Saturday Shopping

It seems the seven people I know in DC are all out of town this weekend so it was up to me to explore more of this fine city on my own. Which, truth be told, is sometimes the best way to do it. Although, even more truth be told, that's usually because I end up shopping.

I must jump back to last night though because I got to kick off the weekend with one of my favorite Davidson Wildcats, Anna. We'd been trying to meet up and, when we randomly ran into each other Thursday night at the Dupont Circle metro, we figured we can't fight fate. So Friday night we met for a late happy hour (which I guess is just called dinner?) again at Dupont. It was a beautiful night and so we wanted to sit outside so Anna opted to show me her favorite happy hour spot.

But it was full. So we went to another place she loves across the street.

But it was full. So we wandered down a block to check out an Asian restaurant with a pretty decent patio.

But it was full.


We eventually ended up at Rosemary's Thyme Bistro and were glad we decided to give it a shot. The pizzas were phenomenal. There's a chance that I might have eaten my leftover BBQ chicken pizza for breakfast this morning. Breakfast of champions.

Anna and her Santa Fe pizza 

BBQ Chicken Pizza of Deliciousness

After a yummy Friday evening, I was ready to tackle Saturday. As I mentioned in my previous post, I decided to hop on the Metro and check out this fantastic Eastern Market I'd heard so much about. I made the conscious decision not to take any cash with me because, the last thing I needed to do was buy more jewelry or art. This was strictly a scouting mission. (My willpower was further tested because the first thing I saw was a cupcake food truck.)

I love everything about Eastern Market. The flea market parking lot, the food trucks lined up, the flowers and food inside - it was bustling with activity and creativity. Here are a few pics:

I had to laugh when the first stall I walked up to featured a mini-Beyonce. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you need to check out The Bloggess. (In case you didn't notice, that's hyperlinked to make it really easy for you to read because I'm a nice person and don't want to inconvenience you.) Part of me wanted to buy the mini-Beyonce just to see the expressions I'd get from my fellow Metro riders when I showed up carrying that bad boy under my arm.

Mini-Beyonce. Perfectly sized for my mini-apartment. Maybe next time...

(Speaking of weird things on the Metro, let's talk about the family of pandas that scared the hell out of me Friday evening. I was deep into my Mayer Hawthorne grooves - who I'm going to see on Tuesday, by the way - when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a family of panda bears board the train at the Woodley Park/Zoo stop. I nearly jumped out of my skin. When I turned to look I realized it was a litter of kids wearing panda masks from the zoo. And then, they proceeded to just stand there staring at me, like they knew I was alarmed by their presence. I love kids - they're so adorable. But sometimes can also be so creepy when they're silent and still and staring....and wearing panda masks.)

There were several market stalls I made mental notes to go back and visit. Two of my favorites were: these Turkish towels and this gorgeous jewelry (hyperlinks again, y'all...just in case you're new to the Internet or something). The sweet towel lady was very patient while I stood there asking about every color and touching all the towels. I want the lime green and the sky blue. And the jewelry, oh lawdy, the jewelry. I may have tried on this ring about 5 times. And, this necklace. And also this bracelet. Too bad they're all outside of my budget of "zero dollars."

After spending about an hour checking out the local art, jewelry, furniture, food, etc. I was tired from all my not buying so I stopped in Marvelous Market for a cold beverage (of the non-alcoholic kind). As I stood in line, I couldn't stop staring at this girl a few people in front of me (ok, who's being creepy now). I swore I knew her but I couldn't figure it out. Did she go to Davidson? Then, it hit me, "That's Irene from Real World: Seattle! The one who got slapped!" I was shocked that I even remembered that. However, Seattle was the last Real World season I watched so I guess you never forget your last season. "When people stop being polite and start getting real." I didn't say anything to her because I figured she wouldn't like that, seeing as she left the cast mid-season and got slapped and all.

But, moving on.

As a reward for not buying anything at Eastern Market, I decided I'd go to the mall. No, really, y'all. This is how my mind works. Technically, I did need new shoes of both the running (ok, ok, jogging) and workplace variety. I'd heard that Friendship Heights had a plethora of shopping options. Since it was also on my Metro route, I figured I'd give it a shot. I got off the train and found a Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom Rack, Saks Fifth Avenue, J. Crew, Loft, TJ Maxx, and Sephora. Um, yeah, this is going to be a long-term problem for me.

Fortunately, I was very restrained in my shopping and only bought the shoes for which I had set out to find.

Oh, right, and also I bought bright yellow pants.

It was unofficially "Buy Neon Colors Day"

All in all, a great Saturday of exploring. Now, I'm capping it off with a Coors Light and Law & Order marathon. Tomorrow I'm headed to the Dupont Circle Farmers' Market. Stay tuned!