On the way to Atlanta

A month ago we went up to Atlanta to celebrate birthdays, more on that later.

On the way up north we stopped in High Springs and met up with Krin and Olivia & CJ who were visiting -- they were headed for a day at the springs. It was a brief visit, and so fun to see Olivia pregnant and she and CJ so exuberant about it. She's even bigger now, of course, check her out on their website.

Spring Break in Washington DC (the end)

We spent a rainy day at the Newseum and even got to do some reporting!

We had a great time in DC, we always do.

Got to see some good theater at one of our old favorites, the Studio Theater and a new favorite, Wooly Mammoth.

Enjoyed massages and facials at a nearby yoga studio, Tranquil Space.

Spent a lot of time and, somehow, not a lot of money in a couple of great bookstores, the always fun Kramer's, and a good used bookstore, Second Story, across the street from one of our very favorite pizza places ever, Pizzeria Paradiso.

Till next visit....

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 6)

The new National Museum of the American Indian is fantastic, inside and out, (including the cafeteria).

Best of all, my mom came down from NY and her (and our) friend Sally from Baltimore, to spend the day at the museum with us.

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 5)

We couldn't get into Congress and we couldn't get into the White House either.  This is the best glimpse we could get.  No Obamas in sight.  But it was nice to know they were around.
We put miles on every day, walking into neighborhoods all over the place.  Really enjoyed the walk into Georgetown, crossing the creek, feels like a small town (though it gets upscale, chain store, and touristy pretty fast) and we had a wonderful crepe brunch here.

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 4)

Here he is. Always an emotional moment, first seeing the man as you climb the steps. The Korean War monument is pretty stunning too.

Of course there are other kinds of statues in Washington as well.  

I love the sculpture garden at the Hirshhorn.

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 3)

We love the monuments in Washington and had a new one to check out this trip -- the WWII Memorial.  Boring.  The best thing about it is the views from it.  These are two of them.
The FDR Memorial is my favorite.  Almost.  I cannot get over my love of the Lincoln.  But this one is large and beautiful and complex, tells a great story of many years and many people.

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 2)

Lots of stuff was on break since it was, after all, the week before Easter. So we didn't get to see Congress in session as we had hoped. But it was Cherry Blossom time and so we walked from the hotel, through the mall, to the Tidal Basin, and the festival.

Spring Break in Washington DC (part 1)

We spent Mark's spring break in April in Washington D.C. Just to be in a city with good vibes, great art and culture in general, a walking city, a city where you happen upon interesting things all the time. We used the metro sometimes but walked and walked and walked. We stayed, this time, in the Topaz Hotel, right next door to our old favorite, The Tabard Inn. It's a Kimpton Hotel and we wanted to rack up some membership points, plus I wanted to check out the yoga inspired hotel. Indeed, we got bags with mats and props and there's a yoga channel on the TV 24 hours a day. Good class, but same class, all the time.
We were around the corner from the National Geographic building which has a great garden in front, loaded with bird feeders and insect sculptures.
We liked our quiet and pretty street. This is the view from our room.
We were just a couple of blocks from Dupont Circle so we headed right out when we arrived to see what was going on. Saturday in the city. And there was some sort of pillow event at the Circle.

Later on we investigated all the nice touches in our room, including the traditional Kimpton animal print robes, the Aveda products in the bathrooms, and the NY Times and Washington Post at our door every morning. Had to walk 1/2 a block to get to a Starbucks though.

Friends Restore You, or A Visit to Atlanta

Hard to believe it, but yesterday was one month since Willy died. What saved us from wallowing in a very dark hole those first days was a previously planned trip to Atlanta. We'd been thinking that we'd have to skip it, because even though we had altered our petsitting plans to include Willy staying with the vet, it seemed clear he was too sick to leave. Then he died. And we decided to go. It was the best decision we could have made. There is nothing like being with very close friends who love you and respect your feelings, and also getting some distance, to make extreme pain bearable, and even to help you forget for a while.

We haven't been to Atlanta without dogs for a while, but we had planned it that way so we could get out into the city and not worry about coming back and walking dogs. So we hit the road Friday afternoon September 7th and arrived late that night north of Atlanta in Alpharetta. It was so good to be with Barbara and Steve again.

We walked a new trail, went to a fascinating Benjamin Franklin exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, saw a musical version of The Women of Brewster Place at the Alliance Theater that didn't live up to expectations and some photography at the High Museum that exceeded expectations. Had good food and great companionship. It was hard returning home to a catless house, but our spirits were lifted up immeasurably by the visit.
Love those Schindlers.

Fun with Ben, a remarkable genius. (Or possibly a time traveler, as Barbara is convinced.)