Playing Tourist In Washington, DC
At the end of June, I hopped on Amtrak and enjoyed a short trip to Washington, D.C. My main reason for going to DC was to do some archival research for my dissertation, but I did manage to have a bit of fun. I stayed with one of my closest friends of 20+ years, got to see one of my closest college friends, and I also got to play tourist a little bit while in DC!
First night in town, my friend B and I grabbed dinner at "Meridian Pint," a local gastropub. I had the 'Murica Burger, which came with BBQ sauce, bacon, and cheddar cheese. Yum yum!
After spending two days at the archives, I wanted to have a little bit of fun and see some of DC's famous sites. Before all of that though, I required lunch. Whereas I'm fairly familiar with NYC eateries, the same cannot be said for Washington, D.C. I was out of my element, also not totally understanding the layout of the city, so I was heavily reliant on yelp and recommendation from friends. The night before, I recall B talking about a place called "Teaism" located near the National Archives. Not wanting to stray too far from the National Mall and not know where else to go, I made my way to Teaism.
Teaism was ok -- not the greatest food I've ever eaten. It was sort of Asian fusion place, but frankly, the food was a bit underwhelming. I got the fried chicken bento box and frankly, it was mediocre. Except for the chicken, all of the sides were cold (Japanese yam, cucumber and onion pickles, and brown rice), which I wasn't expecting. The chicken was very dry and the portion was underwhelming. All in all, not the greatest meal I've had.
After my disappointing lunch, I set out and began to explore Washington DC. My wanderings took me to Constitution Ave, Ford Theater, the FBI building, the National Mall, and the White House. In about 2 hours, I walked nearly 7 miles in the brutal heat, the sun beating down on me. I covered a lot of ground and I enjoyed exploring, but I ended the day exhausted and with a really dark (and noticeable) tan!
Congress
FBI Building
Ford's Theater
Washington Monument
View of Congress from the Washington Monument
World War II Memorial
A selection of quotes from the WWII memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool
Statue of President Lincoln
The White House!
I ended my hours of exploration by meeting my friend B and his girlfriend E for some delicious sushi! We arrived at the sushi place quite early to partake in sushi "happy hour." Like regular happy hour, during this designated time, sushi is half price, which for us was fantastic, since this place is normally quite pricey -- or so B tells me. I also ordered an ice cold ume-shu (plum wine), which was also delicious!
It was nice to catch up with B since we'd both been busy and didn't really get to chat since I'd arrived in DC. I'd also never met his girlfriend, so it was really nice to finally put a face to the name and get to know her. Taking advantage of happy hour, we ordered many rolls, and we devoured all of them! :D Honestly, I probably could've eaten a lot more, but hey, I'm a self proclaimed sushi addict and in the end, it's probably best that I didn't -- everything in moderation, right?
I'm so glad B recommended this for dinner. The food was delicious, the company was great, and it was a really wonderful way to relax after my two hours of sightseeing!
My last day in DC, I had a couple hours to kill before my train back to Manhattan, so I did a little bit more sightseeing. As an espionage historian, I was dying to visit DC's "International Spy Museum." I've read about it and I subscribe to their podcast, so I was really excited to visit. I'll be very blunt and say that it's a bit more gimmicky than I would've liked. It's less Smithsonian and a bit more Disneyland, but still, it was fairly informative and a lot of fun.
The museum is broken into several areas ranging from espionage tradecraft to the history of espionage and the history of military intelligence in general. I didn't love the first section on tradecraft because it felt very campy and Disney-like, meant to entertain, more than educate, but I appreciate the effort made.
The rest of the museum, which focused upon history, THAT I liked. It started from the very beginning and discussed espionage history up to the modern day. A lot of the information displayed I knew, but it was still fun to read about. I though the spy museum staff did a great job conveying the facts to the public.
Ninja
Mata Hari, famous WWI spy and courtesan
Naturally, with my specialty in World War II, I was fairly critical about the WWII section of the museum. I'll admit, I started to grin and get very giddy when I saw the Enigma machine on display! What can I say? I love the Enigma! I'd say, the WWII section was pretty accurate -- I found one or two facts that I would've argued, but overall, not bad.
Enigma
By far, the best part of the Spy Museum -- at least for me -- was the James Bond exhibit! I am a MASSIVE James Bond fan and have been for about 20 years or so. You know, come to think of it, that's probably why I ended up an espionage historian! On the ground floor of the Spy Museum is a sprawling exhibition examining the many villains and themes of the 007 films. Starting with Sean Connery and working up to Daniel Craig, the exhibit examined the ways in which James Bond films touch upon modern day fears, as well as the many faces of Bond villains. I really loved the small theater set up where real CIA agents told stories about missions and their "James Bond" moments. It was so fascinating!
Jaws, meet Jaws
Overall, the Spy Museum was fun, but definitely not a very "intellectual" museum. Definitely geared more towards entertainment, which is fine. I see nothing wrong with that! I'm really delighted that I was able to visit and I recommend the Spy Museum to any espionage enthusiasts out there. My favorite part was most definitely the James Bond exhibit. Sooooooo cool!
After the Spy Museum, I met up with my college friend, R, for some lunch. She works practically around the corner from the museum. She took me to a local Korean taco place for lunch and man, that food was D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S! We each ordered three tacos, which in the end was quite messy, but so worth it. I had a chicken taco, bulgogi (beef) taco, and a spicy pork taco, all of which was toppled with their recommended salads. One of my tacos had kimchi, another kale salad, and my final one had an Asian slaw. OH MY GOD. These tacos were SUPERB. Some of the best I've eaten! I wish I could have more!!!!!
My trio of Korean Tacos
After lunch, R and I went for some dessert. The night before, B's girlfriend, E, had mentioned to me that the "quintessential DC food experience" was grabbing a doughnut from Astro's. As a foodies and someone with a massive sweet tooth, I was a girl on a mission. I was determined to try an Astro's doughnut before heading back to Manhattan.
The menu selection isn't vast, like Dunkin Donuts, but that only means that the doughnuts taste THAT much better! When we were there, there were six doughnuts on the menu: maple bacon, vanilla bean, creme brûlée, apple pie, passion fruit and raspberry, and oreo. Choosing a doughnut for dessert was incredibly difficult, but after much deliberation, I decided upon the maple bacon doughnut. All I can say it, RIGHT CHOICE. These doughnuts were so fluffy and the toppings were wonderfully sweet. As I write this, I'm wishing that I had one right now! So glad I was able to have an Astro doughnut!
The foyer of the National Portrait Gallery is stunning
All in all, although my trip to DC was brief, I had a great time! I managed to do some archival research, see my friends, enjoy some delicious foods, and take in the sights. All in all, I'd say that my trip was a success. Until next time, DC. ;)
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