love for the city: rowhouses, part I

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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if there's one thing about dc that i would ever consider labeling my favorite, this is it. 

the rowhouses.

every neighborhood has them, each with their own style. even on a single block where the houses are all designed the same, each will have their own personality with different paint colors.

intricate details, bay windows, roof ornaments, masterful cement carvings, painted trim work. i think it's stunning and taking pictures of these beautiful structures never seems to get old to me. 

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i took most of these in the early fall. as i started to edit them, i realized i needed to make this a multi-part series. 

there's just too much goodness to share.

so here's part I. i hope you enjoy it as much as i enjoyed taking these pics.

stay tuned for part II.

love for the city: fall

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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when the leaves start to turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange and red, you know fall is here. and while there is definite appeal to seeing fall's majestic colors against the backdrop of a winding country road, i love to watch this transformation unfold in the city.

all pics by me

pretty stuff, right?

this year, the leaves haven't quite got to this point, but it's coming. and it's something i always like to capture it on camera since it's gone in a flash.

if you can't get out of the city but want to take in some of this seriously gorgeous fall-ness, i recommend taking a walk, run, or drive (if you have a car) through rock creek park.

the district in the fall: it's one of my favorite sights.

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for more reasons to fall in love with dc, check out the entire 'love for the city' series, right here.

love for the city: sunrise

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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i've never really been a morning person.

i've gotten more used to it over the years, but i've always considered myself more of the night owl variety.

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a few years ago, as a gift, my grandmother signed me up for this photography workshop hosted by national geographic right on 17th. i learned so much more about photography, and from a purely journalistic standpoint, getting an inside look at this total machine of a periodical was awesome. we got to visit their art department, and yours truly was geeking out to the max.

it was a three-day class and on the last day, we were to meet at the lincoln memorial between 5:30 and 6:00.

uhhhhh hold up.

BE THERE AT 5:30?!

but when i arrived?

worth it. times a million.

check this out:

wowza, right? 

that'll take your breath away!

here's some more sunrise action for you.

all pics by me

i took these shots as the sun was rising and then stuck around afterward to take some pictures of the early morning crowd--runners, power walkers, engagement shoot couples, dog walkers, park police.

i wish i'd taken more of the sun as it began to rise, but it was so peaceful and calming just sitting there, watching the sun come up, cup of coffee and camera at the ready.

the lincoln memorial at sunrise is a must-see event.

even if you only do it once, there's something pretty special about being there as this fantastic city of ours slowly comes to life.

you could even hit up the secret steps afterward.

either way, your morning will be pretty awesome.

rise and shine!

love for the city: portrait

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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this.

this place right here:

inside the national portrait gallery sits the kogod courtyard.

and it's another one of my favorite places in dc.

it's not at all difficult to get to, like the secret steps. in fact, there's nothing secret or off-the-beaten-path about this place. the portrait gallery's right in the heart of chinatown, arguably one of the most consistently citified two blocks of dc. 

(as opposed to downtown which is dead dead dead if it's not 9-5, m-f)

there's always something going on: a concert or sporting event at verizon, a crowd of people around the top of gallery place metro, dc residents jaywalking like champs, people banging on five-gallon buckets.

you know.

it's loud and semi-chaotic.

but then there's this courtyard. this impossibly beautiful and usually serene little weatherproof atrium that's open to the public as long as the museum's open.

there's usually people in here. but most of the time, they're quiet.

i like to chill out here after slowly ambling through the museum. perfect spot to people watch or read a few pages from a good book.

the portrait gallery is also just a fun free way to spend an afternoon. i bring out-of-town guests here a lot because we can hop over to jaleo, proof, poste or ping pong afterward. 

a little dose of free culture and some good food? 

your guests will think you're the best.

at my day job, we had an evening event at the portrait gallery last october. i was busy working so i didn't have too much time to take pictures and it was pretty dimly lit in there, but i was kinda loving that i finally got to see kogod at night. 

aglow in blue light.

if you've never been, definitely check it out.

and if you're a millionaire who is planning to have their wedding there, email me so i can send you my home address. 

i wanna come.

love for the city: secret steps

continuing with the 'love for the city' series...


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ok so this isn't so much something i love about dc. it's really more of one of my favorite spots. 


my friend allie and i call them the secret steps. they're totally not a secret but they're a little hard to access so they've been deemed as such by us.

here's what google earth is showing:

see the tip top of the lincoln memorial at the top of the stairs? 

(or check out google maps)

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the steps are sorta behind the memorial. 

but once you get over there and walk down the steps, it's beautiful.

it's the perfect spot to be lazy and watch the more ambitious 

dc folk work out while you stare at the water.

all pics by me

i actually don't think i've been since last spring when some of these shots were taken. it was so much easier to walk down to the mall when we lived downtown, but i think a trip to this spot is in order soon. 

oh yeah. i need to go.

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p.s. blogger changed the way it's letting me format text so i can't make it as obnoxiously big anymore which is really frustrating me at the moment. but this blog is long overdue for an overhaul anyways, so thanks for the extra push, blogger. more to come on that someday soon, but i have to get out of blogspot hell.

love for the city: take me out

continuing with the 'love for the city' series

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i live with two baseball-crazed people. the boy and my sister.

and while i don't like baseball the same way they do, there's almost nothing better than spending the day (or night!) at nats park.

it's such a beautiful stadium.

all pics by me

can't wait to go this year. even if it just means lots of people watching, a shake shack burger and a beer.

oh yes.

coming up roses

continuing with the 'love for the city' series...

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this winter has been pretty mild.

not like the one we had a few years ago

*brr*

but i'm ready to see spring blossoms.

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when the boy and i were still living in dupont, one of our favorite favorite things to do was go on photo walks. 

we'd wander somewhat aimlessly around the city. we'd talk, he'd patiently wait while i took pictures, we'd stop for a drink, a bite of food.

we even walked to nats park once. that took a while.

we don't do those walks as much anymore, but doing this series about dc has made me long to go on one again. 

we're going to try for tomorrow.

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dc has such a pretty spring, don't you think?

all pics by me

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i went to college in florida and grew up in the southeastern part of the country. when i first moved to this area after graduation, i always heard people say that spring was their favorite season.

i liked spring, yeah. 

but summer. that was my favorite.

then i lived through a few winters here (mild as they are!) and i finally understood what they were raving about.


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summer still reigns supreme for me. i can't get enough heat. 

but this time of year?

you're pretty cool, too.