Whole Foods Three Blocks Away

Everyone in the neighborhood was waiting for the big day. Whole Foods was finally going to open in the Yards. We weren’t able to make the grand opening morning, but walked over the following Sunday to pick up something for supper. The place was PACKED. And you see a lot of Whole Foods shopping bags coming in our building. After all, it is located hardly three blocks from here - just on the other side of the overpass. So this morning we decided to stop in and pick up a couple of items - peppers, cheese, bread, and a cooked chicken for dinner. The place was empty at that time of the day. So we checked out the aisles to see what was available. I don’t see it as our “go to” grocery store because it doesn’t have a lot of the more familiar brands we prefer. But it is very convenient for a couple of items kind of thing and Amazon Prime might get us a bit of a discount. Everything looked good and maybe we just need to get more familiar with it. They do have a breakfast bar which may come in handy after the morning walk. But the timing must be right to avoid the morning/lunch change up. When we moved to DC twelve years ago none of this existed. From our house to the Nationals Stadium the neighborhood has been completely transformed. Being able to walk to groceries, restaurants, dentist, doctor, haircut, etc is really nice - if you can stand all the inconvenience and noise of an urban environment. 

Amazon Smile and Amazon Basics

I’ve been a member of Amazon since 2000 when I got one of the first digital camera with floppy disks! I always liked gadgets and photos. We are also Amazon Prime customers like most everyone else it seems. We love Amazon video, photos, free shipping, and Whole Foods store discounts. We also had a Borzoi named Tatiana and she is the reason we always use Amazon Smile to donate to the National Borzoi Rescue Foundation - NBRF. Last week we were looking for batteries and I came across Amazon Basics. I couldn’t believe the price of the 8 pack of 9V batteries we bought. It was so much cheaper than the usual. I suppose I never noticed Amazon Basics before because we didn’t need anything that fits under the description or I just didn’t pay attention. It’s the Amazon store brand where you can find generic cheaper versions of products that come on Amazon boxes. The listings have expanded over time to include a lot more than electronics. So whenever we purchase anything from Amazon Smile, it shows the number of orders that supported your charity of choice, you can see how much you donated, and you can tweet out a message that you donated to the charity you selected. I know it isn’t a huge amount but every little bit helps. And if you use the Amazon app to shop, you can then flip to the Amazon Smile website on the internet to complete your transaction because everything is already saved in your cart. That way you can make sure your charity isn’t forgotten. It’s a nice way to remember our pup and easy enough to do. 

Chart House in Old Town Alexandria

When we first moved to DC from the Midwest twelve years ago we spent a lot of time in Old Town Virginia. We had traveled and stayed there a few times even before we moved and liked the quaintness about it. But after awhile we started to explore other places and didn’t go there as much. Lately though we have been spending more time in Old Town - everything goes in cycles. Last week after I got my RealID driver’s license we decided to take a ride and return to the Chart House Restaurant for lunch. It sits right beside the Potomac River with excellent views of the waterfront. We were there at least twice before. So we parked a few blocks away and walked over in the beautiful sunny afternoon. The restaurant hadn’t changed much - more “Old style” supper club vibe with white tablecloths. We did like what we ordered but decided it’s not the kind of place you would frequent regularly - once in a while is nice. Since we were on the waterfront we took a little walk after lunch. The tourist season is over so it was less crowded than usual. The water taxi stopped twice going to and from the SW waterfront and the convention center. There is another restaurant right next to the Chart House called Blackwell Hitch that seems newly built. May be we might give that a try. Lunch time during the week is so much better than evening fare. I guess that’s what happens when you reach a certain age. There were plenty of boats hitched and water foul about. It seems we always lived near some body of water - the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Michigan, the Potomac River. It would feel weird otherwise to be landlocked. Anyway, it was a nice day overall. We will have to come again. 

Persian Treats from Yas Bakery and Supermarket in Vienna

One of my friends and colleague from the Library of Congress retired about a month ago. We are hoping now we will have more of an opportunity to visit. We were invited to dinner at their home last evening. We always bring something along. So yesterday we drove to Yas Bakery in Vienna, Virginia to put together a goodie bag of Persian treats. We have brought cookies before, but this time we wanted to mix it up. So I thought about filling a six bottle wine cloth bag with something different for each slot. And since our friend enjoys cooking, it was so much the better. So we picked out a sour cherry jelly, quince jam, rose water, seasonings for kabob and rice, pistachios, tea and cucumbers. Of course we also got a little container of cookies. We were at the Safeway grocery store just before the Yas trip and picked up some filler paper to wrap each selection. When we got home I put together the items and it looked more interesting than what appeared to be six bottles of wine. We ended up tasting the seasonings on the dinner that was cooked by our friend, and had a cookie along with the dessert that was prepared. It’s always an enjoyable affair and it was such fun thinking about what we would get them. I wonder what we will do next time? 

So 

GW Parkway Ride

As is true with every Saturday morning, we take a ride to McLean Family Restaurant followed by grocery shopping at either Safeway or Harris Teeter. This morning was no different. Because it rained very hard last night the sun seemed even brighter this morning, the wind was ferocious, and the clouds were dancing! The George Washington Parkway along the Potomac River is our favorite route there. The season, the fall colors, and the cooler temps made the usual ride more enchanting. What we now take for granted is seeing some of the most recognized buildings, monuments, and places in the world. Starting with the Capitol Building right after we get on the freeway just a few blocks from our house; the Jefferson Monument; the Washington Memorial; Memorial Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial; Kennedy Center; Roosevelt Island; Georgeteown University; Potomac River; and scenic overlooks. There’s even more on the way back, but I’m driving so I can’t take photos - I missed a wedding shot at the WWI Memorial on Independence Avenue. We had a few other errands this morning but made good time getting home. Sometimes I’m not sure how and why we moved to DC from the Midwest, but it’s days like this that remind us it wasn’t such a bad idea. 

Real ID and Driver License Renewal at the DMV

When we lived in the Midwest it was easy to get to the DMV station to renew your driver’s license. There was always ample parking and a short drive. I don’t remember having to provide so much documentation! My license was up for renewal and I couldn’t update it on line as I did the last time because I had to get a REAL ID. That would require physically going to the DMV station and providing all the required documentation - a passport, social security card, and two items that showed place of residence like a property tax receipt and bank statement. So we decided to kill two birds with one stone by getting our morning walk in and getting the driver’s license renewed in SW - a fifteen minute walk from our house. Of course when we arrived the long line was wrapping around three times over, but for whatever reason it seemed to move. I noticed the cars constantly driving around the tiny parking lot trying to find a space to park. Once we got to the first desk, we needed to state the reason for the visit, show our documents, get a form to fill in, and get a number. The large sitting area was not quite full, and the numbers were consistently being called. Everything kept moving and it was actually quite efficient! When my number was called, I went to the assigned desk (there were at least 20) and everything was completed in one place - documents scanned, eye test, photo, temporary license. I got my old license back after it was punched as invalid. The new license is supposed to arrive in the mail within 15 days. All in all it wasn’t very painful. We get to do it all over again in a month or two because my husband’s license expires. His will require medical authorization because of his age. But we still have to make a visit to the DMV for his REAL ID. It’s going to be a lot colder outside!