Thus It Begins: Arrival, Hurricane Irene, Adventures All the Time

Hello from our Nation's capital! Yes, yes, I have arrived, survived an earthquake and a hurricane, and even been lectured on the jazz music of the celestial bodies by a seemingly crazy homeless man, so I feel right at home. Don't worry, he was nice, and even effectively using an umbrella, which was kind of shocking.

In any case, after arriving, moving in, going to welcome events and listening to mom-types drop names of politicos like nobody's business, I embarked on a few adventures with new friends. The first of which was to gaze upon the most phallic monument ever constructed as a symbol of a nation (yes, I did say "ever constructed" and I know this may be a lie, but just go with it). We hopped on the metro (look to your right, there is a map!) and intended to arrive at the Washington Monument via a trip to the Black Fashion Museum (note: this museum does not exist, however the U Street stop of metro does look like a hotspot for Ethiopian food and fake hair stores, these probably should not be enjoyed simultaneously). In any case, the detour gave me more experience with the whole underground subway system thingy (METRO) and I've realized that whoever created it was either brilliant or overly obsessed with the lives of small insects.

I've also realized that I'm bad at blogs. They do not come naturally to me, so hopefully these will improve.

So far in DC I have seen:

• Washington Monument
• Library of Congress
• Smithsonian American History Museum
• Arlington National Cemetery
• Union Station
• the Capitol/Supreme Court/Others from afar
• An excessive amount of restaurants.

Noteworthy experiences:

Julia Child's Kitchen!

A Vietnam-era Living Room

I know, this is kind of a weird thing to like, but it felt like you were sitting in a living room, watching news about the war. And staring at the really ugly mid-century wallpaper. 

The Library of Congress--absolutely beautiful.

Cuba Libre Restaurant Week Brunch

One of the best meals I have ever had. Ever. As part of restaurant week, we each picked four items from the menu. My four items were:

1. Torta de Cangrejo Benedict: Jumbo lump crabmeat and potato cake, poached egg, avocado mash, Tomato Hollandaise sauce.
2. Sopa Levanta Muerto: "Raise the Dead" with this coastal seafood soup overflowing with crabmeat, Baja bay scallops, shrimp and mussels. Coconut milk fortified “Chino-Cubano” broth. Truffle oil.
3. Cobbano Salad: A Cuban twist on the traditional Cobb salad. Warm roasted pulled pork, sweet plantain salpicón, hearts of palm, organic grape tomatoes, avocado, bacon, Cabrales cheese, hard boiled egg and scallions. Watercress and baby spinach. Light mustard vinaigrette.
4. Guacamole Cubano: Avocado, golden pineapple, fresh lime juice, and extra virgin olive oil. Crispy plantain chips.

It was very hard for me not to write a page of commentary for each of these, as they were all amazing and very unique. I mention, though, that plantains are one of my favorite foods and THEY ARE EVERYWHERE HERE. This morning, I told Andrea I would be a plantain if I was a fruit, "Yes, Brittany, you would be the weird, rejected banana."

In any case, I think this is enough for this first attempt at a blog-post. Tomorrow we're going to the Holocaust museum and I need to figure out the outfit appropriate for weeping profusely as well as walking long distances. Good night!