Weekend Escape: Eat, Shop, Repeat

This past weekend, the Sailor and I went back to my old stomping ground in Washington, DC. And--here's the confession right up front-- we did nothing cultural. We've been to all of the monuments and the other touristy stuff, so we spent the weekend doing our (or rather my) very favorite things, shopping and eating- Can't beat that!

I was fortunate to find a deal at the Normandy Hotel through Living Social. The Normandy was a sophisticated yet comfortable boutique-style hotel a short walk from the metro up toward the embassies.

Our room had black and white toile wallpaper with hot pink accents, including the most comfortable chair I've ever sat in-- AND it was magenta velvet. On top of the out-of-this-world ambiance, the breakfast was one heck of a way to start the day. We were fortified in the morning/ pre-exploring with bagels, lox, fresh fruit, hardboiled eggs, and a super-duper cafe americano, espresso, cafe latte maker, and we returned each evening to a complimentary happy hour that included hors d'oevres, berries, cheese, freshly baked cookies and as much vino as one wanted to consume. I'm already planning our next stay there!

On Friday, we hit Georgetown for some Christmas shopping. I was in heaven visiting all of the big stores that we don't have here in SmAlbany-- Rugby, Madewell, Zara-- and all of the unique shops on the side streets, like  A mano, and Sassanova.

The Sailor was such a good sport and SO patient, while I browsed among the trinkets and tried on trendy clothes. The reward for Santa the Sailor was lunch at Pizzeria Paradiso, where the margarita pie and a flight of their dark beer hit the spot.

No trip to DC would be complete without a stop at Georgetown Cupcakes! Well, I won't miss Georgetown Cupcakes from now on at least. This was, in fact, my first visit there. We actually walked by once, as the line snaked around the corner. Because I am the world's most impatient person, I almost decided to skip the stop-- and almost missed out on the pure decadence. Fortunately, the line was much shorter when we walked by a second time, and it is well worth any wait!

There were all kinds of festive favors- Chocolate Egg Nog, Gingerbread, White Chocolate Peppermint. But I opted for Chocolate Ganache. The Sailor tried the Rudolph Red Velvet with cream cheese frosting. Mmmm.

I saved my cupcake for a midnight snack...and got crumbs in the bed. Only on vacation. Despite macaroons being all the rage nowadays, they'll never replace cupcakes on this sweet tooth's list of favorite desserts.