Putt Putt and Pizza

On Tuesday we experienced a few things that are very American - Putt Putt (or Miniature) Golf and Fast Food Pizza. In the afternoon, we ventured to a local driving range to play a round of mini golf, one of my favorite past times as a kid. Maybe Ani is the next Tiger Woods?

In the evening, we headed to the Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC. This is one of the more lively sections of the city and it's made up a few major streets that are lined with bars and restaurants serving food from around the world. That night we noticed French, Ethiopian, Italian, Mediterranean, as well as the American regulars.

First we stopped by the wonderful rooftop bar at The Reef where we enjoyed a few drinks before moving on to Pizza Mart, a DC institution. The pizza at Pizza Mart is HUGE and is much better when it's 3am and you've been drinking for awhile. In any case, I thought it was something that Ani had to experience.

We ended the evening with a stop for ice cream at Maggie Moo's followed by another rooftop bar visit, this time at Local 16.

BBQ Time

The last Monday in May was Memorial Day, which marks the beginning of the summer in the US, and we celebrated the holiday the way everyone should. With good food, good beer and good friends. My dad is probably one of the world's best BBQ-ers and was more than willing to cook all day when my sister and I asked. Lucky for us and our friends, as my dad delighted us with a feast. The menu included fried turkey, ribs, fried catfish, Maryland crabs, grilled shrimp, and of course, burgers and hot dogs. And that only covers the meat!

The highlight for me and my sister was watching the uninitiated attempts to break open and eat the crabs. We've had years of training, so we are professionals now and it doesn't take long. But for a novice, it can take awhile and it can be a pretty gross experience. Most will complain that the amount of meat retrieved from the crab is nothing compared to the amount of effort it takes. In any case, Ani was quite a sport and sat down to pick his very own crab (after Laura and I gave him no other option).

Panche, Char, Tin, Do, Ek: Flip Cup Adventures

On Saturday night we stopped by a BBQ at the house of two of my old roommates. We arrived a bit late and after a massive thunderstorm, so we missed out on most of the food. But, we didn't miss out on the drinking game fun!

I think this was Ani's first experience with American drinking games, which are a staple of any outdoor (and some indoor) party. Despite this, he was a good sport and joined in the game after some pleading from my former roommates. He held his own in the Boys vs. Girls game, but was later eliminated when we started playing "Survivor Flip Cup." For the uninitiated, in Survivor Flip Cup one player on the losing team is eliminated each round.

Glennon even made the game more appealing to Ani with a Hindi countdown to the first flip!

P.S. We left before the match was over, but we were later told that the Girls were victorious over the Boys!

A Bold Elephant

I really miss the news in India. I just came across this news story about an elephant. Good times.

Day 22: More Washington, DC

We spent Friday afternoon exploring more of the sights in Washington, DC. Our stops included the Capitol, the Air & Space Museum, and the White House. The weather was super hot (95 F/35 C), but we put up with it long enough to enjoy some of the best sights in Washington. Personally, I loved the stop in the Air & Space Museum, my favorite in DC. And for Ani the highlights were obviously the US Capitol and the White House.

After getting our fill of tourist sights, we went to the weekly jazz performance in the Sculpture Garden of the National Gallery of Art. There we met up with several of my friends - Kelly, Mike, Nyla and Michelle. The garden was packed with people since it was the first concert of the summer series and the first day of a holiday weekend signifying the start of the summer.

After jazz, we had a wonderful Mediterranean dinner at Zaytinya with Mike, Nyla and Michelle, followed by drinks at Indeblue. Finally, after a long and exhausting day, we headed back to Reston.

Pittsburgh Part 2

Last Saturday we headed up to Pittsburgh again for my sister's graduation from an Arts Management Masters program at Carnegie Mellon. This visit was different from our last in that it was longer and we weren't there to be tourists. Instead, it was filled with family and celebrations in honor of Laura. And this time we stayed at a hotel in downtown Pittsburgh since Laura's place was full of boxes and random pieces of furniture.

Here's a photo of the happy graduate with her new diploma to go alongside her one from MICA.

On Sunday night we had a big family dinner (Mom, Dad, Laura, Granddad, Aunt Louise, Uncle Calvin, Ani and me) at Buca di Beppo in Station Square. At dinner I ordered WAY too much food and spent nearly 1/3 of the bill on wine! I guess that's the last time my dad will put me in charge of ordering!

After dinner, Ani and I walked around the shops and restaurants at Station Square for a bit before heading back to our hotel. Monday morning we slept in and eventually made our way to Laura's apartment so we could eat leftover food and help her pack up her things. But, I smartly hit the road before the heavy loading started. All of my former roommates will attest to my general dislike for packing and moving.

Day 16: Washington, DC & Journey to Pittsburgh

Saturday afternoon we made a quick trip around the Beltway to check out the Air Show. Unfortunately, we arrived a bit late (blame Indian Stretchable Time) and we weren't able to enter the base. But we did find a nice spot in the area where we could enjoy the performance of the US Air Force's Thunderbirds. And we weren't the only ones.

Later in the afternoon, we made our way to Pittsburgh, once again, this time for my sister's graduation from a Master's program at Carnegie Mellon.

Day 13 - 15: Washington, DC

We returned from New York last Tuesday evening and enjoyed some much needed downtime at home. Aside from catching up on sleep and TV shows, we did a little shopping. Ani's new purchases included in a digital camera, some clothing and toys for his niece's back home.

The Statue of Liberty

Last Monday, we visited the Statue of Liberty in New York City. I hadn't made the trip to Liberty Island since I was about 12 years old, so it was nice to have an excuse to go again. The weather was cool and we weren't prepared for the windy boat ride. In any case, we had a nice time and snapped way too many photos of Lady Liberty along the way. Here are only a few.

Days 8 - 12: New York, NY

We've spent the past several days in New York City and will be heading back to Washington tomorrow. In that time we've gone to a Mets baseball game, seen the Statue of Liberty, cut Ani's hair, braved the crowds in Time Square, enjoyed the view from the Empire State Building at night, drank late night chai, and done a fair amount and window and real shopping.

More photos and highlights to come.

Day 7: Washington, DC

I'm WAY behind on my blog postings, but on Friday we hung out in DC for a bit. We had lunch at the Tidal Basin and wandered around the Jefferson Memorial for awhile.

Will write more when we're back home.

Day 6: Reston, VA

Today we had a lazy day in Reston. We hung out at my house for most of the day and then went to the Reston Town Center for a little shopping. We did have fabulous sandwiches and a milkshake at Potbelly for lunch. Yum.

This evening we treated my parents to a great Indian dinner. It was my first Indian meal since coming back to the US and it was much needed. We had butter chicken, lamb korma, dal makhani, naan and rice. And of course, we had gulab jamun for dessert. And to my surprise, both of my parents loved the meal.

I will definitely have to go back to the restaurant, Minerva, in the future. I'd never eaten there before, but I've always seen streams of Indians walking in. That's always a good sign.

Tomorrow we're finally going to do some sightseeing in DC. We'll probably hit the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials and the Washington Monument. How I love being a tourist!

Next stop: Washington, DC

Day 4 & 5: Pittsburgh

Tuesday evening we arrived in Pittsburgh to meet up with my sister who is finishing her Master's at Carnegie Mellon. After a brief nap, we walked around Walnut Street and then had dinner at a Thai restaurant. Yum.

Today, after a nice breakfast at Laura's place, we set off to do some sightseeing. First we visited the Andy Warhol Museum in the Northside of the city. From there, we ventured up the "Incline" to catch a spectular view of the city and the Three Rivers.

Then we stopped for a late lunch where Ani and I enjoyed the finest vegetarian cuisine because "it's Tuesday." Actually, I didn't have to, but the avocado sandwich sounded too good to pass up. And it was! By the way, Ani took this picture of his lunch because every time he talked to his family back home, we asked what kind of food he's eating. Now, he can show them.

Next stop: Washington, DC

Day 2 & 3: Annapolis

We spent this past weekend in Annapolis, Maryland. Although it's only 1 hour from my hometown and a nice weekend destination, I had never been there before. On Saturday we were greeted with cold, rainy weather, but Sunday turned out to be quite nice.

First we explored the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Maryland State Capitol. In the evening, we went on a sailboat cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. As it turns out, the schooner we cruised on is the same one featured in the movie Wedding Crashers. Despite the cold weather, our time on the water was beautiful and lots of fun.

Next stop: Pittsburgh

Day 1: Georgetown

Like all good Washington tours, our started in Georgetown. Actually, we didn't visit anywhere else (not yet). When I asked Ani if he wanted to go see Georgetown, he replied, "I guess so, since you talk about it so much." But I'm not the only one.

In any case, we spent the afternoon walking through the Georgetown campus. I pointed out all of the places where I used to live, went to class, ate, and everything else I did at Georgetown.

Then, we hit Wisconsin and M Streets for a little shopping. After stopping into several stores, Ani asked me, "Why do the salespeople keeping on asking how you are? Do you know them?" No, I replied, this is simply what they are trained to do.

Next, we hit the Georgetown Waterfront, which was packed on a sunny Friday afternoon. There we met up with Mike and his dad, and later Kelly, Katie, Liz and Ryan. We all enjoyed the sunshine before heading off to Matchbox with even more friends for a wonderful wood oven pizza dinner. All in all, a good start!