For the first time in 2 years I returned to DC/Arlington, the main purpose being Mel's wedding up in Baltimore. Too poor to bring the boys with us (darn!), Mattias and I used out mileage to book redeye flights out to Washington Dulles. The flight sucked and we both slept a mere 1-2 hours, but here we are fresh as daisies at our old greasy spoon "Bob & Edith's."
En route to Baltimore, we thought it would be a great opportunity to visit our nation's monuments, being Memorial Day weekend and all. This year was the 50th commemoration of the Vietnam War, and it was touching to see veterans and family members at the wall.
The weather was absolutely perfect, and made me miss the changing of seasons. The National Mall, with all its grandeur, really does inspire and incite reflection.
Our final stop was the World War II Memorial.
One must-do on my list was to eat blue crabs. I told Mattias that I wanted to bring some home in my suitcase for my parents and he totally believed me! Hey, us Mangosings have done crazier things.
I've probably written about it a gazillion times, but the DC Municipal Wharf is one of my favorite places. It's tucked away near a freeway overpass, but swarms full of people from all walks of life. The racial segregation of the area is in no way apparent at the wharf-- everyone here comes for the freshest crabs.
Like many cities, redevelopment and gentrification is hitting DC especially hard. On a waterfront that mainly consisted of rundown restaurants and house boats, the District has planned multiple high rise mixed use developments.
I worry that once all the rich people move into their fancy condos, the smells and the traffic of the wharf will generate complaints, almost guaranteeing its demise. Hopefully it will still be there the next time I visit.
After grabbing our crabs to-go, double bagged and secured in the trunk, we drove up to Baltimore to check into our AirBnB apartment. We got a cute 1b/ba in the Mount Vernon neighborhood for $95 a night.
With the terrible jet lag we opted to nap and save the sightseeing for the next day. We were lucky enough to be there for the Baltimore Bazaar-- a farmers market, flea market, and street fair held underneath the highway.
Afterwards we went to the Inner Harbor for paddle boating with the Jenkamuths. We didn't paddle much because it's more fun to sit around as a make shift flotilla.
The main event of the weekend was Mel (a.k.a. Uncle Mel to the boys) and Zhujun's wedding. They were officially married back in February but it's not a marriage until you party with you friends and family. They had this sweet 3D canvas made in China.
The wonderful thing about being friends for so long, is that we know Mel's friends and family pretty well. While we were the only guests from San Francisco, we didn't at all feel like strangers.
The ceremony was simple and heartfelt, the best part was watching the difference in dog personalities as they walked down the isle.
Being the childless mother at the reception, I remembered to bring fun activities for the kids. We ate amazing food and danced the night away, as we would expect no less from a Wohlgemuth wedding.
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