Happiness, hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink

So there you go, right?  Drinking, boyfriends/husbands that don’t make me happy, the clutter in my life, it’s all things I’ve used to move away from happiness and well, it’s time to face it, them dog days are over.  It’s time to make a conscious decision and use this opportunity of being able to do anything the f*** I want as exactly that.  Slowly but surely I’m getting it boys and girls, this may not be an early bird gets the worm life but soon it will be the life that I want because I have the ability to make it that.  So while I still may venture to a cantina for a little lovin’ from Mr. Cuervo tonight it will be to share a special day with my best friend, maybe flirt with a cute boy but not to try to make him a forever boy, drop off some stuff to goodwill because other people could actually use my hoards of things and to laugh, at myself and with others, a lot.  Life is about enjoying the little things but also about making well thought out decisions for the big things and giving them time to show you the way that’s right rather than rushing anything.  I will just have to repeat that mantra to myself as I wait two days for the polyurethane to dry before I can move all this crap back into it’s correct place in the house

Here’s the progression of the floors, thank God for John and his best friend Travis!

Of course some of these are me dreaming, but I love the idea of a bright white room with some of the irridescent tiles.  I have a walk in closet that is actually two closets so I was thinking about really opening up the space by knocking one out.  Again, massive project.

On the work front things are really on a roll lately.  I’m starting to realize the true power of networking.  Yesterday I dropped off a lovely teapot to a local but big magazine Kentucky Bride which is run by a good friend of mine’s mother.  I am really excited about this because even though it’s a small feature it’s in one of my favorite magazines that is all about my favorite thing, weddings.  She does a great job of featuring local fare and emphasizes the use of your surroundings and roots in event planning.  Then last night I went out with a very old friend of mine whom I went to elementary school with.  We recently reconnected and it strikes me that I don’t know why I ever lost touch with her since she is just lovely.  Bonus points are that she works as a supplier for some of the major companies in the region and plays a big part in stocking their gift shops.  So I’m going to work with her and try to get some of my pieces in there which would be huge for my company!  Maybe now I’ll actually go to one of the young entrepreneurs events I get invited to as networking is showing its worth here lately.  Finally, as if these amazing opportunities weren’t enough, I sold my first wholesale order and in a few short weeks we will officially be in a brick and mortar shop!  It’s in St. Louis, which is exciting because I’ve never been there and may use it as an excuse to go up and catch a Cardinals game.  That would mean having a weekend free though and it appears that if things keep going the way they have lately Saturdays off may be a thing of the past.  I’m thankful for having such great people around me all of the time and can’t wait to see the finished products I’m thinking up, I’ll be sure to share as soon as they are done.

Since I have been on the receiving end of so much this week I wanted to pay it back a little and will be adding a lot of recipes to the tab at the top, so make sure and check it out to make your weekend as delicious as mine!

Tomorrow I have my internship interview with a local wedding planning studio, fingers crossed on that one.  And of course I have multiple friends getting married this year who seek my advice on all wedding things and this week has been no exception.  If the FBI ever came for my hard drive let me say, they would probably think I was a wedding planner already being how much I search for that perfect decor.  So I was thinking that before I become partially officially one I should share some of my soon to be secrets and post a few of my favorite ideas.  Also, on my own advice, since I have already been a bride, and a bridesmaid oh so many times, it’s only fair that I don’t hoard ideas in the hopes to use them myself one day.  Enjoy!

For more ideas follow my board Events and Weddings on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kate_lossen/events-and-weddings/

“Our little company had a really big day today.”  Ok, so I’m paraphrasing but it’s true.  Maybe that’s not where I should start though.  This week has been a crazy one, starting last Saturday I feel like I haven’t sat down once.  I, with John (My bro), his best friend and my best friend, who happen to be engaged to each other, and some other great pals went to our local Summerfest.  Whomever, I now have to write a strong worded letter to, that decides what plays to put on chose way, way, way wrong last week.  It was Frankenstein, I believe literally word for word in 19th century dialogue from the book…on a 90 degree night where alcohol is being served…in the dark…on a blanket…get my drift?  It was so incredibly boring, well acted, but boring that I’m not even going to see Rocky Horror tonight and I’ve been waiting for that for over two months.  I can’t take the chance of a repeat, it’s too monstrous a thought.

However, after doing gardening and harvesting some gianormous cucumbers on Sunday, Cait and I trekked to Nashville for Ms. Britney Spears, Monday night.  We started on the strip at Whiskey Bent Saloon, where seriously one of the best singers (Taria), and very entertaining on the side, was letting Caitlin and I treat her like a jukebox and even played Coal Miner’s Daughter.  Bless her heart she didn’t know the words, but Nashville is so darn friendly the bartender came up on stage and sang her through it, and man could she belt it too.  Don’t you just love going somewhere and feeling awed?  That never happens to me, I mean it, the Vatican was even a bore to me and I’m an art lover.  But these little ladies just blew me away, I did not want to leave, even for Britney.  So if you go to Nashville, go on a Monday and see Taria and her band, and then go ask Marie the bartender to give you a few notes too.

And then there was Britney.  Well first there was some catastrophe named Nicki Minaj, but then there was Britney.  I must say I was so impressed, I am not a die hard fan, the last song of hers I knew all the words to I was in middle school.  But she sang, for real, and she danced like a maniac and thank God her body looked just like mine or any of my friends.  Ok, she had extensions, but other than that, she had a little cellulite, a bit of extra this or that here and there, and boy was she gorgeous.  I sure wish you didn’t have to see her in person, and pretty close up, to realize she’s just a regular gal like the rest of us.  On the outside at least, inside no one is regular and that’s all I’ll say out of my new found Britney respect. Unfortunately I don’t have anything exciting like smuggled tigers or great twin mexican dancers this trip, maybe it means we are finally growing up.

And that brings me to my opener of Mr. Maguire.  I left my full time job of three and half years in May to take over my art full time.  I had a boyfriend who was helping support me and was making enough on my own through Etsy to pay the bills.  When I left said job I totally Jerry Maguire memo’d Corporate in my exit letter, and although there was no Bob Sugar showdown, my exit was dramatic enough not to return.  It gives you a sense of make it or break it in a new found way and so I’ve spent the summer working, hard.  Last week I had my Avery moment though when my boyfriend and I broke up, there was no physical punch in the face in my version but definetly a wake up call that it was time to pick up the pace, or go back to the corporate grind.  And “today our small company had a really big day”, hopefully a start to my road to Martha-dom.  We are going to be featured (fingers crossed) in a fantastic magazine this fall, and on top of that I have an interview for an internship at a major Event Planning company that could lead to a career in creativity and still time for my art.  So many people share this dream with me to do something they love, and I don’t want to be one that goes through life just hoping.  I know I have to work hard for it and today was very rewarding in making my goals a reality, one that could be a huge platform for success.  But no, I’m not going to quote Rod Tidwell, if I wanted someone to show me the money I would stay in the cubicle, instead I will leave you with Jerry’s mentor Dicky Fox, and try very hard to remember his words, “I love the mornings! I clap my hands every morning and say, ‘This is gonna be a great day!’.  I said it this morning and I hope to say it everyone after, it may not come easy but I am grabbing the goldfish and saying “Who is coming with me?”.

Friday will mark the end of an era for me along with millions of other people.  I suppose with the last installment of Harry Potter coming out I should also finally accept that my invitation to Hogwarts isn’t coming this summer just as it hasn’t for the past twelve summers I’ve waited for it.  I first read The Sorcerer’s Stone my freshman year in highschool and then concurrent titles starting on the day of their release.  I have waited in lines, dressed up in striped scarves and snacked on Bertie’s Beans even when I was far too old to be participating and got more than a few dirty looks from parents.  I’ve waited outside theaters in below freezing weather perfectly willing to take out the toddler in wire frame glasses if it comes down to a ticket in my hand or his.  Of course like everyone else we’ve watched the actors grow up, waited with anxiety that only a cruciatus curse could have equaled to find out who J.K. was going to kill and have savored every moment since last year when He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named signaled the end was coming with the elder wand.

I share this obsession with my best friend Caitlin, who although is in the midst of major wedding planning is dropping everything to prepare with me for Friday.  We have decided to make a week of it and have planned events for after the end in order to keep our spirits high and avoid suicidal thoughts in a world without new Harry.  Monday we are traveling to Nashville to see the one and only Britney, which in itself may be a decent cure if only Cait and I weren’t prone to Hangover type trips.

Last September when we went to Nashville for Reba we got a little too tipsy and wandered into what we thought was a malt shop to use the restroom. Turns out, and this should be a country song title, it ain’t your normal malt shop.  After realizing it was in fact a bar, we stupidly asked why we were the only patrons and why they didn’t advertise.  The owner, named Dom, said the real bar was on the roof, so ignoring all after school specials we had ever seen we decided to go up with him.  On the third floor we stopped to pet his illegal Malaysian snow leopard named Baby (I say this so casually because for some reason Cait and I did not find this unusual until the next day.  I know.) and then once on the roof came to the quick revelation the reason they didn’t advertise was because the bar was a scene from Eyes Wide Shut with people doing things that movie would consider indecent.  Of course we were out of there like snow on a beach but I must say that is probably one of the more normal things that has happened to her and I while out of town together, or even in town if I’m honest.  Either way I am fully hoping for an adventure during and after Britney and promise this year to fully document any smuggled animals* or underground on-goings we happen to find.  On Thursday we are going to Rocky Horror live in our local Summerfest which should be just as entertaining and rather underground itself.

Next weekend, once all the festivities have finished I am sure to go into a deep and dark depression, I will eat lots of chocolate and justify it with dementors only to sink deeper knowing there are no more to come.  Alas I trek on towards Friday in which I will feel very young again and sentimental and also very old at having spent twelve, TWELVE, years of my life worshiping a fantastical world that while may never be real to most will always be part of what made up a huge chunk of my reality.

*I will call the ASPCA this time too!  I can’t believe I didn’t even ask how he got it declawed or what it ate, do you think it eats goats like in Jurassic Park?  I do.

Cut strips of the jersey lengthwise making them as long as the fabric, most jersey is 45″ or 60″.  I got a 1/2 yard of each of  the colors I wanted and that makes on average about 10-15 bracelets.  I cut each strip around 1″-1 1/2″ wide, you’ll figure out the width that you prefer a few bracelets into the project.  I like them thick but not too thick and that measurement works perfect for me but to make them smaller you can cut thinner strips, just be careful because jersey shreds at the edges and cut too thin you’ll have nothing but a mess.  Now follow the pictures:

Click to view slideshow.

Hold the ‘tail’ in between your thumb and index finger.  Wrap the strip behind your ring finger, in front of your pinky and back around behind your pinky, then in front of your ring finger and back around both ring and pinky to hold it in the palm of your hand with your thumb.  Confused yet?  It’s easier than you think but I’m going to over document it anyways.

Now take the bottom loop on your ring finger and bring it over the top loop and off your finger, leaving the bottom loop on your finger.  Repeat with pinky finger loops.  Wrap the strip back around your fingers to bring it back to the front of your palm and repeat the loop action.  After the second run pull the tail from your thumb through your pinky and ring finger to come out the back as you work.  Repeat hooking the loops until your bracelet is to the desired length, just remember the jersey stretches so you want to make it slightly smaller than your wrist size.

Once you get it to the length you want, take the rest of the strip and thread it to the two loops that are on your fingers and pull tight.  Now tie the tail end of the bracelet (beginning) to the end in three or four knots until it feels secure.  Finished!  If You are anything like me, make 600 more and enjoy!

Of course I offer these bracelets in my shop and you can purchase them in an array of colors for all you non-crafters or those who just don’t have endless rainy days in a row!  Now to bring some summer into my life I’m going to make a July kind of lunch.  A delicious salad that’s easy and fresh and takes advantage of the gazillion strawberries that came out of my garden.  All it is is spring mix lettuce, sliced strawberries, feta crumbles, walnut pieces and a fruit vinaigrette, I like fat-free Cranberry from Maple Grove Farms that I found at Kroger.  Stir it all together and be ready to indulge, and yes I know it’s a salad and I am a picky eater so when I use the term indulge you know it’s tasty.

A little history on Lexington.  The town was originally founded in Virginia until 17 years later it became part of the state of Kentucky.  Being founded in 1775 the townspeople proudly named the town after the hard won Battle of Lexington, Massachussetts.  The town has always been upper crust, boasting early on large plantations and prestigous univerities.  Later becoming known for it’s Thoroughbred Farms, racing tradition and now a rock in the fledgling economy supported by it’s diverse job market.  For being somewhat of a small town, if not by population definetly by degrees of seperation, Lexington is a cultural center on it’s own.  It has bragging rights on famous musicians such as The Judds and Vince Gill, actors such as George Clooney, Johnny Depp and Ashley Judd, politicians such as Henry Clay, Jefferson Davis and great hemp activist Gatewood Galbraith, sportsman including Adolph Rupp, Rick Pitino, and David Akers, horses such as Secretariat, Cigar and Smarty Jones, and others like Mary Todd Lincoln, J. Peterman and Henry Earl.  So as you can see there is more than meets the eye to our neck of the woods and a great reason to read on and explore.

I’ll start with places to stay.  Of course we have you’re stationary Marriott, Hyatt, Holiday Inn, etc. but if you’re gonna come down here there are a lot neater spots to hit the hay.  Gratz Park Inn downtown is located on a historic park and has a great restaraunt Jonathan’s attached who even homemakes the ice cream.  The quaint Rose Hill Inn in Versailles (about 10-15 min by car to downtown) that has the feeling of staying in a perfectly decorated dollhouse and also has a restaraunt.  And while the B & B’s are fun if you are coming for the games and can still get a room at them good luck, otherwise try the Hilton Lexington Green, it overlooks a pond and a great seafood restaurant with a patio and cold drinks.  Of course if you are the Queen of England than you would be staying at your own designated room at Lane’s End Farm but if you’re not then feel like her by getting a room at Castle Post.

Now one of our best features is places to eat.  Holly Hill Inn just outside of Lexington in Midway is an old house converted to a restauraunt that provides a seasonal menu made as much as possible from local food.  Joe Bologna’s downtown is a place not to miss, an old church turned pizza place they serve you breadsticks the size of your arm sitting in their own tubs of garlic butter.  I mean really.  I love Buddy’s on campus, their buttermilk fried chicken is about as good as my Momma’s and the atomosphere is modern without the expense.  Dudley’s, also downtown, is classic and covered in Thoroughbred memorabilia to peak your interest in the locale. After you eat there head across the street to a great patio bar with live music Cheapside, it’s in one of the oldest buildings in town and has a huge martini list…plus the boyfriend works there so if you mention you heard about it here maybe he’ll give your drink special attention.  We have a strong Irish population here so many pubs as well, try Harvey’s for a modern one and McCarthy’s for a traditional one, both places have great drinks and sometimes McCarthy’s has an authentic band.  Some fun lunch spots are Flag Fork Herb Farm, it’s only open on Saturdays and it’s packed with ladies lunching, it’s also attached to a jam packed shop full of artsy and local stuff that is unbelievably well priced.  If you’re looking for that southern fried feel a great local dive in three locations is Ramsey’s, get the fried green tomatoes and you’ll die on the spot they are so good.  If you want upscale and the complete dining experience for dinner check out La Deauville, a french restaraunt that will make you feel like you’re on Top Chef with full five and seven course meal options.  For breakfast head to the south end of town on your way to Keeneland and stop in the Coffee Pub, it’s in a 200 year old farmhouse and serves the freshest omelets you’ll get without squeezing a chicken.  And if you’re downtown on a Tues, Thurs, or Saturday there is a large Farmer’s Market with everything from crepe’s made right in front of you to BBQ that’ll make you smack your grandmother.  If it’s not a farmer’s market day head into the Courtyard Deli where local owner’s serve the usual sandwiches but then knock your socks off with daily specials you’d never expect to find, but you may have to wait in line since everyone is on to them.  Although we are a small town we have a very versatile culinary scene that is not only award wining but true to it’s roots and not above themselves in pricing, in other words come get the big city taste without the big city price.

Ah and now to shopping.  We have a mall, everyone has a mall, if that’s what you do on your vacation stay at home and save the gas.  Instead come here for the arts scene that is everywhere in town.  Start with Artique, there are two locations, one in downtown, it is full with local artists works from pottery to paintings to jewelry and has a lot of affordable and expensive equine art.  Victorian Square is a different kind of experience and if you’re with kids the Children’s Museum shop located there is a lot of fun, get the space ice cream.  Black Market and Third Street Stuff have loads of unique items, a lot of them hand made and almost all of them great things to take home as gifts.  Cross Gate Gallery is where to go if you are in the market for fine art, which a lot of Equestrian gamers will be, the local owner has owned the business longer than I’ve been alive and is the only one I would spend my money with.  Pop’s Shop on Leestown Rd. is a surprising little dive that is full of antiques and take-you back decor that you won’t leave empty handed.  Joseph Beth is a gianormous bookseller that is local besides one other in Cincinatti, it is beautifully laid out and staffed with English majors from our local universites, plus they let you read the book there if you want in oversized chairs by fireplaces.  Old Kentucky Chocolates has a few locations around town and you will be kicking yourself if you don’t get atleast one box of their bourbon balls, I like the dark chocolate ones myself.  There are a lot of great local shops and galleries and your concierge no matter what hotel will be glad to fill you in on more, otherwise anyone you run into will point you in the right direction as well, you are in the south after all.

And finally last but not least, things to do.  If you’re coming here it’s probably due to an interest in one of three things, Bourbon, Basketball or Racing.  I’ll touch on Bourbon here but check back later this month for an entire blog about it.  We have the Bourbon Trail that takes you to many local distillery tours that offer tasting and great gift shops, if you can’t make the tour head to Cheapside or Blue Grass Tavern, ask for a Kentucky Apple Shot, you’ll walk away happy.  University of Kentucky Basketball is a big draw, we are usually in the top spot during the season and play in a very compelling conference.  Plus we have lunatic fans that will make you feel like you are at the Superbowl even when we’re playing an exhibition game, let alone Florida or Tennessee.  And obviously there’s racing, we have Keeneland that is the classiest track you will ever go to.  It is one you enjoy at all ages and is very kid friendly, just don’t wear jeans for God’s sake it’s not that kind of joint, think khaki’s at a minimum, suit at a probably.  The Kentucky Horse Park, where you will spend a lot of time if you’re here for the Games is awesome.  It is basically a very, very large working farm where you can not only see some racing greats in retirement but you can ride a horse yourself and visit their all-equine gift shop.  Admission ranges from free to cheap and it’s a great place for a drive, picnic or camping. Farm tours are also available and for a horse fan are a must, you will go to all the major players and maybe you’ll get lucky and see someone like the Sheikh of Dubai, who owns two farms in the area.  Some other places are the Mary Todd Lincoln House, Triangle Park which makes a great photo op, and the Kentucky Scenic Route which includes Pisgah Pike and the Castle.  You also might want to take a stroll through one of our many wineries and sit down to enjoy tastings offered by walk in at most of them.  And if you have a day or two head about an hour out of town and hike the Red River Gorge, if you’re here in the fall it’s heaven.

I don’t know how I summed up Washington, D.C. in a shorter spotlight because there is so much to do there but I honestly must say Lexington is on par with experience.  You really feel history and hospitality when your here but we also have a wild side that will surprise you.  I hope you get to come and be part of our tradition of excellence that is something you just can’t get in most places, it’s like entering this bubble of a lost time.  I’ll put in a gallery so right now you can get a glimpse of what I live everyday.  I’ll leave you with our unofficial slogan, ‘fast horses and pretty women’, you really can’t go wrong in a place like that.

I have a certifiable obsession with Christmas.  I watch Christmas movies year round, for example I am on my third dvd copy of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation from watching it so much.  I got HBO three days ago and have since watched Home Alone every time they’ve showed it.  It’s not just movies that are centered on Christmas, sometimes I will watch a movie because it has a tiny blip of holiday cheer in it for example I love Little Women and consider it a Christmas movie while most would definetly not.  Harry Potter is another one and it’s only because it comes out on Thanksgiving usually and kicks off the Holidays, plus it’s always a good go to for holiday break marathons.  I couldn’t ever name a top Christmas movie but there are definite front runners, all the forementioned of course, plus The Grinch (cartoon not awful Jim Carey version), The Family Man, A Christmas Story, The Santa Clause (1), Elf, Love Actually, Scroodged, Miracle on 34th Street and of course It’s a Wonderful Life.I got proposed to while It’s a Wonderful Life was on, it was the most romantic thing ever, the tree all lit up, stockings hung, fire crackling, I’ve got to give it to the ex-husband on that one, well done.  I think my life would be complete if I could live in the house from Home Alone, although the one from Father of the Bride would do just fine too.  After watching the movie so many times this week I am going to google and youtube rampantly until I know how to reproduce the wallpaper from the hallway in the Mcallister’s house and put it in my own hallway.  I think the wallpaper part should be relatively easy just stamping or screen printing, it’s the glue part that might get tricky, I’ll keep you posted.  Now Christmas music is easier to identify a top 5 or so list, we have two channels that from Thanksgiving on play nothing but holiday music.  Much to the chagrin of the Boyfriend I rock it out and get very depressed when it goes back to 90′s soft rock on the 26th.   I’m going to go with All I want for Christmas (Mariah Carey), I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa (John Cougar Mellencamp), Do They Know It’s Christmas (Bandaid), Happy Christmas (John and  Yoko), Amy Grant’s entire album, Last Christmas (George Michael), the old school Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree and that one where he’s a rock star and has beers in the car with his old flame.  So now this has gotten me all pumped up for Christmas (and sick of typing the word Christmas) and one of the funnest parts-SHOPPING!  I figure it can be a half-Christmas, like on Winnie The Pooh when they have half-birthdays on the six month to mark, and I can atleast make a wishlist.  Since I am an Etsy.com seller I figured I should be an Etsy.com buyer as well so I’m putting together a want, want, need compilation to inspire you to get a kick start on yours too!

Ford’s Theater is an absolute must, they do it on a time schedule so go in and get your tickets then grab lunch or check out the house across the street where Lincoln died while you wait.  Once you get in there you sit in the seats and a volunteer Docent recounts the whole assasination for you, just make sure you turn off your cell phone or they get really pissed.  At the top of the city is the National Cathedral which is just mindblowing, it’s also a great place to go before you park your car since it’s off the path a bit.  You feel like you are in Europe when you go here, it’s Gothic architecture is flawless but you will find some American touches such as the Space stained-glass window or the Darth Vader gargoyle.  The zoo is great fun, and again free, they have monkeys that just roam the park as they please and other ones that live in an elaborate cage system throughout the park that are very entertaining.  The zoo was just remodeled a couple years ago and it is one of few places that you can see Giant Panda’s, I highly recommend spending half a day there and if you go in the morning it is a lot less packed.  The Holocaust Museum, while not recommended for young children is one of the best museums I’ve ever been too.  They let you in on timed passes so it’s also a good place to go grab tickets and then eat lunch while you wait.  Be prepared though it is very intense but I wouldn’t skip it for anything!  The Jefferson Memorial is across the Potomac and is really phenomenal, you don’t realize how huge it is until you get in it, the way I figure is if Anthony Bourdain was willing to freeze his balls off to go you should make the trip too.  When you are on the metro take it all the way to Union Station at least once, it’s a monument on it’s own and it’s round bar at the center is a great stop for a mid-day cocktail, if you want to keep the party going there is also a Brewery next door that lets you taste test some of their ungodly amount of beers.  And finally the White House, you can go by and look at it anytime you want, make sure you see it at night and day, it’s a completley different experience.  If you plan ahead you can write your congressman and he will send you passes so that you can go in and tour parts of it, hey you may meet the Prez you never know!

Now to the fun stuff, FOOD.  D.C. has some of the greatest restaurants on the planet and can accomadate any taste preference.  As far as Breakfast goes I usually just find one of the many bakeries/patisseries that line the streets.  Although if you are there on a Saturday go to the farmer’s market called Eastern Market on Capotil Hill, it has the best breakfast around, be prepared to wait in line for hours, the later you get there the longer the wait and the more likely they’ve run out of what you want (and go see the Supreme Court while you’re up there!).  Lunch has loads of options, make sure one of them is not eating inside one of the museums and paying $8 for a Big Mac. Ben’s Chili Bowl is one of the most famous stops and also many a President’s favorite, it’s fast paced and a metro ride from most places but well worth it.  Port of Piraeus is a small Greek deli on the way downtown from the Westin and it is probably the best lunch I have ever had, they even have fantastic pizza if you have kids with you.  Speaking of pizza 2 Amy’s has some of the most delictable slices this side of Italy.  There are quite a few Five Guys, which is a burger joint and Prez Obama’s favorite lunch spot but those are now becoming a national chain so it may not be the spot for you if you have one at home.  There are always the vendors on the Mall who serve up a mean hot dog and will cost you way less than the museum food and save you the walk of a restaraunt that are non-existent on the Mall.  For dinner Georgia Brown’s hands down is a must.  You might want to call ahead as there is usually a wait, on Sunday’s they have brunch but a reservation is required as you will never get a seat otherwise.  Montmartre is one of my favorites and if you like French cuisine you might find yourself sitting down there every night.  For some seafood head to Occidental Grill, it’s a bit pricey but hey you’re on vacation.  Of course you can always find an adventure in China Town where they have the obvious but also some great Indian spots.  Late night there is Matchbox in Chinatown that is perfect after a few brews to prevent feeling hazy in the morning.    A great place to have those few beers is Old Ebbitt Grill, it’s the oldest restaurant in D.C. (I wouldn’t recommend the food) and was frequently visited by many President’s, being a favorite of Teddy Roosevelts.  The decor is what every Friday’s is based on and even has a stuffed walrus head that may have been from ole Teddy himself.  Of course D.C. is open container so you can always pull a Wedding Crasher’s and sip champagne on the Lincoln Memorial steps to watch the sunrise!

Washington is a magical town, it is an experience every American should have and really isn’t just for school trips.  Word to the wise you will do a lot of walking so take good shoes and some Exederin just to be safe.  Check out my gallery for more pics and let me know if you have any suggestions or stories.  I promise you it will be one of your greatest in-country vacations and would recommend it as a romantic getaway or a place to take the fam hands down.