DC Dream

The Golden camel at Old Town's Art Center

                Will they ever stop playing tricks? The last time I visited my son in DC, he had a great apartment in Crystal City above hundreds of fabulous shops, so after he picked up myself  and my daughter daughter  at the airport (We planned to see the ballet at Kennedy Center) he again headed for what I thought would be home. We drove into the usual dull gray garage, went up the plain elevator and through the beige hall on the 13^th floor.  He then opened the door to a shocking sight; voila, new furniture in a different setting.  “You changed the furniture” Yes, it was new but the room looked different.  “Mom, I moved into a new apartment a week ago.  I now live in Pentagon City!” As both children laughed at my obvious faux pas, I reveled in the fact that I now had my own bedroom and bath and was a hop skip and jump from the famous Nordstrom Pentagon Mall!

Lunch at La Madeleine

                After whisking us off to Old Town in Arlington, we ventured to walk amidst 16^th century colorful row houses and delightful shops on famous King St.  Of course we stopped at La Madeleine for French pastry and inspected the designer as well as thrift shops. Antiques, art, bistros and stunning stores adorned the bubbling crowds of baby buggies, adorable dogs proudly held on a leash by Old Town residents and vibrant visitors, enthralled by a historically preserved section of our country’s capitol.   Returning to Old Town later that week, I decided to walk the 16 blocks to the waterfront where a famous art gallery holding 75 cube mini galleries lined three floors of a converted warehouse.  Spotting the “golden camel”, I asked two charming ladies to take the above photo for this blog.  They were so proud of the amazing artists and their works – a joy for all DC visitors.

R

                On Saturday, we were joined by former student and prima ballerina Michelle Lucci whose usual vibrant and sparkling personality filled our visit with memories of fun times at the studio where my offspring would constantly interrupt Michelle’s class with “Mom, can I have a can of soup?”  Since she and my daughter both studied ballet for years, it was an exciting treat to share in the Bolshoi’s performance of Coppelia.  A home-made spaghetti and chicken parmesan dinner awaited us after the performance as well as a pre-purchased movie entitled First Position. Michelle discovered that one of the stars of the documentary, a little boy named Aryn was her student for two summers in Carlyle (small world).   All agreed that this DC event would was truly a dream that would remain in our memories for many years. 

                The last trip to San Francisco, visiting my youngest son at Google headquarters held mind-blowing surprises, and I’m now planning the next trip to Orlando and Tampa where three more of my children will host their mom.  I wonder how many surprises they’ll have in store…next blog will tell!

view from the Pentagon rooftop

celebrating in Old Town at with a Thai dinner