Tuesday, July 5, 2016

4th of July weekend in Washington DC

It's been a while, Ariel Viewers & it's great to be back.

This past weekend, my husband, Jason & I went to Washington DC for the weekend to celebrate Independence Day.

We drove down to our AirBnB in Cleveland Park, which is a town outside of the city center. Cleveland Park is very accessible to the metro to get you where you need to go & AirBnB was way cheaper than any of the hotels around (& you get an entire apartment to yourself). The metro stations are much cleaner than New York, but it is more expensive. In DC, the cost of the ride depends on where you're going, unlike NY where you can travel anywhere for a flat rate. Also, the purchase of the card itself is $2.

Jason & I purchased 2 Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Groupons to explore the city. Buying these Groupons saved us $30 total. We bought 24-hour passes & saw all the things we wanted to see. If you want to explore the museums, I suggest buying a 48-hour pass.

We also went to the Smithsonian National Zoo, which is in Cleveland Park. We had a great time seeing all the animals & it's totally free!

In addition to the sites, we thoroughly enjoyed the food! We visited:

1. Medium Rare - we went here for brunch & we had amazing steak tips & eggs plus bottomless mimosas, bloody marys, etc.

2. Filomena Ristorante - very good Italian food. We had ravioli & gnocchi. The best part of the whole meal was the strawberry cheesecake. Jason & I agreed that it was the best cheesecake we had ever eaten.

3. Das - I visited this Ethiopian restaurant about 10 years ago & it is just as good. We had the vegetable sampler & added beef tibs. Ethiopian bread that is served with the meal is delicious & very spongy. I was very happy to have gone back.

4. Old Ebbitt Grill - The steak & eggs on the brunch menu were amazing. I was not thrilled will the alcoholic beverages that were offered during brunch, but the fresh orange juice was delicious.

5. Georgetown Cupcakes - Be prepared to wait in a line down the block, but it moves pretty quickly. If you don't feel like waiting, order your cupcakes a day ahead of time & pick them up!

We also visited a few bars:

1. ENO Winebar - This was pretty expensive so we only stayed for one drink. However, the ambiance was great & so was the service.

2. Jackpot - This bar was a fun time. The bartender is hilarious-quite the entertainer. You get popcorn with your drinks, & the bartender can whip you up to anything based on what you like. The prices are fair & the atmosphere & vibe are great. Also, I found out that I like beer! Normally I hate it, but the bartender had me try a mead beer, which is a beer made with honey rather than wheat. It was delicious!

3. Rí Rá - A super fun Irish pub that livens up at night. We were there during Derek A Dempsey's set & I must say that I have never seen such a great performance at a bar. He is so talented in all sorts of music styles & he gets the crowd on their feet. I can't wait to see him perform in NY this week! 

Overall our trip was a fantastic one. I can't wait to go back to Washington DC next year for the Cherry Blossom Festival!

Until next time 💗

Follow me on Instagram: @arielview13

Monday, March 28, 2016

There is a better way

Blood is shed daily from terror attacks. Individuals are sexually brutalized, groups are victims of bombings & mass shootings from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, & fear is forever instilled in innocent people. Some say that terrorism is the result of uneducated people. Others say it is the result of mental illness.

Although religion may have some outdated messages in its scriptures, the overall message is clear: Peace, do good for others & be your best self. So how does this message get so misconstrued to the point that murder is the answer?

 In 2016 alone there have been 3,023 deaths in the US caused by gun violence. This does not include injuries & incidents caused by other means of harm. Therefore, statistically, about 755 people are killed by guns each month. These numbers are outrageous.

As gun violence & other acts of terror continue to grow, people are becoming more & more racially intolerant. Bad people are not separated into races & religions; they’re separated by morality & immorality.

Rather than ostracizing entire groups of people such as Muslims, African Americans, & police officers, remember that there are bad apples in every group of people & it doesn’t make the entire group bad because there are always going to be flaws in every group.

Until next time 💗

Follow me on Instagram: @arielview13