“1.8 Renwick” by Janet Echelman (2015) at the Renwick Gallery (April 2025)
Last spring, my partner and I spent a quick, extended weekend in Washington, D.C. We were there to attend a wedding of my partner’s friend, so we decided to make it a little trip to sightsee and explore the US capital. I hadn’t been back to D.C. since I was a teenager, so I was interested in returning and checking out the capital and all of the country’s history and culture.
Technically, Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia, for short) is not a state, but a special-designated federal district located within the state of Virginia. Originally the land of the Piscataway and Anacostine people, D.C. was selected as the country’s capital following previous cities– New York City and Philadelphia– serving as the capital. Given that the former capitals were in US states (New York and Pennsylvania, respectively), Washington, D.C. was created as an independent entity to prevent one state from having too much power over others.
Despite its small size of 68.34 square miles (177 squared km), D.C. is home to 131 neighborhoods and almost 700,000 residents. Besides being the center of the federal government, D.C. is also home to plenty of non-profit organizations and university students (especially Georgetown University). Considering the capital is vastly-diverse, D.C. is very liberal in the middle of red states– I was surprised to see signs, even a protest, against the current government administration throughout town during my stay, which goes to show that the capital’s government does not necessarily reflect the same opinions of its people.
My partner and I took a direct flight over from Los Angeles– we boarded and took off at 9h30, and it was a smooth, uneventful four-and-a-half hour journey over. We landed into Washington Dulles International Airport at 17h00 local time– as the airport is technically in Virginia, we took the metro into D.C., which took about 45 to 50 minutes, given it was rush hour when we arrived. Soon enough, we got off at our stop, and walked over to check into our hotel, located near Georgetown.
Welcome to D.C.!
Taking the metro in
We were absolutely starving upon arrival, so we dropped off our luggage in the room and headed out to grab dinner. It was a Thursday night, and restaurants were absolutely packed– apparently, D.C. has a notable food scene and reservations are a must at many places. We didn’t have reservations, but we were able to get seated within 15 minutes.
To be honest, the food was average: I ordered a fried chicken sandwich (on the dry side) and my partner got a mushroom flatbread (decent, but way too rich). We also split a cherry blossom cheesecake, which sounded really cool since we were in town during D.C.’s cherry blossom season– however, it ended up just being a cherry cheesecake, no hint of cherry blossom whatsoever. Although just-okay, the meal did fill us up, and we were ready to crash by the time we returned to our hotel after a long day of travel.
First dinner in town
“Cherry blossom” cheesecake
As there was a three-hour time difference, it was a slight struggle to wake up the next day. However, we managed to get out of bed at 9h00 local time (6h00 in Los Angeles) to head to our brunch reservations– I’d put in reservations the night before, having learned that it was imperative to do so. Strangely, we still had to wait about 10 minutes to get seated (despite seeing many unoccupied seats in the restaurants), but in any case, we got seated and were excited to try the brunch scene in D.C., as we’d heard it was a solid one.
Unfortunately, just like our dinner the previous night, our brunch was mediocre as well. I opted for the eggs Benedict with crab cakes, which I found tasty enough, but very salty. The cayenne-cinnamon latte I had was not very good, and overall, it was pretty expensive for otherwise mid-quality. It was a shame, but at least we were full and ready to start our sightseeing of D.C. for the day.
Eggs Benedict with crab cakes and hash browns
We headed to the Renwick Gallery, one of the many Smithsonian museums throughout D.C. that offers free admission to visitors. My partner and I always appreciate free stuff, so we went in to check out the collection of decorative arts from the 19th to 21st centuries. It was a fairly-small museum, so it didn’t take more than an hour to go through the exhibits. I especially enjoyed the temporary exhibit on Black quilters, with colorful, complex, and political designs centered on “Black Lives Matter.” Very insightful!
Renwick Gallery staircase
Black quilters exhibit
“Black Lives Matter”
That concluded our first morning in D.C. For the sake of this post getting too long, I’ll save the rest of the day for the following post. Until then! 🙂
— Rebecca
Rebecca Goes Rendezvous 
The food, the art, the US capital! Wonderful quilts, paintings and modern art.
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Indeed! DC is rich in politics, arts, and culture. Thanks for reading, Rebecca! 😊
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Interesting Rebecca, I visited DC a long time ago when I had a friend living near Baltimore and we also visited parts of the Smithsonian but I don’t think we went here.
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There are so many Smithsonian museums in DC that it’s difficult to get to all of them! I’m glad you visited DC with a friend from the area, and I hope you had a good time!
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DC certainly has a lot to offer in terms of historical and cultural significance; the Renwick looks particularly inviting. I visited years ago on business, but I managed to see a few places. I’m looking forward to reading more about your time there.
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Indeed! DC might be tiny, but it’s packed with so many things to do, see, and eat. The Renwick was a short, but lovely visit, and I’m glad we got to check it out. More of our time in DC and surrounding area coming soon!
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The Renwick looks good, but call me a heathen – the food looks better 🙂 Eggs benedict with hash browns and crab, and cheesecake, yum!!
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DC is known for a vibrant food scene, but to be honest, we didn’t have the best meals there. Perhaps it was the restaurants we chose, but we found most of them just-okay. However, you can’t go wrong with hash browns and crab Eggs benedict!
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I love how you pointed out that the government doesn’t necessarily reflect the views of its people, that’s something I try to remember a lot given the current political climate of our world. The art and food looks great, even if it wasn’t as tasty as hoped. Thanks for sharing 🙂
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Couldn’t have said it better, Elle! Given the political climate these days, every day feels uncertain…but it’s important to know that many of us are still fighting and that’s what matters! Hopefully to make a change for the better. We’ll have to see!
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The Smithsonian museums are the main reasons for me to visit DC if I ever make it to the US one day. It’s a shame that the dishes you had didn’t live up to the city’s reputation as home to good food scene.
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Yes! Definitely visit the Smithsonians– not only are they well-curated, but they’re also free! Sadly, the DC food scene was a bit of a let-down, but at least we gave it a go!
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The Husband and I visited D.C. to visit some friends many years ago, but we’ve always wanted to return. I’m noting the advice about getting reservations. All the food looked and sounded so good; too bad it didn’t live up to expectations.
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Perhaps a return visit is in the cards soon! Yes, DC has a lively food scene, and apparently, reservations are highly-recommended. Maybe it was the restaurants we chose that were just-okay, but I’m glad we got to try them!
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Cherry blossom season in D.C. is so pretty, isn’t it? Looking forward to reading more about your visit! 🌸
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Yes, indeed! Unfortunately, we’d just missed the end of it, but there were still a few left in town! 🌸
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As a native DC/Virginian, I’m kindly pushing back on your statement that DC is a blue city surrounded by red states : Maryland, Delaware and Virginia have all voted Democrat in the past 5 presidential elections at least, and in VA at least, this is largely thanks to demographic shift in the DC metro area ! Strong conservative pockets in southern and coastal Virginia are what account for a more variable record in state elections, but Maryland and Delaware have been reliably blue across the boards for decades !
Anyways, glad you enjoyed DC and could take advantage of the free museums ! It’s a much more beautiful city than people give it credit for imho 🙂
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