This will be my last D.C. post for a while, until I visit my brother again; I’m thinking a fall trip. I’m going to drive up next time because I heard it’s a gorgeous drive when all the leaves change. I’ve been trying to get back into the swing of things around here. I snuck away from the second baseball game today to get some time to myself. That means blogging about my trip, baking, and NETFLIX 🙂 Breakfast at Tiffany’s was my choice today! That movie never gets old.
Sunday was my last full day in D.C. We decided to make it a low-key day becuase we were all pretty zonked from all the exploring. I did so much in the ten day period! Karlee and I decided to read some of the comments from you guys and take some of your suggestions on places to go in Old Town since it was walking distance for us. And you guys are awesome for that!
Last time I went to Misha’s I ordered an iced coffee. I was burning up and din’t want to order anything hot that day and was on a coffee high already. When I wake up before everyone else, I drink coffee and when they wake up and drink coffee, I keep drinking coffee. It’s a never ending coffee cycle Sometimes I go to bed early just because I’m excited about my morning cup of coffee. The first sip of the day is the best sip of the day. Now I just sound crazy. I really wanted to try a latte at Misha’s Coffee before I left, so we stopped there again.
You may be wondering why I have so many photos of the same latte and Kate Bakes bar but it’s sort of an obsession to take pictures of my coffee. I’m ok with it.
I hadn’t had breakfast yet, so I grabbed one of the cardamon date Kate Bakes bars. Little did I know that I’d become obsessed with them. They are so so so so so good. I’m a date lover and I even got Karlee hooked on them.
She buys the dates and freezes them for dessert now too. You guys should try it!
The cardamom date bar is gluten free, vegan, dairy free, egg free, no added preservatives, high protein, high fiber, and made in small handmade batches. Talk about a good breakfast!
Oh and that latte!? PERFECT!
After grabbing coffee, we shopped along King Street. We went into all types of antiques stores and boutiques. We stopped at Olio and tried all the balsamic and olive oils. I ended up buying the blueberry balsamic so I can make a fruit-y viniagrette dressing. Also, balsamic is really good with mixed berries. If I had a bigger suitcase I would have bought a lot more, which is another great reason to drive up next time.
We headed down to test out two ice cream shops. That’s right! I said, “TWO!” Someone requested Pop’s, someone also requested The Creamery.
Pop’s ice cream was HUGE. They had flavor on flavor on flavor!
We went with the Pistachio flavor because it’s both of our favorites.
We were a little disappointed.
It didn’t taste like the normal pistachio ice cream. It had dark green grainy veins throughout the ice cream and it tasted very artificial. I’ve been spoiled with homemade pistachio ice cream in Waxhaw. And don’t get me started on the pistachio gelato in Kehl Germany!
I’ve never been able to turn down pistachio ice cream, but I was pretty much done one the second bite. 1st bite to try it. 2nd bite to confirm my first bite’s thoughts.
It was time to move on to the next stop, The Creamery.
I didn’t think this place was going to be any better because the line always wraps around Pop’s ice cream, which would indicate that Pop’s was better. That’s why we ate there early in the day instead of at night; we didn’t want to face the lines.
We went with the mango ice cream. YUM! We kind of kicked ourselves because we should have got pistachio to compare the two, but mango just looked so good! I’m sure it was artificial but it didn’t taste it. The ice cream was exactly what I’d imagine a good ice cream cone tasting like!
Next time I’m in Alexandria, I’m trying out some gelato spots!
On the way back we crossed the sign “Lavender Moon Cupcakery”, and I remembered someone saying something about this place on my Instagram. We had to grab a cupcake to go for later.
The place was adorable. It had a cute little vintage feel inside.
I was very impressed with the girl working in the shop. She named every single cupcake without looking at any signs. She covered the cake, to the filling, and to the frosting. There were a lot of cupcakes there too!
We went with the almond flour base gluten free chocolate cupcake. It looked so good and if a cupcake shop can make a cupcake taste awesome out of almond flour, you know they’re a good cupcake shop!
We ended up trying the cupcake after dinner and you would have never known it was made from almond flour. It tasted exactly like chocolate cake, consistency and all!
It was a given that we had to stop at Alexandria Cupcake.
I love going into cupcake shops and bakeries.
I’m always excited to see how they decorate. They had a very modern/retro look; I promise it makes sense.
I love that they have a separate case for people who have a gluten intolerance.
The girl working was very sweet. She reminded me a lot of Ellen Page (from Juno) We decided to go with Strawberry so we could compare it to Georgetown cupcake.
We ended up trying the cupcake after dinner with the chocolate one and the Georgetown strawberry cupcake wins hands down! The strawberry cupcake from Alexandria was actually one of the worst cupcakes I’ve ever had. The frosting tasted like pure butter without any sugar, and the cake was dry and flavorless. T.C. and Karlee agreed which made me feel a little better. I mean, I’m no cupcake snob, but these weren’t worth eating. I wish I would have tried another flavor because I’m sure they’re better.
We stopped at Whole Foods to grab lunch to bring to the pool.
We wanted something fast and healthy after diving into the ice cream. I picked up some fresh fruit, water, True Organics juice, spa water, and greek chicken salad.
For dinner we ordered Chinese because we didn’t feel like moving from the couch. I had steamed vegetables and brown rice. Boring, I know, but I wasn’t too hungry.
After dinner, I headed downstairs to have wine with Shaughna and Mike! I’m not kidding, I love this couple and I’m already excited to see them again! I stayed down and chatted with them until midnight and still needed to go pack for my flight in the morning.
I got to the airport around 8 am! I didn’t get a chance to grab breakfast because I had to pack when I woke up. I’ve never been so laid back in my entire life while being in D.C. It was such a calming trip. Usually I pack 2 days before a trip. I bought some yogurt, a luna bar and coconut milk. I accidentally grabbed chocolate, but it was surprisingly good.
I left D.C. at nine thirty and then caught my connecting flight in Atlanta.
I made it to Charlotte around one. We had the worst turbulence on that last flight. You know those roller coasters where you drop for a good five to ten seconds? Our plane did that a couple of times. People were screaming, flopping every where, and flying out of their seats. That’s why I keep my seatbelt on and refuse to use the restroom on a plane. I’ve been on a lot of planes, even planes that are 10+ hours…and have NEVER used a plane restroom. I don’t even know what they look like. Fun fact of the day!
Nick picked me up and then made me lunch 🙂 I was sad to leave my brother and Karlee but happy to be home with Nick and the pups!
Even though this was a long recap post, I have so many more to do!
xo
caroline says
i’m going to charlotte this weekend to see my brother, and i’m trying out luna’s kitchen since you love it so much! 🙂
Taralynn McNitt says
Yay! 🙂 Almost went there yesterday!
Donna says
That was a great critique of the area! Anyone heading there this Summer should have a good idea of where to indulge their sweet tooth! Just so you know you are not alone, I wake up excited about my first sip/first cup of coffee too! You are great at re-creating recipes. I bet you can make an adequate home version of the cardamon, date cake.
Taralynn McNitt says
Thats Donna! I really wanna try to make my own because it was so good! 🙂
Kristin C says
I am so glad you had a good time! This is one of the first D.C. posts I’ve gotten to read, but it looks like your trip was amazing 🙂
chickcakes says
I love old town!
Cassie says
What a beautiful town! Hope you have a nice trip!
Cayleigh Mueller says
You can take all the pics of coffee you want! I also look forward to the first sip and growing up in a house full of coffee drinkers it just in my genetics. I honestly get really sad if the coffee isn’t very good. Completely ruins the day. lol I’m sure you have tried this but I use refined coconut oil (doesn’t have the coconut flavor) and local honey and blend it up. I also have a cheap espresso maker that I use. It might take a while to find the ratio of coffee to honey and oil that you like but it’s worth it! I can’t give you exact measurements because I just eyeball it anymore.
Melissa says
What happened to all those snacks you packed?
Taralynn McNitt says
We took some bars out while we were walking around and we all shared them throughout the trip. Some where left behind.
Linda @ The Fitty says
I take it that you don’t keep hydrated while on the plane if you’re trying to avoid using the rest room. Am I right? Also, have you ever experienced flying first class?
Jorden W. says
I love your coffee pictures! You have truly turned me into a coffee lover as well! I can totally relate to wanting to go to be early just to wake up and enjoy that early morning cup of coffee! Your pictures always look fantastic!
Mystic says
Next time you’re in town, you need to go to “The Dairy Godmother” in Alexandria (Del Ray area). It’s the best custard you’ll have, and they have fascinating flavors! Watermelon & basil is my favorite.
Ashton Jury says
The foam on your latte looks so good! I’ve never tried the lemon luna bar but I’ll have to give it a try, I love zico though!
Taralynn McNitt says
LOVE THE LEMON ONE 😀
Cami says
As a fellow coffee fanatic, I completely understand your coffee drinking tendencies! And since I am exactly the same, I thoroughly enjoy all of your coffee pictures (the latte looked amazing too!) 🙂 What method do you use to make coffee? I think in your planner post I saw some sort of steeping mechanism in the background and was curious. I am a coffee snob and always use a french press but I’m always up for learning/trying a new method!