* The boys had a BBQ fundraiser on Wednesday; we graced it with our geezerly presence. Dinner was a hot dog and a burger, and lots of great conversation.
* Watched Riverdance live on Thursday. It was hubby's first time, my second. Six years ago, I scraped together everything I had in my piggy bank to see it on Broadway in NYC. I still remember the seedy hotel in Manhattan where I stayed (it's what I imagine a nice POW camp would be like), walking around city block upon city block foraging for food, sitting in the back of the plane on the red-eye to LaGuardia, and being completely mesmerized by the dancers on stage when I was finally in the theater. Overall a sucky experience except for the show, which was what I was there for anyway. (It was also my first and last time in the WTC; 9/11 happened 3 weeks later.) Anyway, I was really glad E finally got to see it; he claimed to have always been fond of Celtic music. It looked like a smaller production than the Broadway version (due to a smaller stage), but I enjoyed the flamenco numbers and the dance-off a lot more this time.
By Friday I wasn't just giddy with happiness; I was squealing with joy. On a whim, we decided to drive down to DC for the opening of the 95th annual Cherry Blossom Festival. This would be the third sakura matsuri we've been to, but the first that we've gone at the beginning. It's been a while since we went away for a weekend, and it was a much needed break from the routine.
250+ miles and some highway adventures later, we met up with Ed, Fonda, Jen, Maria, Mike, and 2 of Mike's friends at Mie N Yu in Georgetown. We mingled among the urban sophisticates and took a tour of the place (they have a freakin' Bird Cage!) before shimmying on to Third Edition. Midori Sour in hand, we parked for a while on the rooftop patio by the tiki bar, checking out the beautiful people through the corners of our eyes. The DJ rocked. The dance floor was a mosh pit. At one point, some dude started dancing with me (as people are bound to do in clubs), but Ed (not hubby!) told him to beat it. Too bad, cos I was having fun, and I'm glad E let me have some fun too.
We stayed till closing; it was about 3am and people spilled out into the streets like bees being smoked out of their hives. We parted ways and by the time we got back to Maria's, it was about 4am. Woot!
Saturday: Late start. Rolled out of bed, showered, and got ready for a full day of sight-seeing. Aaron joined us at the metro station; we caught up on each other's lives during the ride to the Smithsonian. Like veritable tourists - camera bag, sunglasses, maps - we trekked down to the monument where the Kite Festival (Tako-age Taikai) took place. People were spread out in every direction on picnic mats, kids running around, little kites and big kites puttering along the grass and soaring in the sky... It was beautiful.
Big lizard kite - I get such a kick out of this picture because it looks like a lizard sticker on a postcard :)
Kite in the sky
Walking around on an empty stomach really worked up an appetite, so we made a quick detour to Chinatown for a bowl of noodles before heading to the National Building Museum at Judiciary Sq. E really wanted to take a picture with the women in kimonos, but even with goading from Maria, none of us had the guts to ask them. Somehow, though, I ended up in a picture with them.
Optical illusion: Between Aaron and E, I look like a midget, but with the Japanese women I felt like a big clumsy ogre.
We spent a good deal of time figuring out directions to our dinner venue, Sushi-Ko. It's the oldest sushi house in Washington, located at the northern end of Georgetown, and I figured it would be appropriate. I've been nutty excited about this place and made reservations for 6.30pm, so when we were lost in Dupont Circle at 6.25pm, I was a little frantic. Still... everything worked out.
We ordered a bottle of 'Snow Beauty' nigori (unfiltered) sake and, in a bold moment of fiscal recklessness, I ordered the omakase. The courses were:
1. Smoked salmon and ikura in lemon dressing
2. Miso soup with oysters
3. Lobster tail with ponzu sauce and sliced avocado
4. Nigiri sushi (including a raw-ish shrimp one - a first for me)
5. Mussels in (?)
6. Creme Brulee/sweet beancurd/flan
It was heavenly. I can't say I've had very many six-course meals, and even though the servings were petite and artful, I was stuffed by the end.
Hubby: "If we're gonna pay this much for the meal, we're going to take a picture, dammit!" That's me picking up my nigiri gingerly.
It started getting chilly after dinner; we huddled at the bus stop as we waited to be whisked back to the metro station. Upon returning to the Mall, I realized we had completely missed the Lantern Walk, but we enjoyed strolling around the Tidal Basin anyway.
(Man, I really should get to bed.) Finally, some pictures of the star of this weekend:
Click on the images to view a larger image
