A little over a week ago, a few of my friends and I decided to get out of New York City for a weekend in Washington DC. I had only been one time and it was in middle school, so I honestly don’t remember much from the trip at all. I especially wanted to visit during spring in hopes of seeing some cherry blossoms. There was four of us and we found the perfect Airbnb in Georgetown. The location was super convenient, with tons of shopping and food nearby. We rented a car and the Airbnb offered free parking, so we didn’t have to worry about that. The apartment we stayed in was super clean, cute, and the perfect size for four people. It was definitely a highlight of our weekend.
Since we left after work on a Friday and were driving back Sunday evening, we had less than two full days to make the most of our trip. Here’s everything we did, saw, and ate during our quick girls trip to DC!
Saturday in Washington DC
Café Georgetown for coffee
When we woke up, we wanted to grab some coffee to sip on while we got ready and figured out our day. We chose Café Georgetown simply because it was right by our Airbnb, but it was super cute inside! They also had some outdoor seating.
Clyde’s of Georgetown for brunch
After we were all dressed and ready, we needed some actual food. Clyde’s was one of the places recommended to us by our Airbnb host and they had a really nice outdoor seating area. I ordered the Eggs Chesapeake (which is basically Crab Cake Eggs Benedict) and it was delicious!
Shopping and walking by the water in Georgetown
After eating, we wanted to explore the area for a bit, since there are tons of shops. They have an Anthropologie, Nike, Urban Outfitters, and tons more. We also went for a walk down by the water.
The National Mall
Of course the biggest must-do thing in D.C. is to explore the National Mall. Here you can walk around and see all of the monuments and memorials that the area is known for. It’s definitely worth it, but make sure you’re wearing comfy shoes! We were very tired after all the walking around, but there are also electric scooters for rent and bus tours.
Washington Monument
World War II Memorial
Lincoln Memorial
Reflecting Pool
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial
Searching for Cherry Blossoms
We went right at the end of cherry blossom season, so sadly there weren’t tons around. But, we were able to find a few pink trees here and there.
Exploring Capitol Hill
Afterwards, we decided to explore Capitol Hill for dinner. It is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C.
Ophelia’s Fish House for dinner
After debating tons of options, we settled on Ophelia’s for dinner. I ate the seafood pasta and it was delicious! To drink, I had the blueberry lemonade, which was sweet, yummy, and not too strong.
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams for dessert
The first time I ever had Jeni’s was during my grad school trip to Charleston and man, I’ve thought about it many times since! It is seriously one of the best ice cream places I’ve ever had. I got a trio, which is three half scoops, of Texas sheet cake, butter cake, and brambleberry crisp.
Cafe 8 for drinks and hookah
Before heading back to the Airbnb, we ended the night with a couple more drinks and hookah. Mostly because we were exhausted, but didn’t feel like going to bed yet. Cafe 8 was busy, but luckily they had a table tucked away on the back patio.
Sunday in Washington DC
Baked and Wired for coffee and cupcakes
On Sunday morning, we tried to go get some cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcake, but they were only doing preorder pickups and we didn’t have enough time to place an order before we left the area. So instead, we decided to get coffee from Baked and Wired and try their cupcakes. We were not disappointed. They had tons of amazing options. Both my coffee and cupcake were amazing!
Shopping & exploring the Logan Circle / 14th Street area
There were a lot of cute shops in this area and cool street art to look at as well. One place worth mentioning was Lou Lou Boutique, a small family-owned accessory store. They had really cute stuff and I bought some pretty earrings.
Brunch at Pearl Dive Oyster Palace
We had a nice meal (with outdoor dining and contact-free ordering) at Pearl Dive. I ended up ordering more crab! I had the Pontchartrain, which was poached eggs over an English muffin, blue crab, ham, crawfish, corn, and hollandaise. It was served with potatoes and salad and I had a frozen strawberry daiquiri to drink. Yum!
Union Market
We wanted to explore somewhere else after brunch, so we drove over to Union Market. We had planned on a museum visit, but sadly everything was full for the day or closed. Union Market was a cute spot with a lot of food vendors and some shopping. Since we had just eaten, we didn’t spend much time there and it was very busy. I would suggest going there if you’re looking for an outdoor area to sip drinks or grab lunch.
Busboys and Poets for coffee and book browsing
After a few failed locations, we ended up back at 14th Street to have some coffee at the original Busboys and Poets. I had visited a location in Maryland years ago and wanted to check it out again. If you’re not familiar, they serve food and coffee, but they also have a great bookstore. All of their events and the things they sell focus on different forms of activism. It’s a really great spot to chill, talk, and browse some literature.
Roaming Rooster for grab-and-go dinner
Our very last stop in D.C. was Roaming Rooster. We heard they had good chicken sandwiches and we just wanted to eat something quick before the drive back to NYC. We were not disappointed! The crispy chicken sandwich could definitely rival Popeye’s.
And that’s everything! Literally. How would you spend a weekend in Washington DC? Have you ever been there before? Let me know!
