Business in DC and a wedding in Virginia fit perfectly into the travel plans for this next visit to France.  We decided to make a weekend of it and WOW what a weekend.  I had been to DC a couple of times but it was strictly biz.  One of the partners in my old company Bouchaine was Austin Kiplinger, whose offices are in the District.  For me the agenda was arrival, meeting, departure, so in fact I have never seen the sites.  We arrived to a sultry evening and dined on fabulous Indian food at the Bombay Club and then settled into our hotel in Silver Springs, MD.  (We originally had a dinner in Baltimore that night but it was cancelled due to our plane taking an unexpected detour to Pittsburgh and therefore arriving late, hence the location of our hotel).

We awoke to a beautiful May day, sunny, clear, puffy clouds.  But before play there is always work.

Our first meeting was at 10:00 with David White, Founder and Editor of a new wine blog, http://www.terroirist.com.  David is a journalist/writer by day and a blogger by night.  He fell in love with wine a few years back and looks forward to the day when wine is all he is writing about.  It was so wonderful to talk with such a smart, enthusiastic, focused young man.   He is the kind of person who will make a difference in the evolution of the wine game, particularly in the US.  We could have talked the kid’s ear off and did until he indicated that it was time for him to get back to the office. I look forward now to his blog and his ongoing contribution to the industry.

The afternoon was ours to wander around Georgetown.  OK, so most of it was spent looking at fixtures and faucets for bathrooms and kitchens.  Yes, we are looking at that kind of thing for a remodel project, but the truth is that David LOVES this kind of “form meets function”.  No one does it better than the Italians and indeed there were a couple of exceptional showrooms that took more than an hour or two.  I had a few odds and ends that I wanted to pick up before the trip….really exciting stuff likes socks and toothpaste.  We headed back to the hotel as the sun was setting and dined that evening on some seriously good Lebanese food.  Georgetown is just as I imagined it, probably due to the many photos that I have seen over the years, quaint and collegial.

Typical Georgetown

Lots of Flags

Springtime in DC

More of the Same

The Vacant Lot Next Door to the House that David Lived in Until age 8

Up and out early on Saturday for the wedding, but first a visit to Monticello.  The building and grounds are lovely but the real interest lies in how TJ managed to have such a full life without the many conveniences we enjoy today.  He was a master tinkerer and gadget guy and his home was full of odds and ends that serviced his intellect and inquisitive mind.  The attention to food and drink were obviously of interest to me and I loved looking at his books with orders for wine (yes, lots of estates we know today including an entry for wine from Roussillon where I would be in a couple of days) and food.  His ice cistern was genius and the kitchen packed with inventive ways to cook, not to mention the largess of copper pots and pans.  His love of France felt right at home.

The Drive to Virginia

Vineyard at Monticello

Monticello

We charged to our hotel, changed and arrived on time to the wedding that was held on the grounds of an old stately home now used for events.  Intimate vows, delicious food and drink, old friends, new friends and a great DJ left me with aching feet (gawd, I hate heels!) and a slightly stiff back (no, not 25 anymore).  The father of the bride gave an absolutely marvelous speech.  It was a picture perfect day in the Virginia country side.

The next morning we headed back to DC and without a plan we ended up having one of the most jam packed, fun days that I can remember.  We started with the modern works of art at the National Gallery of Art.  Lots of goodies of course and fun to see another Pollock and a couple additional Rothkos just weeks after the ones we saw in LA.  The ceilings were dripping with Calders and there were plenty of other great works of art.

Calders

Matisse

O'Keeffe

In addition to the permanent collection two wonderful temporary shows were on display:  Gauguin, and a huge collection of Canalettos.

There was a surprise exhibit:  The Collection of Maud and Chester Dale.  As Dale himself said, “He had the money and the desire to collect, his wife had the eye”.  And what an eye she had.  My mouth hit the floor when we walked into the first room.  There were some of the most famous paintings the world knows:

Pablo Picasso, The Lovers 1923

Claude Monet, Rouen Catherdral, West Façade, 1894

Amedeo Modigliani, Nude on a Divan, 1918

Henri Matisse, La Coiffure, 1901

Auguste Renoir, A Girl with a Watering Can, 1919

A reproduction of the Renoir was over my bed as a child.  If you want to see the truly unbelievable, awesome collection, go to http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/daleinfo.shtm.  The entire collection is online and you will not believe that anyone could have this group of art in their home.  Oh la la!

We had to dash to make it to the new Behring Museum which houses the kitchen of Julia Child.  Talk about copper pots and pans!

Julia's, not Jefferson's

All the museums were closing at 5:30 as it was a Sunday, however the National Museum of Natural History was open until 7:00.  We had heard earlier that there was a concert that evening but had not pursued it.  However, upon entering the museum it was clear that the concert was there as a group of elderly types were heading into the building.  One look at them told you that it was classical, but nothing prepared us for what was ahead.  Apparently the Emerson String Quartet is in residence in DC and they were performing that night.  There were a handful of seats available and we jumped at it.  The program included Mendelssohn, Beethoven and a piece written for them by a modern composer, Pierre Jabert.  The piece was stunning.  We then visited the mall and some of the more familiar landmarks.  Of course we visited the Vietnam Memorial, which brings tears to my eyes just remembering.  It was too dark to take a decent photo, and perhaps that is fitting.  I am sure that we drove to our hotel, but it felt more like a magic carpet ride.

The Emerson String Quartet, Final Bow

The Washington Monument

The Lincoln Memorial

We stayed at the Washington Hilton which is apparently nicknamed the “Hinckley Hilton” as it is the site of the failed assassination attempt on the life of President Reagan.  It was getting rather late but we headed out into the evening for a bite and continued our good luck by finding a fantastic wine bar, Veritas, just a couple of blocks away.  We dined on prosciutto sandwiches and a delicious selection of cheeses, washed down with godello, albariño, bonarda, charbono, and anything else weird we could find.  We could not have enjoyed a better day if we were in charge of the world.

Monday was “departure” day for me but we managed to hurry out the door and made our way to our nation’s capitol.  The tour was surprisingly fun and a reminder of the guiding principles of our founding fathers.  It of course would have felt better if we as a people had lived up those lofty ideals over the years, starting with slavery, Native Americans, etc.  Frankly, no American should be allowed to graduate from high school without a trip to our awe inspiring seat of democracy.  In fact, it would not hurt for the members of congress to have to do a run through every six months or so to be reminded of these founding principles.  Perhaps it would help them put aside some of the petty bs they continue to engage in.

A quick walk through the Sculpture Garden was followed by lunch, packing, and an uneventful ride to the airport.  OH, did I say uneventful?  Except for being held up for several minutes while the Presidential motorcade passed by.  We have no idea where Barack was going but just knowing he was zipping through town in front of us in one of those very dark limos/SUVs was enough for me.

All in all, a magnificent send off.