travel: day 3 washington dc

I just watched here in the cafe, an African American man, wearing a black hoodie that said I Am My Ancestor’s Wildest Dream passed by. I love that. I walked again to the Tatte Bakery Cafe in the city center. And took notice of footwear. I guess that's one way of telling who the locals are. Who wears sandals in early rainy April? And of course I do love leather shoes with a suit.                          

 

Some of the locals do wear athletic shoes like my favorite Adidas Stan Smith. When my Adidas blue suede Gazelle wear out (there are holes forming in both heels), I want a pair of black leather Sambas. And this time I photographed the neon graffiti at Tiffany's as a reminder to wear my Paloma Picasso's graffiti love ring.

 

The pistachio croissants as well as the savory pastries looked scrumptious.

Oh I miss these sweet pastries of Kouign Amann and Morning Buns.

And then my S P I N A C H , J E R U S A L E M  A R T I C H O K E , & E G G  P L AT E ( C I L B I R ) arrived. Sautéed spinach, roasted Jerusalem Artichoke (which I now know are sunchokes) and a poached egg, over garlic labneh, with Aleppo chili oil, served with sourdough. And my new favorite hot drink, London Fog or Earl Grey tea with vanilla and milk.

 

And then I began my walk to the Hirshorn and promptly got lost. I think where I ended up walking is back to Chinatown in the Penn Quarter. I finally turned around and went past this Catholic church again.   

And knew I was headed back to the city central when I passed the Thomson Elementary school which is across the street from this similar red brick apartment building. I wonder if it was perhaps the headmaster's home or the lodgings for the teachers back in the day. Now it's surrounded by modern buildings and offices. I do like getting lost and figuring out what neighborhood I'm in. 

If I go back to Washington, D.C. though, I want to stay closer to the Metro Station and the Capitol and come on a weekend to go to the Eastern Market and the Library of Congress. So once I was closer to the National Mall, I finally started to feel oriented and could see the Hirshorn in my sights.
     

Unfortunately, the third floor was closed because they were still creating exhibits to celebrate its 50th anniversary. I was the only person on a docent tour, and afterward my docent said I should just stroll through the sculpture garden and go to the Smithsonian American Art Museum at the National Portrait Gallery. And so I did! My feet were aching once I got there, but at least I also knew I wasn't far afterward from my hotel. Alas!

Across the street I saw that another historical building was turned into a hotel. That bums me out, but I suppose we tourists gotta stay somewhere close.

 

As I approached the main entrance, I helped a couple a take a photo in front of the museum. I declined their kind offer to take my pic.

A volunteer at the front desk, when I told her that I was incredibly fatigued, steered me toward the top to make my way down and incorporate a rest stop. Yes please. And once I'd rested and walked and looked, I started exiting opposite where I entered, where a reception was being prepared, I asked a caterer who and she said she wasn't allowed to disclose who were the very important people. No matter, I was exhausted and hungry.

 

And rather than wait a couple hours to take a Lyft from my hotel to a Cambodian restaurant in Columbia Heights I wanted to try, I opted for the confused Chinese restaurant around the corner from my hotel. And instead of ordering the ramen or lamen soup, I thought I'd finally try Dan Dan cooked by a Chinese chef. I dithered over just sipping my large Chardonnay until I could take a taxi, but I was so damn tired.

Instead I ordered the Taiwanese smashed cucumber (underwhelming) and asked the waitress to ask the chef to please add bok choi to my noodles too because I was craving more vegetables. The Dan Dan was pretty darn disappointing.

A dish that originates from Chengdu. Where was the mala? Where was the red color of fiery chilies? No mouth numbing and no flavor. And so this afternoon, I'm going to defrost some pork and make my own version. And this time, maybe I'll make my own version of tea and soy sauce Asian marinated eggs.