Scenes from a (Pre-Hurricane) Walk in Alexandria

One of my favorite things this summer has been walking from my apartment down to Old Town Alexandria.  It’s just so cute down there, and there’s even an awesome waterfront that’s perfect for reading a good book. 

Since I have nothing else to occupy my time right now, I’ve been spending a lot of time down there.  So I thought you might enjoy seeing snapshots from my walk to and from the waterfront!  It’s all the little everyday things that caught my attention, so you can get a feel for the whole journey.  There are probably more pictures than you actually care to see, but I’m feeling reckless so I’m posting them all. Also, I literally have nothing else to do.

I know this picture isn’t very exciting, but I’ve decided that if I were going to buy a building in Old Town I would buy this one, no question.  It’s bright blue!  A gelato shop just opened in it.

Fun fact: George Washington brought produce from Mount Vernon to this square.  There’s still a farmers market there today.  It has delicious peaches.

There are a lot of hibiscus here, which seems kind of weird to me in Virginia.  But I still like it, so I won’t complain.

One of my goals in life is to see a movie in this theater.  It was built in 1914, with a theater and a dance floor.

The best bookstore here.  It’s really hard to not give them all of my money every time I walk by.

I walk by the Masonic temple 70 times a day.

And a bonus section!  Answers to questions you might have right now:

1. Hurricane status = It just looks  like a normal rainy day for Oregon right now.  The wind is barely starting to pick up.  Kaitlin just texted me and said her power went out in Richmond already though!  I have a box of Lucky Charms, a chocolate doom cupcake from Baked & Wired and a stack of library books, so I’m ready for anything.
2. Tuesday’s earthquake = I was on the way to the library in Old Town when it hit.  It was entertaining.  Except then they closed everything, which was annoying.
3. What I’m doing with my life = I don’t know.  Still in DC, doing a lot of sleeping, reading and Netflixing.  And wandering Old Town.

*song = Mumford and Sons’ The Cave.  Excellent storm music.

Buds of Hope

On my walk home I noticed that the trees had lovely green offshoots and I got really excited.

That is all.

Song stuck in my head = 5 years time by Noah and the Whale. It’s Spencer and Carly’s fault.

Rain On

It was a case of cabin fever. Even though I hadn’t been home even ten minutes. Even though I have a mound of homework yet to be scaled. I think it was the rain that really did it; it was fresh and free, my apartment stuffy and confined.

When I first saw the rain out the window at work I actually craved a run, like the many wet jogs I took in high school. There’s something wonderful about running in the rain that I can’t even describe. It’s like you can completely forget about everything else and let go, only focusing on the rhythm of your feet hitting the sidewalk and water splashing on you.

But, because of time constraints I settled on a walk with my camera. I really have missed the weight of it in my hands since I haven’t taken it anywhere recently, so this was a good quick fix. I didn’t get anything amazing, but here are some of the small everyday things along my way that made me smile.

Jars being used at lanterns with candles in a tree.

Wet roses.

Green. During the short time I was in Vegas I longed for green.

Puddles. They’re just classic. I would have splashed in them if I didn’t have suede shoes on.

And of course newspapers just always make me happy.

Now I just want to curl up with a book. A book other than my family finance workbook, that is.