Adventuring Close to Home

August 1, 2015 – Adventuring Close to Home

I didn’t have to go far from home for my recent adventures.  On Friday, I abandoned all my cares and responsibilities for a few fun-filled hours with friends Kathy and Michelle.  Our girls’ day out started with a visit to the Textile Museum, recently relocated to a beautiful new building on the campus of George Washington University.  Their current exhibition is called Unraveling Identity and includes a wide range of textiles, some dating back over a thousand years and others created in the 21^st century.  It’s a fascinating exhibit that focuses on the role of textiles in establishing personal, cosmopolitan, religious, spiritual and political identity.  The exhibit is on view through August 24.  

One of the many gorgeous textiles we saw at The Textile Museum.

We also saw GWU's Washingtoniana Collection, housed in the same building.  It's a small exhibit about the founding of the District of Columbia, complete with maps and documents and some interesting historical tidbits.  Did you know that the Residence Act of 1790 provided for a federal district and that George Washington chose the location, which lay at the precise geographic center of the United States, from north to south, at the time?   

This Gilbert Stuart portrait of our first President is in the GWU Washingtoniana Collection.

Since we were already in the Foggy Bottom area, we had lunch at Beefsteak, the new José Andres quick, veggie-centric, locally sourced, cooked-to-order eatery.  The beefsteak “burger” was the perfect summer sandwich – a thick slice of ripe beefsteak tomato, fresh mozzarella, pickled red onions, sprouts, and caper mayo on an olive oil brioche bun.  It was gloriously messy and absolutely delicious.   

Nothing says summer like a juicy beefsteak tomato burger from Beefsteak.

Such a wonderful main course deserved an equally wonderful dessert, so we set out on a quest for gelato that brought us back across the Potomac to The Italian Store in Arlington, Virginia.  First, we browsed through the aisles of Italian cheeses, cookies, sauces, pastas, and wines; inhaled the aroma of pizza fresh out of the oven; and gazed longingly at the cannoli and sfogliatelle in the bakery display cases.  Then it was decision time, choosing our gelato flavors even as Michelle bemoaned the pounds she’d put on during her recent trip to Florence and Rome.  

Michelle and Kathy perusing the delectable goodies at The Italian Store.

I tried to console Michelle by reminding her that the protein in the gelato balanced the negative effects of the calories.  And truthfully, a scoop of gelato is a much healthier choice than something like a Krispy Kreme donut.  I refused to let guilt interfere with my enjoyment.  Rather, I remembered my mother’s words, spoken many years ago in a Texas ice cream parlor.  She looked up from her hot fudge sundae, paused with spoon in hand, and said, “Ice cream is good for the soul.”  Great-grandma Katie is a very wise woman.