I ran a loop through the city on Tilden Street, Park Road, 14th Street, P
Street, and Wisconsin Avenue. Aside from the sting of blowing my nose
so much in the cold and windy air, I felt good on this run. It wasn't my
best ever but, even with the the steep uphills on Wisconsin Ave and
the .74 mile cool down at the end, it was my fastest long run in a few
weeks.
Fourteenth street isn't one that I've run down many times and, though it was a pain to maneuver around all the construction on sidewalks, I really enjoyed it. Just like my run to Eastern Market and back, I found that there is something so inspiring and satisfying about running city terrain that you've rarely run before, even if you've walked portions of it many times. All I do is think while I run and I have time to take in things that I might not otherwise notice. Like the location of Martha's table, the many restaurants I've been dying to try, and some that I had never heard of.
Photo by Josh Bassett Photography |
I got home and told Josh that, after eating and chilling for a few hours, we should head over to 14th and U. It was a freezing cold and windy day but we were up for a chilly walk together. We wandered from Dupont Circle to dinner at Cafe Saint Ex, stopping in Miss Pixie's, Home Rule and (my favorite) Current Boutique on the way. I was very intrigued by Cafe Saint Ex for two reasons:
- It is named after Antoine de Saint Exupery, the pilot and author of Le Petit Prince. That's cool.
- They have a fried green tomato BLT on the menu that I had to try.
Photo by Josh Bassett Photography |
I have to say Josh and I were both a little disappointed by this place. The atmosphere was great but the food was kind of average, and not worth the price. I would go back there to dance and drink a few more glasses of wine but I'm not sure I'd return for dinner.
With another hour to kill before our friend's party in Dupont, we walked to ChurchKey where we selected, on our minimal beer knowledge, from the massive selection. I had an IPA with a little too much hops for my taste and Josh and an awesomely smooth Red Ale. I wish I remembered their names- mental note to start writing down the names of beer and wine I try. We headed to 19th Street in the crisp air and I felt satisfied and a little tipsy. One of my favorite things to do after a filling meal (or drink) is take a walk. One that's cold and crisp is even more refreshing. We walked a total of 2.4 miles between shopping, dinner, and drinks and it was lovely.
Photo by Josh Bassett Photography |
After this, and my day exploring Barracks Row, I'm on a mission to spend more time running and walking more areas of the city that I don't get to often enough.
How was your weekend? Did you do any good exercising, eating, or exploring?