Sunday, September 18, 2011

We Love Washington, DC, #17

Happy Constitution Day.  Today is the 224th anniversary of the adoption of the United States Constitution.  And, while the Constitution was actually drafted in Philadelphia, it's current location is Washington, DC.  Now, the obvious way to celebrate today would have been to visit the National Archives and view that auspicious document in person.  But, we like to think of ourselves as non-conformists, so we skipped the Archives and headed to some other equally fun and important DC landmarks.

First stop, breakfast at Eastern Market.  If you've ever been to Washington, DC, and not had breakfast here, you are missing out.  The bluebucks (buckwheat, blueberry pancakes) and french toast are out of this world.  Eastern Market is a DC institution and a favorite destination for us, though one we seldom rise early enough for on Saturday morning.  It was overcast and chilly today, it seems autumn is upon us, so the market was not as crowded as it usually is and the breakfast line was a mere 20 minute wait.  Sometimes the line is so long they run out of breakfast before they run out of line.  The boys and I took in all the wares available for purchase while Kenny held our place in line and then all four of us dove with abandon into our delectable orders.  The verdict?  A collective YUM!












Caleb had a soccer game this afternoon so we only had time for one more stop before heading home to change.  We opted for a visit to the Jefferson Memorial, another item on our seemingly endless Washington, DC, bucket list.  It was surprisingly crowded with several bus loads of tourists from who knows where America and at least one group from France.  While walking around the Tidal Basin from the parking lot to the Memorial we were delighted to discover a crew of workers striking chain link fences and loading up cement barriers.  The Jefferson Memorial has been surrounded by scaffolding and fencing for the better part of the last decade and today, finally, it looked as though that phase of its existence may have concluded.  Sadly, the Memorial is sinking into the Potomac and more refurbishment is planned through the Trust for the National Mall, but for now the barriers are down.









For the Constitution's 225th birthday we will be in China, a fact that makes celebrating our citizenship on our own soil today especially noteworthy.

2 comments:

Lauren in GA said...

I'm sold. I definitely want to visit the Eastern Market.

I'ts kind of unreal that you live there among these incredible, historical places that people from all over the world travel to see...and you have a soccer game to attend in the midst of all of the history. I love it.

It makes me wonder if tourists are kind of insufferable? I always wonder how people who actually live in high traffic historical places/tourist towns feel about tourists.

Sue said...

i love the fleamarket, too. once i went there with imara and his dogs :)

 

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