So far I absolutely love living in the D.C. area. There are endless options for places to explore, such as music festivals, art fairs, museums, ethnic restaurants, and national landmarks, just to name a few. For our first Friday in D.C., a group of us went to the sculpture garden to see a live jazz concert. I enjoyed seeing all the people sitting around the fountain with their feet dipped in the water as they basked in the setting sun and relaxed now that it was the weekend. We went and saw some more live jazz music this past weekend at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival, right off the metro. By the time my roommates and I arrived, there was a Latin jazz ensemble performing on stage. The energy of the musicians was incredible, especially the saxophone soloist. I was bummed out that it had to end at 7pm because I could have easily stayed there all night.
Besides having the opportunity to see live music, I have also attended a couple of the Smithsonian museums during my first week or so here in D.C. I think it is phenomenal that visitors can attend these museums free of charge. Back in Chicago the museums can be rather costly, but here in D.C. you do not even have to wait in line for tickets, you can just walk right in. The first museum I went to was the National Gallery of Art. We got there about an hour before closing so we just did a brief walk through, but I would definitely like to make a return visit. The second museum was the Air and Space Museum. We went during Labor Day weekend, so it was rather crowded but still enjoyable. I was amazed how they had all the aircrafts and spacecrafts hanging on display from the ceiling. The next museums that I would like to check out are the American Indian Museum and the Natural History Museum.
Most recently, this past weekend, a group of us went to the King Street Arts Festival in Alexandria on Saturday followed by Adams Morgan Day on Sunday. The King Street Arts Festival was bigger than I expected, with tons of tents set up along King Street all the way down to the waterfront. I did not think it was possible, but the Adams Morgan festival was even larger. They had vendors of all sorts, ranging from jewelry to t-shirts to food to paintings to textiles and leather goods. There were a variety of restaurants along 18th street, such as Ethiopian, Indian, and Latin American. I will definitely be making a return visit to the area to try out some of the ethnic cuisine.
Needless to say, Washington D.C. is an awesome place to be and I am so excited to call this place home for the next few months!