Travel Memoirs: Halloween in Washington, DC

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It’s been an ongoing tradition that S and I spend Halloween together (going on 7 years- an official formality according to Wikipedia), so I flew in late Wednesday night to begin our first official Halloween in Washington, DC and stayed through this morning. What astonishes me is how close together VA, MD, and DC are… literally you get on the Metro one second in Maryland and four seconds later you’re in Virginia. It’s nuts. So basically, I visited 3 states in 5 days, and aside from the 5AM commute to Ronald Reagan Airport this morning, I had an absolute blast. I miss DC and my BFF already!

Since I flew in late Wednesday (All Hallows Eve Eve?), my first night was spent settling into their adorable home in Vienna, VA. On actual Halloween, we bounced around from cupcakes in Georgetown to a pumpkin patch in Vienna to a rooftop Halloween party at the W Washington DC hotel.

S makes me Halloween smoothies. BFF privilege.

Georgetown, VA is one of the cutest towns I’ve ever visited, which is odd because it’s known for its many alleged haunted locations. Eating a cupcake from Georgetown Cupcakes was on my official life bucket list (check), so we went straight there for an early morning Halloween treat. Then we toured around, climbed The Exorcists Steps (yes– from the original and horrifying movie), and did some light shopping.

The Exorcist Steps- a great workout and a mecca for horror film fans.

I ain’t afraid of no ghosts.

This year we decided to celebrate in the form of a rooftop Halloween Social presented by the W Washington DC, which benefited the Washington Humane Society. We enjoyed a stunning view of downtown DC, including the glamorous Washington Monument– designed by Michael Graves and lit up for the last time on Sunday evening. As planned, I went as Belle ((without a Beast)), and S went as a masquerade maiden.

Modern Day Belle Costume: Betsey Johnson yellow cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline from 2008 (vintage!), gold bow, gold heels, curled hair (which fell unfortunately), and rhinestone jewelry– easy peasy.

Playtime in the spooky elevator.

Middleburg, VA, established in 1787 by Revolutionary War Lieutenant Colonel and Virginia statesman, Levin Powell, is the definition of charming. It has earned the unofficial nickname of the “Nation’s Hunt and Horse Capital” and was once called home by Jackie O and JFK. I see a week long escape at the Red Fox Inn in my immediate future.

The famous Red Fox Inn & Tavern, which was frequented by Jackie O and Elizabeth Taylor during foxhunting holidays in the fall.

We ate lunch at one of S’s personal favorite spots, The Market Salamander. It’s a true working chef’s market with deliciously healthy food. I’m craving one of their tuna salad sandwiches. Boo.

Scruffy’s Ice Cream Parlor, named in honor of Scruffy, is partnered with the Middleburg Humane Society Thrift Shop, and a portion of all proceeds goes directly to help homeless animals.

My new favorite boutique, Lou Lou’s. We don’t have them in Florida, but apparently there are quite a few locations in the Northeast. Oh my goodness– I could (and did) get lost and do a whole lot of damage in this store. I found some stunning Yurman-esque pieces for myself, while simultaneously knocking out some early Christmas shopping.

Sarah’s parents so graciously bought us ah-mazing seats to the Washington Capitals vs. the Florida Panthers game on Saturday night, and I’ve never seen so many American NHL fans. The game was fantastic, and it ended narrow Caps victory after OT and a sudden death shoot out, straight out of The Mighty Ducks. We have the Solar Bears in Orlando, but they’re in the ECHL, which is a few notches down on the hockey belt, and they’re not nearly as big of a deal as Orlando Magic basketball (#NoDwightNoProblem). If you’re ever in DC, I highly recommend catching a game; the energy is palpable and the entertainment is of quality caliber.

The only way I can describe downtown DC is to use the term “outdoor museum.” I found it very similar to European architecture; just like in Rome and Paris, there are both outdoor and indoor historic landmarks with… all.over.the.place. You walk past national monuments and historic statues on your way to Starbucks. I didn’t get to see nearly everything on my list (it could takes weeks- guess I just have to come back), but we hit all my top spots, including the famous Capital Hill building and village, and was fortunate enough to visit with some old friends.

We ate a late lunch at The Old Ebbitt Grill, the friendliest bar in the greater New England area with some pretty darn tasty food//fabulous cocktails.

The First Lady Exhibit at the National Museum of American History… fascinating! They showcase almost all of the inaugural gowns and the exact china each leading lady chose for their term in The White House.

One of my favorite First Lady’s china… stunning red and gold pattern. I knew Nancy Reagan had good taste.

I got to catch up with my long lost BFF, Z, for a quick tour around Capital Hill.

We also got to meet up with my former sister queen, Miss Largo 2011, and newlywed K, along with her sweet husband at a local bar on Capital Hill. They moved back to Philly about six months ago– I miss all my friends! Love catching up and hearing about all of their successes and life updates.

We ended up getting lost due to a closed Metro stop, which prompted us to go on an unplanned nighttime stroll… words can’t describe how beautiful DC is at night. I could wander around for days. Literally.

It was truly difficult to compress all my memories into one post. Seeing as how it was my first visit to the nation’s capital, I tried to just take it all in, knowing full-well I’d be entering into what was essentially a new world of history and accelerated social pace. In greater Orlando, we don’t have mass transit, we don’t have historic landmarks, and we certainly don’t have good looking businessmen and politicians rushing around in the streets.My next trip DC trip is scheduled for New Year’s, and aside from ringing in 2014 with a bang, I plan on doing some more major sight seeing… and maybe riding for a day (or three) in Middleburg… and eating a dozen more Georgetown cupcakes.

Who else has been to DC? What were your favorite attractions, and what should I see next time?

Blah, back to my Orlando reality.Have a fabulous week!

37 thoughts on “Travel Memoirs: Halloween in Washington, DC”

Ashley Nicholas November 5, 2013 at 2:44 am

I've only been to DC once, but I loved every minute. I hope that I can travel the New England area more one day. Glad you had good time!

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37 thoughts on “Travel Memoirs: Halloween in Washington, DC”

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