a coffeeshop. Maybe I love it so much because it reminds me of the Pacific Northwest, but it definitely has an east coast personality of its own. (Namely a happy hour.)

       

 What I really couldn't resist was the little corner all the way in the back that had a full section of travel books, pictured above right. I could sit here all day and read.

I'm not really one for sweet coffee, but this sign certainly grabbed my attention:

(If anyone ever gives it a try, let me know how it is! It might go well with the breakfast they serve all day every day.)

Best Purchase:

With money being as tight as it is, it's rare that I spend more than five dollars on anything that isn't food or metro fare, but I absolutely fell in love with the work of Zachary Sasim this summer. His paintings of D.C. have always stopped me dead

in my tracks when I'm wandering Eastern Market, so I knew I couldn't leave without one of them. Luckily he paints these tiny masterpieces that are affordable even for college students.

Wouldn't you say it's a perfect reminder of a perfect summer?

Stay tuned for one last D.C. post highlighting some great hikes in the area!