The District of Columbia

A city filled with museums and they are all FREE!

Pleasantly surprised by all the learning that happened during the trip in DC. Had really no clear idea of what is congress, what is the senate, what is the house. But after a highly suggested tour of the capitol building it all made so much sense. "E Pluribus Unum", out of many one. 2 Seats per state making up the 100 senators vs the house which is elected based on population from the great compromise.

During this visit, the capitol is being restored so that it will be ready for the 2016 US elections. The buildings in Washington had lots of roman neoclassical influences. The dome of the building had a painting called "The Apotheosis of Washington" and honors George Washington as a national hero. So much of the western culture including the united states is influenced by the bible. And so much of the world is influenced by the western culture.

The national gallery of art was massive! There was only enough time to explore less than a quarter of what was offered in 2 hours. High level overview of the building. The rotunda looked familiar and as confirmed from the audio guide was modeled after the pantheon in Rome. The art collections were categorized into the different eras. The 1300s featured a lot of painting about Madonna and Child as early art work was created for churches. The only painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Ginervra de' Benci from the 1400s showed the engagement portrait of Ginevra. Some names I did remember from previous art galleries include Rembrandt, Turner, Monet, Renoir, Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh, and Manet. With so many great pieces from masters of their time its hard to imagine how art can reach a peak like it was once upon a time. The Italians, Spanish, French, Dutch, German have contributed so much to art throughout the centuries. Most painting have a pattern of sadness and gloom. Something that was normal in those days. I have to remind myself that its okay not to smile sometimes. And when I smile or laugh more often than others its because I do have lots of joy to offer. Because I do what it's like to be unable to smile at all.

I would definitely take my kids to this city when they are around 12 years old. I only had enough time to check out the natural history museum briefly but found my self in awe when I watched a video explaining the undiscovered under water world.

DC had a lot of old Jason Maraz songs such as "no such thing" playing around the food trucks and in IHOP. Bringing back memories of high school.

This trip was my first air bnb experience and I was shocked at how open people are to offer strangers their own place to stay. Leaving all their own personal belongings in the hands of people you have never met before. The owner was a very artsy girl who lived in a much older apartment. The layout of the place was a spacious bachelors. Filled with refurbished furniture and pieces that were collecting a bit of dust. The place was near Columbia Heights which is a very residential area. Kind of reminded me of Yonge and Eglinton in Toronto.

On the second night there, I went to a restaurant called Thip Khao which is the first Laos restaurant I experienced. So many good dishes. Our friends simply wanted us to have a good time and had the waiter recommend a bunch of the dishes which were all really delicious. From the soups to the sausages to the lettuce wraps and to the dessert. I was simply wowed. The couple that I met were pretty amazing and I wished I could learn a bit from them. The amount of courage to transition from finance to restaurant business. The amount of effort to do a part time MBA and continuously job search. The dedication to know what you want and simply to go after it. I do admire that. Makes me really think seriously about doing a restaurant business for mom. Will I have the courage?