My Updated Washington, DC Area Bucket List!

If you know me or perhaps follow me on Instagram (follow me @_thepinkchickadee!), then you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE where I live! Living in the Washington, DC area has been nothing but a blessing to me ever since I moved here back in May 2021. When I first moved here, I made my own Washington, DC Area Bucket List (read it here!) and haven’t looked at it since then. SO, I figured I would provide an updated bucket list based off of the one I made back in May and some new things that I want to do in the area.

Washington, DC

  • Have a picnic at The National Mall
  • See a show at The Kennedy Center
  • See a show at Warner Theatre
  • Eat dinner at Old Ebbitt Grill
  • Attend a blogger meet up downtown
  • Walk along Dupont Circle and U Street Northwest
  • Try Baked & Wired’s Cupcakes in Georgetown – DID IT!
  • Admire the aisles and enjoy some delights at Eastern Market 
  • Watch the sunrise from the Jefferson Memorial 
  • Take blog photos in Georgetown – DID IT!
  • Hike at Aldie Historic Park
  • Try Urban Roast for brunch – DID IT!
  • Walk around Capitol Hill
  • Go to a Nationals baseball game – DID IT!
  • Tour the White House, the Capitol, the Supreme Court Building, and the Library of Congress
  • Take photos along the cobblestone streets of Georgetown – DID IT!
  • Walk around the Sculpture Garden
  • Tour the National Cathedral – DID IT!
  • Walk along the Tidal Basin when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom at sunrise 
  • Tour the Tudor Place – DID IT!
  • Enjoy cocktails at The Wharf 
  • Watch the sunset from the Lincoln Memorial
  • Have a high tea at Lady Camellia
  • See The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center
  • Take a stroll along Georgetown Waterfront Park – DID IT!
  • Go to the Renwick Gallery
  • Have a picnic at the United States National Arboretum
  • Admire the flora of the United States Botanical Garden
  • Visit Ford’s Theatre
  • Learn ways to not repeat history ever again at the Holocaust Museum 
  • Ice skate at the Sculpture Garden (probably won’t do this – haha!)
  • Enjoy doing work at a local cafe 
  • Visit Enchante at Nationals Park at Christmas time – DID IT! 
  • Watch The National Christmas Tree Lighting 
  • Shop in Georgetown – DID IT!
  • Walk through the Freer Gallery of Art *yet again*
  • Get a Washington, DC library card

Virginia

  • Visit George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate at Christmas time 
  • Explore downtown Fairfax 
  • Enjoy dinner at a local Irish pub in Arlington
  • Get a Virginia library card
  • Go back to Carlyle Grand for dinner in Shirlington
  • Stroll through the cobblestone streets of Old Town Alexandria *yet again*
  • Take a day trip to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello – DID IT!
  • Go back to Busboys & Poets for dinner in Shirlington
  • Visit the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens 
  • Hike yet again at Great Falls Park
  • Spend an evening at the outdoor picnic areas in Reston Town Center
  • Visit James Madison’s Montpelier for a day trip near Charlottesville
  • Make it to all of the Charlottesville vineyards on the Monticello Wine Trail
  • Drive through the countryside of Loudon County, specifically Middleburg and Leesburg 
  • Admire the sunflowers and/or tulips at Burnside Farms 
  • Explore downtown Vienna – DID IT!
  • Sip some wine at one of the many Middleburg vineyards 
  • Enjoy dinner and strolling along the streets of Shirlington 
  • Take a hike at Occoquan Regional Park
  • Shop at the Leesburg Premium Outlets
  • Enjoy a meal out and shopping at the Mosaic District – DID IT!
  • Go iceskating at Reston Town Center (probably not doing this anytime soon!)
  • Spend an evening at the outdoor picnic areas in Fairfax Corner
  • Explore downtown Washington
  • Hike along Shenandoah National Park and drive along Skyline Drive – DID IT!
  • Explore Fredericksburg
  • Shop at the Potomac Mills Tanger Outlets 
  • Enjoy the nightlife and food scene in Arlington – DID IT!
  • Walk along Clifton and take blogger photos there – DID IT!

Maryland

  • Stroll through Annapolis at Christmas time – DID IT!
  • Enjoy dinner at National Harbor – DID IT!
  • Take a day trip or weekend excursion to St. Michael’s Island 
  • Enjoy a night at MGM in National Harbor 
  • Have a high tea with family in Annapolis 
  • Admire the Christmas lights at the Gaylord National Hotel – DID IT!
  • Shop at the Tanger Outlets at National Harbor 
  • Admire the downtown Annapolis area and enjoy ice cream there in the summer time – DID IT!
  • Visit Baltimore, Maryland 
  • Walking around Fells Point in Baltimore 
  • Tour downtown Frederick
  • BONUS: Visit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia at Christmas time
  • BONUS: Visit Harpers Ferry, West Virginia yet again

Now, onward to many more Washington, DC area adventures!!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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5 Reasons Why I Love Living in the Washington, DC Area

The big city, the several major monuments, the people, and ALLL the sites – oh my! The Washington, DC area is such an extraordinary place to live. I moved to the Washington, DC area back in May 2021 and have never looked back. Needless to say, I have fallen in love with my new city all over again and do every day! Personally, I am a firm believer in loving where YOU live, as I do myself living in the Washington, DC area. Today, I am going to be sharing 10 reasons why I love living in the Washington, DC area.

  1. The diversity – Washington, DC is a MELTING POT of cultures, cuisines, and people. There is something for everybody and everybody is welcome as they are for who they are and for where they come from, regardless of their race, religion, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, ability, sexuality, gender identity, and pretty much anything else you could ever imagine. Washington, DC is a multicultural center of our world and that’s what I love about it. With my city’s great prevalence of acceptance for ALL. One of the things that made me resent the South a bit was that there was less acceptance and excitement towards diverse backgrounds or backgrounds that are different from one’s own. I have always found such true beauty in diversity and the Washington, DC area’s multicultural melting pot truly embodies that beauty and acceptance that I so truly LOVE and embrace.
  2. The friendly people – Going off of my city’s diversity and great amounts of acceptance and true embrace for diversity, Washington, DC’s people I have found to be surprisingly friendly, given that it is a Northern city. Well, yes, we ARE located below the Mason Dixon line geographically, but we do function like any other Northern city. Washington, DC has A LOT of friendly folks. People are always willing to provide a helping hand and just simply hype one another up. I can’t tell y’all how many times I have complimented somebody on their outfit and they compliment me on my outfit in return – the hype squad here is REAL y’all and it is a beautiful thing.
  3. ALLL the food – The Washington, DC area pretty much has every cuisine you could ever ask for right at your fingertips. Want to try Chinese food that isn’t at a typical takeout place? We have that! Want to try Armenian coffee and pastries? We have that, too! Want to try Peruvian delights? We have that as well! Whatever the case may be, the Washington, DC area has it! I follow a few foodie accounts based in the Washington, DC area AND have found to love seeing ALL of the nations and cultures represented within my melting pot of a metropolitan area. It’s a truly beautiful thing, too.
  4. Public transportation – With all that the Washington, DC area has to offer, it also has an amazing public transportation system, known as the Metro. Metro consists of buses and a subway train system. Let me tell y’all, Metro feels like luxury when compared to the New York City subway – we in Washington, DC are spoiled when it comes to our public transportation! When I was in Raleigh, we only had a NC State Wolfline bus that went through only NC State’s campus nearby. It was tough to navigate and there wasn’t really much information available on Raleigh’s bus system – something I just WISH I was able to learn more about while in Raleigh, since I didn’t drive while in college. Whereas in Washington, DC, I feel so so spoiled with our public transportation system that is so widely used by practically the entire city’s population.
  5. ALLL the things to do – There is SO much to do just in the Washington, DC area! Whether it be the prominent monuments, parks, wineries in the nearby Virginia Wine Country (I have a Virginia Wine Pass for 2022!!!), adorable Virginia and Maryland towns, the plethora of Washington, DC neighborhoods (Georgetown, Capitol Hill, and Dupont Circle amongst the likes!), the restaurants and cafes, and the millions of museums, the Washington, DC area truly has something for everybody. There is SO much that I want to do here that I have yet to. My city is so amazing and it’s great to see how much it has right here and within a close proximity away from me. Y’all I can ALWAYS vacation right here in my own backyard and I love it so so so much for myself and my fellow Washingtonians, too.

I have felt oh so blessed to be living in the Washington, DC area since I moved here back in May. Having my family close by in this magnificent city and being able to live in one of the most historic cities in the world has been nothing but a blessing for me. Above all else, there is SO MUCH to love about where you live. These 5 reasons are some of the many reasons why I love living in the Washington, DC area. I hope you have some reasons as to why you love living where you live as well!

XOXO – Katie <3

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