Every now and then Bonaparte and I like to take a little weekend trip.  To be honest with you, we haven’t done this in a while.  Our last weekend “trip” was to Paris (Jesus, I sound like a pretentious asshole and I really don’t mean it like that) but it was for a funeral.

With my never-ending job search and depression hovering over me, Bonaparte decided it was time to, once again, hit the road and get away for a little weekend overnight micro-mini vacation.

We drove down to DC!

Oh yeah, baby!  I LOVE our visits to DC. It’s actually one of my favorite places to spend time.  Funny though–because so many of my conservative friends call me an “America Hater”. That’s just not true. I love my country so much that I call it out on it’s issues!

We’ve been visiting our Nation’s Capital for quite a few years now.  We started when Oona was attending University of Maryland.  It was a convenient way to visit her and have fun on our own.

It’s been a while since we visited my little Terp, Oona at University of Maryland!  Last time at the University was at her graduation almost five years ago.

Our stopovers at U of MD may have ceased, but our routine continues to remain pretty much the same:

Saturday morning, I got ready.  I applied my makeup and packed enough for a touchup and for a light application the next morning. Quite honestly, I bring more toiletries with me than clothing— even if it is just overnight!

I got dressed and wore the same clothing for our dinner out.  I don’t like getting super dressed up when we are on a relaxing overnighter.  Dark wash skinny jeans, a sweater and my ever- dependable J. Crew Schoolboy blazer.

I am loving the GAP 1969 Stretch Skinny jeans because I  can still fit my fat ass into an 8.  I’m also glad that I have multiple Schoolboy Blazers in various sizes. With the heavy Sweater ( from J. Crew Factory) my Schoolboy in a size 10 fits much more comfortably. The boots are from a few years back–from Nordstrom.

I packed a change of clothing for the next day and my Old Navy PJ bottoms and a tee shirt for our time in the hotel room.

Next day outfit. Old Navy Rockstar Jeans (these are incredibly comfortable), J. Crew Perfect shirt from about four years ago and the tried and true and DISCONTINUED J. Crew Schoolboy blazer!

We dropped Chippy off at PetSmart’s pet hotel.  It’s good for him to spend time with his doggie buddies and the staff knows and enjoys him.

We stayed, as always, at our favorite hotel in Falls Church, Virginia.  The Marriott.  And we plan our getaways only when the hotel has the special weekend rate.  At $89.00 we get a great room and a breakfast included. Free Wi-Fi is available for 24 hours and that is all we need.

This room was great.  The bed was so comfortable and as soft as a cloud.  We slept very well!

The location into downtown DC is fantastic.  In moments we are in Georgetown to enjoy a bit of shopping and dinner at our favorite restaurant—Le Bistro Francais!  We’ve been coming here for years now and the food is always consistently good. Great French cuisine at an affordable price.  Bonaparte naturally orders Steak Frites and I always chose between the Rognons de Veau (veal kidneys. I LOVE offal)  or the Steak Tartare.

Bonaparte and I love this restaurant in Georgetown…..

Yum!  Veal kidneys.  The only other place I can get these is at my home! I swear I could eat these once or twice a week.

We always stop at Dean and Deluca and J. Crew (my love/hate relationship with Crew will never end).

Dean & DeLuca–all the food is so delicious. And ridiculously overpriced.  Wayyyyyyy overpriced…

…but is still so much fun to browse and comparison shop.  Look how pretty these spices are displayed…

..and their chocolates are just as beautiful. But  I think it may be time to replace the Valentine’s Day hearts with chocolate Easter eggs and bunnies!

This time around I picked up a pair of the original style Pixie Pants. Since my weight loss is working at an incredibly slow pace (5 pounds in two months. I’m dismayed and disgusted), I had to go up a size to a 10.

Yeah. My “original” Pixie Pants are wearing out after many years. I just had the hook & eye replaced by the tailor.   I’m sure that any day now Jenna Lyons will decide to discontinue these great fitting and long-wearing pants and replace them with some sort of fugly flimsy substitute. 

I was so disgusted with myself that I ended up happily going full-on gluten and during dinner had multiple slices of the most delicious crusty bread!  It tasted so good! I didn’t stop there.  I went full-on glutton and had chocolate mousse for dessert and it was spectacular!

A walk back to the car and a drive around downtown winded up the evening and back to the hotel to relax for the remainder of the night.

It’s funny. I’m really not a breakfast person. I enjoy my morning coffee but if I eat a big breakfast I feel too full.  But there is just something special about this first meal of the day when you are away.  I love the breakfasts at this Marriott because I always order the same thing. Egg white omelette with mushrooms, spinach and feta.  Bonaparte always has scrambled eggs, sausage and bacon.  It fuels us up for our Sunday activities.

I love me a good, strong cuppa cawfee and this hotel delivers….

I enjoyed this egg white omelette with spinach, mushrooms and feta cheese. Roasted mushrooms added to the enjoyment!

After breakfast, we checked out and visited The National Gallery.  The selection of art in this museum is astounding and it is completely free of charge. It is a truly inexpensive way to enjoy the beautifully curated pieces of art.

The National Gallery of Art is one of my favorite museums ever.  ALSO–if you arrive early on Sunday (it opens at 11:00 AM), street parking is readily available!

We started our museum visit in the Dutch and Flemish galleries. I LOVE this painting by Frans Hals “A Young Man in a Large Hat”. I would wear that hat. Yes. I would!

Rembrandt’s “Polish Nobelman” is another favorite.  This is NOT my ex-husband!

I love Rembrandt’s portraits…

...and everyday scenes by the Flemish painters…

…especially the floral and fruit still life paintings. Look at the lighting. Isn’t it beautiful?

Rubens “Daniel in the Lions Den” is another great painting.

And, as always, it is always great to view the French paintings.

Jean-Louis David’s Bonaparte was watching over us! How appropriate–I had Bonaparte bookends to watch over me!

…and Fragonard’s paintings always put me into a happy place. I think “The Swing” is one of his most dreamy and ethereal paintings.

Fragonard’s “Visit to the Nursery” is another one that I love. Look at the expression on the dad’s face.

..and tell me that his “Girl Reading Book” didn’t influence Renoir!

Monet’s “Pont Neuf” brings back memories of….

Daniele’s apartment!!  Look. I’ve circled the building where we spent so many visits over the years!  It’s so cool that Monet painted it!

Watteau’s “Comediens Italiens” is another great painting…

..as Louis XIV keeps a watchful eye over everyone!

And Goya’s “Gypsy Girl” keeps a bemused eye upon all!

The fountain in the Rotunda looked so nice and Springy with the surrounding Azaleas!

They were even more beautiful up front. I happen to be a big fan of these azaleas displayed indoors because I didn’t have the threat of a bee stinging me looming.

The sunny skies and temperature were incredible too—65 degrees!  Finally after a winter of crappy, grey, damp and dark weather, Mother Nature handed us a gift.  People were out and about and genuinely seemed so happy to be enjoying a beautiful day.

It was a monumental day! Actually, a late February day was perfect for visiting because the summer crowds are gone!

Thank you Bonaparte, for taking me away for a fun little trip!

And that just about winded our little trip.  I’m very grateful and thankful to Bonaparte in his attempts to make me feel better. It’s been a tough year for me, my hypochondria, anxiety, blah, blah, blah–so it’s just nice to be able to get away if only for a night.    It makes me realize life is good!

I had a good laugh at this banner.  With the way the Republicans are behaving at their debates–it isn’t “horray”–it is more of an embarrassment!

On this Monday morning, and since we were in the political headquarters of our nation, here’s some Steppenwolf—do you remember this? It is more powerful now–we need to listen to the lyrics now more than ever!