Travel Journal: Washington DC

So this post is unbelievably overdue! Everything has been so GOGOGO in South Carolina since getting back. I honestly don’t feel like I’ve sat down… practically sleeping in between blinks because it’s all cracking off. So I do apologise for that! But HEY, it’s good to be back, and here’s another travel journal not-so-fresh out the oven but here nonetheless!

So, little bit late in saying, but I hope you all enjoyed your holiday as much as I did! A much needed recharge of the batteries that got me feeling GOOD. Travelling, uni’ing, partying, gym’ing, eating, and not much sleeping – student life is back in full swing.

So, I’ll try to keep it brief, but here’s the rundown of what popped off over my holiday:

• I went to Salcombe, my fave place EVER, and chilled out big time. Was 10/10. Good people, good food, good vibes.

• I had a day trip to the spa with my Mum and Sis. And OH MY LAWDD, I had a massage that was so freaking good I fell asleep. Legit, I was out cold. That was until I had a totally outrageous hypnagogic jerk in my left leg, woke up and nearly roundhouse kicked the poor women in the face. I do apologise if I did, you were a great masseuse. 

• I had a day out with mi Padre and hit up the Man City Tunnel Club for a 4-0 win at home vs Bournemouth #BLUEMOONBABYYYY! It was a lot of fun. The free beers and brews were greatly appreciated.
• I caught up with my fab-u-lous home friends! We had our fair share of wine and dingin experiences and girly chats – what more could you ask for. I also visited my pal Katie down south and had a total hoot. I then had the south come to me – shoutout to Kate Wright for coming up to Notts for a weekend filled with G&T’s, eggs royale and banter. Always a laugh, always a pleasure.

• I also said farewell to my partner in crime, THE BIG SIS, who is now on the other side of the world living life. HELL YEAH, 4 for you Glen Coco, you go Glen Coco! She’s already been to New Zealand and thrown herself out of a plane, much to my Mum’s excitement! Also, she nearly had me in tears by sending snaps from outside a hobbit hole. My inner, nerdy LOTR fangirl was screaming. SO JEALOUS! But yes, she is having a fab time catching waves and the tan I will never have because, WELL, I just can’t. HELP A GIRL OUT AND SPONSOR ME BONDI SANDS, please. 

Here she is in action. Lidi, please don’t hate me for posting a picture of you looking like an egg. It’s still cool AF.

And now, down to business, WASHINGTON DC BABYYYY!

So, this was my last HURRAH before coming back home for the holidays. Me and Rhianne arrived in D.C. totally knackered after our 5am flight. Don’t you just love airports and early morning departures SAID NO ONE EVER. We got to our hotel, ate a silly expensive breakfast from the café next door and took a much needed nap. CLASSIC, but it was so necessary and we woke up feeling reborn. Especially after not having slept for 36 hours because Five Points was calling us the night before.

With a strong coffee to keep us going, we set off for a stroll around the U.S. capital. Firstly, D.C. is VERY COLD in December. Trees were practically chopping themselves into firewood. So if you choose to visit at this time, wrap up warm kids because I swear I lost a nipple.

However, it really is a beautiful place with some amazing architecture and incredible memorials. It wasn’t what I was expecting, but I really loved it.

Day 2: we saw a few more sights before popping over to Georgetown, and this place is just lovely! Rows and rows of gorgeous townhouses, independent restaurants, coffee shops and boutiques. It’s a really great place for a browse and a mooch around. After we window shopped all afternoon, we headed back, enjoyed a cheap bottle of prosecco, and the went for dinner at Sakana’s. So, this place may look super sketch from the outside, beneath a rundown shop with its paint peeling away from the walls, but I’ll tell you what… the sushi is FINEEE. It’s one of those hidden, authentic Japanese restaurants. A little rough around the edges, but the people who work there are so nice it hurts and the food was fabulous. 10/10 would recommend to a friend.

After food, we went for a boogie.

Had a rather fun run-in with a bartender though! SO, in the States, tips are expected at restaurants, no matter what you’ve spent. Totally fair. But at a bar… I can’t say it’s a norm downtown Columbia. That is unless they’ve gone out of their way to make you a fancy cocktail, or done a triple backflip off the table, or breathed fire whilst performing a magic trick blindfolded or some crazy biz IDK. However, HOW-FREAKIN’-EVER, this was not the case in this empty, sh*t-show of a bar. The lady asked us to tip her for grabbing TWO WHOLE BEERS from the fridge. TWO! Steady on, don’t break a nail. It also wasn’t really what she said (it was a bit) but the way she said it.

“AHEM, excuse me Ladies… if you want to get served again, take my advice… tip next time yeah? Because here in the States… we tip.”

WELL THEN, ADIOS AMIGO.

After quickly moving on from that abomination of a place, we ended up finding some great little spots. Cocktails, beers and bubbles, it wasn’t long before we made our way to the stage and belted out Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas Is You in a shabby, old karaoke bar to a bunch of strangers. We had such a laugh. So, HUGE shoutout to Rhianne for making my trip to D.C. so special. Missing you State side. 

Peace +Love

xoxo

The Atomic Blonde

Where did we stay? : The Darcy Hotel. Prime location. Prime for students. Walking distance from all main sights and surround by great bars and lots of restaurants. SORTED.

Where did we eat? : Elephant & Castle Pub. Don’t judge. We were craving some comfort food and a taste of home. It really did hit the spot though. Cheap and cheerful. Sakana’s -As I mentioned earlier, this is a fab, inexpensive Japanese restaurant. VERY student friendly. Good Stuff Eatery – Again, super affordable. If you want a tasty burg, head this way. Founding Farmers – If you want a brunch to cure that hangover, head over to this place. You can thank me later.

Where to shop? : GEORGETOWN! It’s totally chockers with hidden gems. Lots of independent shops mixed with your big names – go and have an explore!

Where to go out? : ADAMS MORGAN and DUPONT CIRCLE! Prices are more student friendly than central DC, but they are both still a cracker of a night out. Go to Bourbon for a lovely-jubbly cocktail and Brass Monkey if you fancy cheap drinks, karaoke and dancing until the early hours.  

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