District of Love

It was another fun time in DC last weekend!  Having the time to spend just enjoying the city prompted me to bring a new style of post to my blog - my favorite things!  What better place to start it with than one of my favorite cities? So let me start with...

Where to stay?

Despite the fact that I have a lot of friends that live in and around the district, I like to stay in hotels.  Usually, the dogs are an excuse to get a room, but I love the feeling of a true "vacation" that I get with staying in a hotel!  Especially the dog-friendly Kimpton Hotels.  By being an "In Touch" member you get free internet and a credit at the mini bar.  Bonus that they are cool and boutique-y.  There are a bunch of them in DC, but our two favorites are:

• Hotel Palomar, when we can get a good deal (because it's usually a little more pricey) - Great location in Dupont Circle area, modern feel, awesome restaurant/lounge (Urbana), huge rooms and a pool to boot!
• Hotel Helix - Usually the cheapest, but still in an awesome location now that the 14th Street/Logan Circle area has boomed.  Cool pop-art theme (the minibar has Pop Rocks and Pez!) and very cool outdoor patio for their restaurant/lounge.

An oldie but goodie...Eli and Marlon enjoying their time at the Palomar

Where to eat?

Oh there are SOOO many delicious places to eat in DC (one of the reasons that it was really really hard to lose weight when I lived there!)! But my favorites include:

Open City (Woodley Park) - ProMo and I used to go to breakfast there at 6 AM every Friday and every time it was fantastic, delicious, fresh and unique.  Love it.

Napoleon (Adams Morgan) - Another neighborhood favorite, this restaurant is better known as a champagne bar late night.  But I've only enjoyed the brunch there.  The crepes are delicious, the salads are fresh, but what keeps this place in my rotation even after we moved away is the french onion soup. To. die. for. I actually said, "Come to mama" when I saw the waiter bringing the soup to our table.  No lie.  I can't really explain why I love it so much because it defies explanation. Just trust me. And get some!

Logan Tavern (Logan Circle) - Warm homey feel, nicest waiters ever, and delicious comfort food that is surprisingly affordable.  I would give a specific recommendation but everything I've gotten here is delicious.

Obviously there are a lot of other yummy places that I enjoy, but these are the places that I miss when I'm not there.

Where to dance?

[This category and the next would both say "Adams Mill" if that amazing place was still open, but alas I have to go with other choices...]

Well, there are a lot of fun places to dance and PLENTY of places I've never been to (especially some of the newer places that have a lot of buzz), but when I don't mind paying a little extra for drinks and I want to go somewhere that I (usually) don't have to worry about being hit with the "ball and socket," I go to Tattoo on K Street.  It's tiny but they have screens that play videos and the DJs are usually pretty amazing. It's my little piece of Vegas in DC.

Where to feel like a local...

Well again, this would've been my category reserved for the Best Bar in DC, but I'll say that anywhere that you find yourself saying, "Let's just go to _______ " is likely your neighborhood joint.

So in honor of the Mill, I'll leave this spot blank and say that any place is "your place" if you know them and they know you! Where you can walk in and they will know your name, give you a hug, and start prepping your favorite drink...

And finally, because my favorite thing about DC is my friends, if you want to see some really cool pictures of DC, check out my friend LL's photography blog! Beautiful!

Hey DC peeps...got any faves you'd like to add? Feel free to comment!