The American Gem

To America’s City

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For this past Father’s Day weekend, my parents and I packed up our bags and embarked on our six-hour (should have been 4.5 hours) drive to Washington DC. After too many stops, my “slow” driving and multiple texts from my sister, Nina, wondering where we were, we finally made it to the nation’s capital!

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Our first stop was Cava, a Mediterranean cuisine in Chinatown. In our colorful mix of organic arugula, my mum and I shared it with falafel, hummus, tzatziki sauce, spicy harissa (emphasis on spicy!), pickled red onions, tomato and cucumber salad, mint, kalamata olives and feta cheese. It was an eruption of five different zesty flavors in our mouths and the perfect summer lunch to have before taking on this beautiful city.

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After shopping and walking through the heat and humidity in Dupont Circle and Georgetown, we made it to Das Ethiopian Restaurant in the heart of Georgetown. It was such an authentic place because of the way they served our dinner. All four of us shared one large dinner plate that consisted of Chicken Doro Wat, Fish Asa, and Eggplant & Carrot Wat. We were also served with fresh injera, an Ethiopian bread. There were no forks but our hands to enjoy the meal. All I have to say is Ethiopia, your food is magnificent.

Nina scheduled a boat ride for the Monuments by Moonlight. It was pouring rain and the lightning was nonstop but that didn’t stop us from fully enjoying the ride with our mango moscatos and jazz music! I caught this picture of the Lincoln Memorial right when lightning struck-isn’t it neat?

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We’ve lost count how many times we’ve made our way to Washington but we always look for different ways to explore this majestic city. So on Father’s Day morning, we took Capital’s Bikes and went from Massachusetts Avenue to the monuments. From quickly dodging all the people to taking on uphill roads to witnessing international yoga day in front of the Washington Monument,  it was an adventurous way to start the day but I was beyond ready for brunch!

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For our Father’s Day Brunch, we went to a cute Italian restaurant, Lavagna, in Capitol Hill. We cheered to mimosas and bellinis in honor of our Dad’s first mimosa ever! I took on the classic, Chicken & Waffles. Needless to say, I was in heaven.

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Meet the man we celebrated this weekend

My Dad is out of this world brilliant. He’s a man of few words but his actions speak volumes of the loving supportive man he is. He’s a genius at all things technology. He takes forever to tell his stories. His humor keeps our family alive. He hates the cold but will always keep his heart open for London and New York City all seasons of the year. & he holds an M.D. which obviously means My Daddio 😉

I end this post with my dad’s favorite and daily mantra,

“Don’t worry, be happy.”

P.S. As always, thanks Nina for a wonderful weekend in your city!

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