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| Not actually my new home -- it's the reading room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D. C. |
Sadly, our time in Germany is quickly coming to an end, and it's time to return to the U. S. after three years. At the end of June we're relocating to metropolitan Washington, D. C. I'm excited to be close to our nation's capital and all the culture and history, but very sad to be leaving Europe. Also I'll finally be living less than an hour's drive away from family, so that's very exciting after 24 years as a military spouse.
I feel so lucky to have been able to live in Germany -- I've visited 28 countries so far, some of them more than once, and next week I'm taking a final trip before we leave: a week-long cruise to Norway! I know I haven't posted that much about traveling, but I'll try to post after I return -- we have a week or so after the movers take everything and we actually board of final flight to return. I don't know how often I'll be able to post over the summer as things will be rather hectic finding another place to live yet again -- I'm really hoping this will be the very last move -- this will be our eighth major move in the past 24 years and I'm really over it.
And bloggers, if you have any suggestions for great bookstores, libraries, restaurants, museums or anything cultural in the Baltimore/Washington area, I'd love to hear about it! I can't wait to explore my new city!
Well, I hope you like heat and humidity!
ReplyDeleteUgh, I'm not looking forward to that! But at least the summer is shorter than in Texas, and we'll have some semblance of four seasons.
DeleteMount Vernon! I greatly emjoyed visiting it when I lived in Delaware and would love to go back sometime.
ReplyDeleteI'm so excited to learn more about the local history! I also want to visit Monticello.
DeleteI can't believe three years has come and gone already! Such a wonderful opportunity but best wishes for putting down some roots in your next community.
ReplyDeleteYes, the moving has become REALLY tiresome. And my piles of books never seem to get smaller. . .
DeleteHas it really been three years?? Well, what a wonderful opportunity...and now another one! DC will be neat too.
ReplyDeleteI'm especially happy to be close to the Smithsonian and the National Gallery. I'd also love to volunteer as an usher for the Kennedy center if they do that.
DeleteWillkommen zurueck!
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed vicariously following you on your travels in Europe! Did the relative distance from English language libraries and bookstores help you whittle down your physical TBR any?
I don't know the DC area at all, but Thomas at Hogglestock seems to go to quite a few used book sales and interdependent bookstores, so I think there will be a lot of opportunities for you to explore.
I was really hoping I'd read more of my own books, but the TBR shelves are not any less full -- I have access to both Air Force AND the Army library systems here, plus their digital collections, which is great -- and quick delivery from Amazon.de and Amazon.co.uk, plus Book Depository. And many cities have bookstores with English language sections, so I always check when I'm traveling. Don't ask me how many books I bought on my visits to London!
DeleteGood luck with the move! I hope you get to stay put for awhile. :)
ReplyDeleteThe only advantage to moving is that it forces to you to clear out stuff that's accumulated. When we left Texas it had been eight years there, and six since we'd moved house (we rented for the first two years). I got rid of a LOT of stuff and I still have too much.
DeleteDC is a wonderful city. I encourage you to check out the many local theatres here. A lot of people never get beyond the Kennedy Center and the National Theatre, but there are so many more (and better, IMO). You mention ushering at the Kennedy Center. I think KC uses paid ushers, but the smaller theatres rely on volunteers. I currently usher at Shakespeare Theatre and Studio Theatre, so I get both classic and contemporary. Other theatres worth checking out, both for shows and volunteering, are Woolly Mammoth, Folger, Ford's, Arena, and Signature.
ReplyDeletePolitics and Prose and Kramerbooks are great for new books, and Capital Hill Books and Second Story Books are good for used.
You will love D.C and Baltimore. So many great places to see.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on your move back to the U.S. Selfishly, I shall miss armchair traveling with you around Europe--I really enjoyed your travelogues. Hopefully, you will continue with adventures in your new region.
ReplyDeleteI live in DC proper, and can also use the library system in Montgomery County, and I think a few places in VA. This works out great for me because I tend to find the DC library...limiting. I second Politics and Prose (the original location) and KramerBooks. I also have recently fallen for Solid State Books. If you're a garden person, the National Arboretum is wonderful, and for me Dumbarton Oaks is worth the entry fee (the museum is free...but you have to pay for the garden). In July a trip to Kenilworth Gardens to see the lotuses in bloom is amazing, even if you don't think you're a garden person. Restaurant recommendations are bound to be governed by where you're living, or at least I tend to stick close to home, but I do have a ranking of every place in the greater DC region to get ice cream.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to the states! I hope you're settling in. As a native Washingtonian there is so much to do here. If you have access to a car there is a free bookstore in Baltimore called the Book Thing. They're only open on Saturdays and Sundays. Whenever I go, I always go to this counter diner. It's great.
ReplyDeleteFor museums- definitely the Smithsonian. Check out the National Arboretum and Brookside Gardens. There is a show called Check Please that features local restaurants and they are reviewed by average everyday folk, so I would definitely check that out for food recommendations. Also, restaurant week is a great time to check out new places. Most areas have them now.