Happy New Year!
Sunday, January 06, 2013To cap off 2012, M. and I drove down to Washington, D.C., on Dec. 30. After the requisite stops in the 'burbs for yummy unfamiliar food and the Tyson's Corner Levenger store, we sat down for an Ethiopian dinner at Etete and browsed at Kramerbooks before calling it a night.
New Year's Eve was a whirlwhind of art supply, bike and pen stores within Metro-ing distance of the Dupont Circle Hotel (scored the Utrecht travel brush set I'd been looking for and three inexpensive new fountain pens from Farhney's). Then it was off to Redwood in Bethedsa, Maryland, for dinner -- their NYE fete was titled "Last Dance in Old Havana," but the Hawaiian shirts and leis strewn about seemed to imply Polynesian tiki bar. Glad we were only there for food and left before their dubiously themed party kicked off!
While we were eating, I noticed this fabulous silver-haired woman perched at the bar with her feet up on a stool -- she seemed to embody a certain old-school style, with her cashmere sweater, silk scarf and jeans, so I just had to draw her.
After a few bites of rather cheesecakey flan, we were ready for our next stop: the New Year's Eve swing lesson and dance at Glen Echo Park's Spanish Ballroom. Last time we'd been was in the summer -- and it was broiling. This time, it appeared to be unheated -- we couldn't wait for the dance to get started so we could contemplate shedding the warmth of our coats.
We went over the basics in the lesson but also learned some Charleston-esque moves, so that kept things interesting even for the more experienced dancers.
Tuesday morning we decided to stop in Annapolis on the way back home. The last time I'd been there was in the fourth or fifth grade, when our elementary school unit on state history culminated with the obligatory trek to the state house. All I remember of the trip is that as we waited for the school bus to pick us up, some of the girls in our group were chatting up the (much older!) Naval Academy students.
Anyhow, turns out it's quite a cute and sketchable capital city. And oddly enough, it was *bustling* on New Year's Day. Shops and restaurants were open, and people were out and about. M. took a bike ride while I parked my folding stool and drew the view up Main Street (and yes, that's the state house dome in the back).
Will have to go back in warmer weather to explore it (and the Eastern Shore) some more.
Hope everyone has a happy and art-filled new year!
New Year's Eve was a whirlwhind of art supply, bike and pen stores within Metro-ing distance of the Dupont Circle Hotel (scored the Utrecht travel brush set I'd been looking for and three inexpensive new fountain pens from Farhney's). Then it was off to Redwood in Bethedsa, Maryland, for dinner -- their NYE fete was titled "Last Dance in Old Havana," but the Hawaiian shirts and leis strewn about seemed to imply Polynesian tiki bar. Glad we were only there for food and left before their dubiously themed party kicked off!
While we were eating, I noticed this fabulous silver-haired woman perched at the bar with her feet up on a stool -- she seemed to embody a certain old-school style, with her cashmere sweater, silk scarf and jeans, so I just had to draw her.
After a few bites of rather cheesecakey flan, we were ready for our next stop: the New Year's Eve swing lesson and dance at Glen Echo Park's Spanish Ballroom. Last time we'd been was in the summer -- and it was broiling. This time, it appeared to be unheated -- we couldn't wait for the dance to get started so we could contemplate shedding the warmth of our coats.
We went over the basics in the lesson but also learned some Charleston-esque moves, so that kept things interesting even for the more experienced dancers.
Tuesday morning we decided to stop in Annapolis on the way back home. The last time I'd been there was in the fourth or fifth grade, when our elementary school unit on state history culminated with the obligatory trek to the state house. All I remember of the trip is that as we waited for the school bus to pick us up, some of the girls in our group were chatting up the (much older!) Naval Academy students.
Anyhow, turns out it's quite a cute and sketchable capital city. And oddly enough, it was *bustling* on New Year's Day. Shops and restaurants were open, and people were out and about. M. took a bike ride while I parked my folding stool and drew the view up Main Street (and yes, that's the state house dome in the back).
Will have to go back in warmer weather to explore it (and the Eastern Shore) some more.
Hope everyone has a happy and art-filled new year!
Posts
0 comments