Have I mentioned I love Saturday mornings?

It’s Saturday morning and I have been doing the things that I love doing on Saturday mornings: drinking coffee, catching up on emails, checking my favorite blogs (this one and this one), and balancing my budget. Seriously, I LOVE balancing my budget. I don’t know what it is about it, but sometimes I wish it took longer than like…5 minutes. Maybe it’s because secretly I miss math and exercising the part of my brain that only gets used when I tip the waiter or…balance my budget.

But really, I am blogging this morning because I wanted to post these pictures:

It’s been snowing in DC! And the monuments and Capitol and old buildings look so beautiful, and not nearly as white, when the snow is falling. And it brings the tourist out of me every time.

This is Leigh, Elyse, and me walking from the Senate to the House side for lunch. We decided to brave the blizzard on the way there, but on the way back we opted for the tunnels that connect all the Senate and House buildings, Capitol, and Library of Congress. Just like Disney World.

What will NY152 say today, I wonder

And then the Cranberries start singing “Dream” and I get chills. Every time. Every. time.

Every time I go to New York City, I feel like I have traveled to another world. In part, because I have always held New York in such high regard in my mind. Normal things, like Ellis Island, the Industrial Revolution, the Statue of Liberty, have all been agents in capturing my imagination and maybe a little piece of my heart.

Eric and I went to New York on Saturday for the day. We took the 7am bus from Chinatown in DC to 34th and 7th Street, New York City, New York.  And took the 8:30pm bus back to DC. So we had 8 hours in NYC to wander around and do whatever we pleased. And it was a blast.

We went to Cafe Lalo for lunch, the setting of the classic scene.

 “Will you be mean to him, too?”
“No, I will not. Because the man who is coming here tonight is completely unlike you. The man who is coming here tonight is kind and funny, he has the most wonderful sense of humor…” 
“But… he’s not here.”

Not every boyfriend would go to Cafe Lalo, you know. And not every boyfriend would genuinely like “You’ve Got Mail”.

We ended the night with New York style pizza. Where we (Eric) ate a hefty portion of a large pizza. And by “hefty” I mean all but one piece. It was cold and we had been walking all day, so…justified.

And then the bus took us home while we reminisced about our relaxing and pleasant day.

“How can you forgive this guy for standing you up and not forgive me for this tiny little thing of… of putting you out of business?”

Poptarts and Literature

Martin Luther King Day was glorious. Mainly, because it combined all of my favorite things: a day off work, brunch in Eastern Market, friends, and Capitol Hill Books.

This is Becky fitting in very well with the 50s diner atmosphere. It was my first experience at Ted’s Bulletin, and it was quite enjoyable. The menus look like old newspapers, and I had a homemade poptart, poached eggs, sausage, and coffee for breakfast. So I was a happy customer, despite the poor service.

Leigh is most likely pointing out a good murder story here. I will always associate her with mystery novels. I can’t help it. I grew up with her.

After brunch we went to Capitol Hill Books. I think it is safe to say that it is one of my favorite places in DC. For the obvious reason that it is a bookstore, yes, but also because the owner is a dry, sarcastic, outspoken man who clearly loves what he does. He has little notes places all around the store with his own personal commentary on life, the books he sells, and you.

“Popular with your demographic!” It really doesn’t get much funnier than that. And it makes me want to buy a book. Which I did.

Upon Leigh’s recommendation, I bought The Secret Adversary. I am excited about reading it. For some reason, I managed to live this long without reading an Agatha Christie novel.

I also like the fact that when you walk into the store, you feel like you are drowning in books. It’s so cozy! And I want to live there.

There are even books in the bathroom.

His one-sentence book commentaries made us laugh. Classic.

And that is that day in nutshell. Pretty perfect, if you ask me.