... And the WEST WING!!!

Back to our DC adventures. At this point, if you've been reading along, you know that I am a nerd (and proud of it!) My nerd-dom takes a few different forms, but politics and history are high on the list. I also happen to be an Obama lover, so when Cindy told me she could take me on a West Wing tour during my DC trip, it took much self control my part to avoid bowling her over.

Not surprisingly, you're not allowed to take pictures in the West Wing (and also not surprisingly, visitors are only allowed in when the President isn't in the Oval Office, which means nights and weekends.) So you'll have to take my word for it that I got to stick my head into the Oval, and I saw Sunny and Bo out for a stroll in the Rose Garden. Winning!

The one place you are allowed to take pictures is the Press Room. Which was super fun due to my love of CJ Cregg. There I am in front of the podium with my friend Jess (who was also visiting for the weekend) and Cindy. They were very patient while I geeked out for a while.

Cindy works in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is right next to the White House, and is actually much grander in many ways. Cindy gave us a tour there too, including some offices where major meetings have taken place throughout history, and the Vice President's meeting rooms.

Even though it was a Sunday, I felt strongly that I should wear business-y Shabbat clothes. Respect for the office and all of that. But because I am still me, when wearing all black, there should still be polka dots. Old Boden for the win.

And then, as a souvenir, White House Hershey kisses! One of the great days in the history of Rachel. And something else crossed off the life bucket list. Next time, to the bowling alley! And to meet the President :) Nice to have something to keep working for.

The East Wing...

Dear readers, as you might remember, a few weeks ago I took a mini vacation and went down to DC to visit my many friends who live there. It was a great trip filled with awesome people, fun activities, and new explorations. But by far the coolest part was my trip(s!) to the White House.

A White House tour of the East Wing is actually not super hard to come by. Anyone can sign up for one through their congressional representative; you just have to make sure you do it far enough in advance. However, I had an in. My super cool friend Cindy works for the White House and being the kind and generous person that she is, she set up not one but TWO tours for me while I was there.

Hi Cindy!

The first tour happened Thursday, which was the East Wing tour. It's self guided, so you can wander around for as long as you want. I knew the names of a lot of the rooms from reading the paper and watching way too much West Wing (as if such a thing were possible), but the main thing I was struck by was how much smaller everything was than when you see it on TV. For example, the spot where Cindy and I are standing above is in front of the hallway that President Obama walked down to announce that they had killed Bin Laden. It's actually a fairly short hallway. Cindy says that they use wide angle lenses to make everything look bigger. The secret's out!

After majorly geeking out for a long time, I finally said my good byes and went on my way-- mostly because I knew that I would be back on Sunday! Then I made some friends outside of the building and we all took a million pictures of each other.

The other highlight of the day was the Renwick Gallery, which recently reopened after a long renovation. There's currently a 9 installation exhibit on wonder, and I have to say that it was one of the best exhibits I have seen in a long time. Here are some highlights:

These were piles made entirely out of
notecards, styrofoam, tape, and toothpicks.

The inside of a perfect cast of a tree, made
entirely out of wooden blocks.

 Because I knew I was going to be running around all day, I wanted to be comfortable, but because I was going to the White House, I wanted to dress in a manner that showed respect for the office. So I ended up putting an easy cardigan over a shell with a wrap skirt and my super comfy boots. The scarf was added for warmth and a little bit of sparkle. And speaking of color and sparkle:

BOOM. If that's not wondrous, I don't know what is. Have a great weekend, everyone!

What I'm wearing: Boden skirt, Kosher Casual shell, LOFT cardigan, HUE tights, Diba boots via DSW, Betsy Johnson infinity scarf via DSW

The Blog Hits the Road: Party at the Beach, Party in the Back

Here we go, the final of the three part series of my DC adventures!

When I talked to my close friend and former roommate Divi about my trip, she asked what I wanted to do and I immediately said, I don't care except that I want to go to the giant ball pit. You see, all of these pictures had been showing up on facebook of a ball pit for grown ups! To quote Liz Lemon, I want to go to there.

The ball pit, which was officially called the Beach, was at the National Building Museum. I had never been there before because why pay to go to a museum when there are so many free ones in DC? But the Beach lured us in and then we actually really liked rest of the museum too. So everyone was happy.

The fun part.

This dress is SUPER comfortable and I love the color. Plus, it's a party in the back look, with an open triangle and a bow. I added a tank top for extra modesty, but I still felt a little sassy. (Because you know. When people think sassy, they think Rachel.) The only problem was, dresses don't do great in giant ball pits. One is much better off wearing pants. I'll keep that in mind in case this opportunity ever comes up again.

Drowning in a sea of plastic balls

Hi Div!

 We discovered that the pit was a little scarier than expected because it took a while to find the floor in the "deep" end, which was sort of disconcerting. So then we went to hang out in the shallow end. But still, a great time was had by all and now there are pictures of me covered in plastic balls. Really, what more could one want in life?

The sand, for relaxing, if the water gets too rough.

Now picture over a million of these.

What I'm wearing: Eshakti dress (modified to add length and slightly longer sleeves; sold out in purple but available in other colors here), Downeast Basics cami

The Blog Hits the Road! DC Monuments

First of all, thanks for your help on the Stitch Fix! After much deliberation and another round of trying things on, I ended up only keeping the pink shirt. I look forward to wearing it soon, when it stops being sooooo humid.

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial

Second, we now return to our regularly scheduled programming. As I mentioned two posts ago, two weekends ago, I had the pleasure of spending Shabbat in Washington, DC as a scholar-in-residence. I went down on Thursday and spent a lovely evening with my friend Elana, but on Friday, all of my many DC friends had to go to work because apparently that's a thing, so I decided to be a tourist for the day and hit the Mall.

Chillin' with FDR

One of the most amazing things about DC is that all of the monuments and Smithsonian museums are free. So you can go walk around for as long or short as you want, without worrying about getting your money's worth. I ended up hitting all of the monuments, and also my favorite museum, the Museum of American History. It was A LOT of walking, and while these sandals are one of my favorite pairs, they were not meant for 10+ miles. My feet were in a not insignificant amount of pain by the end of the day. Lesson learned: next time, sneakers.

One of the funny things about DC is I always feel super patriotic when I'm there. Also, it makes me want to watch West Wing. Josiah Bartlet in 2016, anyone?

I spent a not-super-successful summer in DC while in college, which made me hate everything about the city, but it has become one my favorite places to visit-- partly because I have great friends there, partly because it's pretty easy to navigate, and partly because of all of the interesting things to do. I still wouldn't want to live there, but it was lovely to spend a weekend. Also, the weather was not super hot or humid, which for August in Washington was a miracle. Thanks, DC! Hope to see you again soon!

What I'm wearing: Kosher Casual shirt, Boden skirt, b.o.c. sandals via DSW

Summer Bucket List, DC Edition: Outside Movie!

As I mentioned earlier this week, I hit the road last weekend for a long weekend in DC. After a VERY delayed train ride (50% more time on the train!), I went straight from Union Station to meet my friend Elana in the park for an outdoor showing of Pitch Perfect.

If you are a loyal reader, you know that I looooove Pitch Perfect. So this was very exciting for me.

Also exciting for me: this shirt. The outfit didn't photograph so well. I feel like the pic isn't super flattering, but it actually looked very cute, especially before I ran through lots of heat to catch a train and then sat on said train in it for more than 5 hours. It's a really pretty dusty pink color, I love the pintuck detail, and I am very into popovers. I have found that a shirt like this is best worn with pants, and I like the navy and pink combo.

In the meantime, Elana said, "I'll wear a cute outfit in case I'm on the blog!" So here you are, Elana! Welcome to the blog.

Free popcorn! Hurrah!

The screen was inflatable, which is so cool.

It was a beautiful evening, other than a little rain, and always super fun to hang out with Elana. We realized we've actually been friends for 25 years (eek!) and have had many adventures together over the years. Here's to many more!

The Bellas win!

 In other news, my August Stitch Fix is apparently coming today, so a review is coming your way soon. Have a great weekend!

What I'm wearing: GAP Factory shirt (similar here), GAP khakis, Downeast Basics cami