FLIP + CHING

Sequoia on Washington Harbor

Posted on April 25, 2015 by Ching under Travel.

I’m not even done blogging about Washington DC yet and I’m about to leave again. LOL. I better get on it.

These next set of photos were taken at Sequoia, a neat restaurant in Georgetown with breathtaking views of the Potomac River, Kennedy Center, Roosevelt Bridge, Roosevelt Island, Key Bridge, and the magnificent Virginia skyline.

I wish we had a place like this in Wichita.

I wouldn’t mind spending hours at the restaurant, drinking and taking in the views.

Did someone ask for a table for two with a great view?

I forgot to mention the splendid view of the fountain below.

Two of my awesome coworkers, Sherry and Selena.

My handsome husband.

Our Sequoia selfie.

Sequoia was the most beautiful restaurant that Brian and I set foot in while in DC. I wish we would have had the opportunity to dine there. Unfortunately, we only had time for drinks (or in my case, a drink).

If I had to do it again, I’d put a nice romantic dinner at Sequoia on the agenda. I can only imagine what the food is like. If it’s half as good as the view, then it must be phenomenal. I can’t wait to go back!

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Tunnels Between Buildings

Posted on April 23, 2015 by Ching under Travel.

I forgot to mention to you guys that the buildings in Washington DC are connected by these really cool underground tunnels. One of the tunnels that we walked through had all of these artworks by high school students.

Each congressman got to pick an artwork from a student in their district. These are the four that represented Kansas along the tunnel wall. What a great idea turning the boring tunnel wall into an art gallery. Some of these works were amazing!

The best part was that we got to ride in this special elevator that was just for members of Congress. I pushed the wrong button on accident and it the elevator showed up really fast. We weren’t supposed to get in it but since it was already there we did. As we exited the elevator, this prerecorded message (which sounded like the female voice from one of those science fiction films Brian loves to watch) reminded us that this particular elevator was only for members of Congress.

I guess regular people aren’t allowed to use it so that there’s always an elevator on standby for the representatives when they’re hurriedly going to and from places. But, silly me. I wasn’t paying attention and clicked the wrong button. LOL.

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Pictures from Our Tour of the US Capitol

Posted on April 21, 2015 by Ching under Things to Do, Travel.

These pictures just give you a hint of the architectural details and art that you can see at the Capitol. They don’t do justice to the real deal, though. You’ll just have to go check it out for yourself. Click here to arrange for a tour.

I recommend booking a tour in advance because the lines are really long. There’s also a “Public Walk-up” option but I wouldn’t advice it as there’s a chance you may not get a tour at all.

We got our tour through Congressman Huelskamp’s office. We were told that the Senators’ offices are way busier with their pages giving a couple of tours a week. If you go through the House of Representatives then it’s easier to get a tour scheduled because they only do about one or two a month. I’m not sure if this is the case in other states, but it’s true for Kansas.

You can book a tour here. If you’re not sure who your Representative is, you can find out here. If you’re not sure who your Senators are, click here.

Spring and summer are generally busy times for the US Capitol but, if you go, I recommend avoiding field trip season. Seriously. When we were there a couple of weeks ago, the Capitol was so crowded that you could barely move. There were several tours going on at the same time and we kept running into other tour groups.

It was still a great, educational experience overall but I think that it would have been way better if there were fewer people. I hope you all get a chance to visit and tour the US Capitol. Despite the crowds, it was pretty darn cool.

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District Kitchen

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Ching under Food and Drink, Travel.

District Kitchen is this really cool restaurant in Woodley Park just around the corner from our hotel. With its exposed brick walls and hip ambiance, the restaurant reminds me of 715 in Lawrence. Maybe it’s the lightbulbs.

It didn’t take long for the restaurant to get packed.

It was a busy evening so it took a while for our food to arrive. It was well worth the wait, though. Here are some pictures.

These brussel sprouts don’t look like much but they were quite popular. Everyone who tried a bite loved it, except for Ginger who found it too sweet. I didn’t try it myself though, so I wouldn’t know.

After dinner we got three of the desserts to share and sample.

This is the apple and fig bread pudding with vanilla ice cream.

This is the banana créme brûlée.

Brian didn’t have dinner because he already had dinner earlier that evening (the babe calzone from Open City, which was his favorite meal DC) but he did enjoy the triple chocolate brownie. It was quite decadent and super delicious. I know because I shared it with him. It’s definitely not to be missed.

Another thing that’s not to be missed is a trip to the restroom.

Theis is definitely one of the coolest restrooms I’ve ever used.

I also liked this sign on the wall which is a clever way of saying not to flush anything but toilet paper down the drain. It’s in keeping with the bathroom theme and decor.

I really liked District Kitchen. There are lots of neat little restaurants in Woodley Park and I think this is one of the better ones. Darcy did a great job in picking it out.

If you are ever in the area, District Kitchen is definitely worth checking out. And, the best part is that it’s only a metro stop away. (At least check out the restroom.)

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Favorite Pictures from the National Mall

Posted on April 18, 2015 by Ching under Travel.

Just wanted to share with you all my favorite pictures from the National Mall. There are no stores there, by the way.

Jokes aside, it was a beautiful day for a nice walk around the park.

These photos were taken at the Lincoln Memorial.

There were a ton of people there.

Getting a picture of Lincoln’s statue without any people in it was quite a feat.

This is a view of the Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial.

The reflection pool was empty, which was kind of a bummer. Anyway, here are some more pictures of the impressive Washington Monument.

Did I mention that there were a ton of people?

These photos were taken at the National World War II Memorial

Pictures from the Korean War Veterans Memorial.

These photos were taken at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Brian got some amazing photos of the statues.

We walked along the Tidal Basin where they were celebrating the National Cherry Blossom Festival. We wanted to check out the cherry blossoms, which is a huge attraction in DC during this time of year. They hadn’t bloomed yet, though. I was kind of bummed about that also.