St. Mary's City, Maryland

St. Mary's City was Maryland's first capital. It turned 375 years old this year.

For a long time, the remnants of the city lay buried under farm fields and a more modern house (the Brome Howard Inn). In the 1970s they decided to excavate the site.

Today, the site contains "faithfully" rebuilt structures and a lot of old timey people who show you how things were done in the 1600s. I believe many of the people are associated with the university and actually know what they are talking about.

There is a print shop (my personal favorite), an ordinary (like an inn), a church, a store, an old house, and even a recreated Indian hamlet. One of the most impressive sites is an old sailing ship. It isn't a reproduction of the actual ships that landed on St. Mary's shore, but it is from the time period. There's just something about old sailboats.

There's also a museum on site where you can watch a film about St. Mary's history and (of course) a gift shop. There are demonstrations throughout the day. It's complete nerd entertainment.

Farm Stands in Southern Maryland

Although the Amish places were closed on Sundays, there were still some heathens around willing to sell their produce on Sundays.

The kid running this stand was having teenage problems. We very carefully avoided getting into a conversation with him about them.

We bought a dozen ears of corn, peaches, watermelon, and a whole bunch of other stuff I can't remember. The peaches were amazing, but the watermelon was the best.

Chris froze it and used it for frozen, watermelon cocktails. He made them with triple sec and brandy. They were amazing. And the watermelon lasted us like a week. Highly recommended.

Amish Crossing in Southern Maryland

Sadly, I did not get pictures of any of the Amish people we saw in Southern Maryland. I did; however, get a pic of this Amish crossing sign. Gotta love it.

We saw a few horse and buggy while we were out and about. and we saw an adorable Amish girl huffin it on her bike along the side of the road.

Unfortunately, since we were traveling on Sunday, all the Amish markets and farms were closed. Living in a city, you forget how Jesus shuts everything down on Sundays in some places.

Anti-Choice Display in Southern Maryland

This is something you don't see in DC. It is a (presumably) faux fetus graveyard on the highway that leads to historic St. Mary's City.

The sign (in case you cannot read it) says "let us commemorate all of the American babies who have died because of choice." Creepy no?

When we first passed it I thought maybe it was for soldiers, people who died in Iraq perhaps. Why is it that church people are more concerned with sperm than actual people?

No really, I want to know.

Brome Howard Inn in St. Mary's City, Maryland

This is the Brome Howard Inn in St. Mary's City Maryland. It is an old plantation house that now serves as a bed and breakfast.

The inn was built by Dr. Brome in 1840 and served as a tobacco and wheat plantation. There are a few outbuildings still, including a slave cabin (although you can't go inside).

The house used to sit on top of historic St. Mary's City, but they moved it in order to do an archaeological dig. They moved the entire house at one time.

Apparently, they built a huge pallet (like the kind you see in warehouses). They slipped the house on to the pallet and then used a tank to bring it to its new spot. They had to take out several trees and the electric lines on the road in order to do it. It was, we were told, quite a site. The whole town came out to take pictures. That was back in 1994.

The bed and breakfast only has four rooms. The one we stayed in was adorable. It was also huge and filled with books and magazines to keep you occupied.

The breakfasts were very good. The mushroom omelet was so flavorful that I had it twice. The blueberry pancakes were fluffy (although short on blueberries). The french toast was disappointing.

The house also has a restaurant that serves dinner nightly and brunch on Sundays. The atmosphere is understated elegance. The food is very good. I ate a perfectly cooked duck. Chris has an enormous steak. We finished things off with some refreshing sorbet.

Service in the hotel and restaurant were spotty. You have to be dedicated to run a bed and breakfast. They don't normally have a whole lot of staff. I got the impression that this couple is no longer dedicated. The in-room explanation misinforms guests about the proper time for breakfast on Saturdays (thus causing confusion on Sunday). There was no housekeeping. There was, in fact, often nobody around.

Still, it was a lovely house. It is very close to DC. The food is good. I don't think I would ever go back, but I wouldn't advise others away.

Dumbarton Bridge Buffalo

The bridge between Dupont and Georgetown is officially the Dumbarton Bridge, named after the part of Scotland the 18th century owner of the property was from.

In 1914,Phimster A. Proctor, an American sculptor famous for western subjects, was commissioned to create four sculptures for the bridge. Each one is a buffalo that is nearly identical and (if you ask me) a bit creepy.

Some locals call it the Buffalo Bridge now. Make sure to say hi when you come by.

C&O Canal in Washington, DC

Before eighteen wheelers, barges were used to move stuff around. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was used to bring things from Washington DC all the way up to Cumberland, MD (on the Pennsylvania border) until the 1920s.

Some of the canal isn't actually canal anymore, but the parts by Washington, DC are. In the pic you can see a tourist barge being pulled along by some historically dressed reenactors and a couple tired looking horses mules.

Bikers sometimes take the canal path all the way up to the end. There is a great website that gives you all the 411. Perhaps one day I'll be feeling very industrious. Or at least I'd like to bike up to Great Falls.

Call Box Art in DC

Before you could call 911 for an emergency, DC had emergency call boxes all over town. The call system was removed, but the boxes have remained.

Rather than spend a fortune trying to remove the call boxes, Cultural Tourism DC has undertaken a project to turn them into art.

Some of the boxes are reproductions of historic paintings. Some are designed by local artists. Many of them have little historic tidbits about the neighborhood on the back.

This particular box depicting George Washington on his horse is in Dupont close to my house. You can find out more about the Art on Call boxes on the Cultural Tourism DC website.

Falun Gong in Washington DC

I've said before that walking around DC is a learning experience. This is another event/protest that took place a few weeks ago.

Falun Gong is a spiritual practice/religion that came into the spotlight in the 90s when practitioners protested Chinese government actions. It has been brutally oppressed in China since then.

I won't try to go into a whole explanation. You can check out the Wikipedia entry here if you are interested.

Holy Rood Cemetery

In Georgetown/Glover Park sits the Holy Rood cemetery. The cemetery dates to the early 1800s and used to be run by Holy Trinity Church. It is now owned by Georgetown University.

The place had apparently been allowed to get pretty dilapidated in the 90s, but they have since propped up fallen headstones and cleaned it up.

It's quiet and has great views (since it sits on a hill). Quite a few people were laying around relaxing in it when I was there.

Kickball on the Mall

The National Mall really is like a giant yard. On weekends, people swarm out to use the space for all kinds of games.

Kickball is a favorite. I've also seen Frisbee, boccie, softball, and cricket. Afterwards, nearby bars are filled with beer-drunk yuppies in matching jerseys.

Review of Cuba de Ayer

Cuba de Ayer is not actually in DC, it's in Burtonsville, MD. I was very excited to hear about a Cuban restaurant in the area and hopped over the first chance I got.

Although the outside looks like your average dumpy strip mall, the inside is actually quite cute. Deep red walls are covered with Caribbean paintings. Comfortable booths line the walls.

The menu has all the Cuban staples. Chris and I decided to stick with sandwiches. I got the chicken. He got the Cuban.

Disappointingly, my sandwich was not pressed. Also, they did not have any of the little potato crunchies on either sandwich. The sides we ordered were tasty (black beans and rice and yucca fries). The mojito I had was phenomenal, probably the highlight of the evening. The lowlight was the Cuban coffee.

Cuban coffee is not plain espresso! It is espresso with tons of sugar! It should be like syrup! It should have a froth on top!

If the place was close by I might stop by on occasion for a mojito and a passable Cuban sandwich, but the distance and the sad excuse for Cuban coffee means this will probably be a one time deal for me. Once again, a Cuban place disappoints. You just can't get good Cuban outside of Miami. I'm starting to think I'd even be disappointed with Cuban food in Cuba.

Review of Surfside

You all are surely aware that I have been on a quest for decent Mexican food in Washington, DC. It is an impossible task, but I am an optimist.

I had gotten word that Surfside had the best tacos in town. Naturally, I had to put that to the test.

The line was long when we arrived, which is always a good sign. While you wait in line, you fill out a little order form. You can chose one of their pre-designed concoctions or make your own.

Chris and I went with the Cuba (carnitas on corn tortillas with pineapple jalapeno salsa, lime sour cream and cilantro) and the Maui (grilled fish on corn tortillas with black bean and corn salsa, guacamole, cilantro and lime sour cream). All of which was chased down with perfectly iced cold Pacifico from their fridge.

It was great!

I wouldn't go so far as to call it authentic Mexican. It is more like Californian. But it is so much better than most of the faux tex mex crap you get served around here. And it is inexpensive (under $10 for two generously heaped upon tacos).

We took our tacos (and some not-so-great salsa and chips) upstairs to their adorable rooftop patio. It was the perfect place to kick back with those beers.

We will definitely be back. In fact, dinner isn't too far off...

Surfside,2444 Wisconsin Avenue Washington, DC 20007

Washington DC Style

There is a certain segment of the DC population (particularly centered around Georgetown) that likes the most unbelievably tacky clothes.

The pants in this Georgetown shop window are salmon colored with little whales all over them. And lest you think this is a joke, let me assure you that you will see people wearing these kinds of things.

Oddly, it is often people with obscene amounts of money that dress like this. I think it might be some secret code. The tackier you dress, the richer you are?

Cyprus Protest

You never know what you are going to learn just walking around DC.

Chris and I came upon this little vigil the other day. The sign says "We Demand Justice, Stop the Denial." Underneath it has a link to the Cyprus Action Nework.

I am ashamed to admit that I know nothing about Cyprus. So it came as a surprise to find out that Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974 and has since been occupying the northern part of the island.

And so ends today's history lesson.

Sad Ignorance at the Museum of American History

So, as I mentioned yesterday, we went to the National Museum of American History a couple weekends ago.

The museum has the Woolworth's lunch counter where Ezell A. Blair, Jr. , Franklin E. McCain, Joseph A. McNeil, and David L. Richmond sat down in 1960.

Hopefully, most of us have heard of how these four African American students set off a protest that ultimately desegregated Woolworths. But I don't think most of us know any more than that.

Well this poor kid at the museum was (while in character from the era) trying to educate the museum crowd. He kept asking questions and getting no response. You just know he goes home every day and marvels at our collective ignorance.

On a happier note, the crowd watching his performance was about as diverse as any I've ever seen. They just didn't know much about how they got that way.

The Scurlock Studio Exhibit at the NMAH

The National Museum of American History has an incredible photography exhibit through February of 2010.

The Scurlocks were local photographers who chronicled African American life in Washington DC. The exhibit covers about eighty years of DC history.

The photographs are beautifully done. Particularly impressive was an overhead shot of a ballroom from the thirties or forties. I don't know how they got that shot with that old equipment.

Of course, there were plenty of pictures of famous people (Martin Luther King to Marian Anderson), but it was the shots of everyday life that I really loved.

Also, there is a spot in the exhibit where locals can write down their DC memories and they post some up on a board. My favorite was the woman who talked about how nylon stockings used to last six months when they first came out, but how they make them like crap now. (My words, but the sentiment is the same.)

If you can't make it to the museum, you can see quite a few of the photos online.