DC Voyage Day 1

For this trip, we are trying something new that I am not accustomed to which is something the kids are calling “planning”. For example, even though we flew out today, I packed my bags yesterday. Apparently you just make decisions early and stuff. I don’t know if I like it yet, I’ll report back later.

 

Additionally, I spent some time last night working on the site so you may have noticed a new theme, fresh colors, and some organization, but rest assured the same wit will still be here! I also splurged and got a shiny “new” camera (new-to-me, actually used) that I’ve been itching to get out and shoot with!

 

So, our flight was scheduled to board at 10:45 and fly out at 11:15am. We were early (another new thing for me), so we arrived about 10am. We made our way through check-in and TSA Check-point Charlie without incident. We then watched as our flight was delayed from 11:15 to 11:30 to 1pm to 1:30 to 2:30. After the second delay, we rescheduled our connection, then rescheduled our rescheduled connection. After several hours of frustration, we decided to approach the attendant, unsure if we would ever leave and perhaps we should take another route. Adrienne went because, well, she’s an attorney and I felt like negotiation is her thing – with these things she has all the chill. She came back with several options, and as she was laying them out for me to make a final decision the plane pulled in. SHE SUMMONED THE PLANE. They were nice and had a little station of snacks, and we promptly ate some Cheetos and had a soda.

 

The flight to ATL was uneventful otherwise. While on the plane, I made up this joke:

Q: What do two introverts talk about on a plane?

A: Nothing that doesn’t need to be discussed!

 

We had a short connection there to DC. Just before taking off, Adrienne asked me, “so what’s been your favorite part of the trip so far?” I didn’t have an answer, but when I put the question back to her, she said, “hmmm… I think I would have to say it was the Cheetos.” Just before leaving, she texted her friend living in DC and asked for recommendations for dinner which were waiting for us when we got there. So we grabbed our luggage, hopped in a taxi, jumped on OpenTable and booked a table at Floriana, dropped our luggage off in the hotel room, and made our way to dinner.

 

At this point, we were both hangry. Hangry is a portmanteau for when you are concurrently so hungry that you become angry (FYI I wrote that sentence before I read the Mental Floss article, in case you thought I stole their verbiage). As good as Cheetos are, they aren’t exactly life-sustaining. That said, those who know me know I keep a bag of emergency Cheetos in my glove box. For emergencies.

 

Floriana is a quaint little Italian restaurant about 2 blocks from our hotel. The walls are painted fire-hydrant red and the waiter looked like a bad guy from a Jason Statham movie. She had sangria which was my first taste of sangria. I tried looking it up once to get a feel for the drink and it always sounded like the recipe for making liquor in prison. This wasn’t too bad, though. I had a High Seas – vodka, cucumber, Earl Grey, and soda. There was some lime juice in there, too. It was cool and very refreshing.

 

We shared an appetizer of fried Brussel’s Sprouts – they were lightly fried with a nice crisp with a little pork (bacon, I presume) for flavor. Uncharacteristically full of both flavor and texture, this was a dish we couldn’t stop eating because we hadn’t eaten all day. But it was actually just great.

 

Adrienne had the lasagna which was some of the most beautifully prepared lasagna I’ve ever seen. It stood alone on the plate without sliding or falling over on itself. The mozzarella on top was roasted just perfectly to bring out the often-forgotten flavor of that cheese. Usually in America, mozzarella is a flavorless food additive to give a food cheesy texture without changing the taste of the dish. Also, the problem with foods like that is that they’re unnecessary calories. I digress! The lasagna was amazing.

 

I ordered lamb gnocchi. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. The gnocchi I have had in the past was basically indistinguishable from pasta excepting in shape. This was completely different. Gnocchi are soft dough dumplings that are often made from potatoes and are served almost as a substitute for pasta. In this dish, they were served with a moderate helping of a spicy lamb sauce with a flavor that seemed more Indo-Pakastani than it did Italian; it was almost a curried lamb served over gnocchi. At any rate, the gnocchi were really a pleasure to eat. They were soft and delicate and the knife was only ever used to assist in scooping.

 

Our bellies full, we made our way back to the hotel to regroup for the next day.