Kennedy afternoon

With our Georgetown Walking Tour map in hand, we walked down 31^st Street to P Street where we turned right and headed toward Wisconsin Ave.  It was nice to be able to walk around and experience the flavor of the neighborhood.  We had a little more than an hour before our 6:00 PM reservation at Martin’s Tavern, so we went in search of a few Kennedy homes.  After a short stint on Wisconsin Avenue, we were back on P Street, standing in front of 3271, the house where JFK lived while he was a senator and courting Jacqueline.  It was cute.  We took pictures.  Then we headed down 33^rd Street on our way to the second Kennedy home.  We noticed streetcar tracks in the brick streets and photographed a cute little bed & breakfast establishment along the way (Georgetown Stable, est. 1913, I think).  At 3307 N Street NW near 33^rd, we found ourselves standing in front of another Federal-style house, this one a gift from Jack to Jacqueline in 1957 after the birth of their daughter, Caroline.  John Jr. was born while they lived here. We took more pictures. From there, we walked along 33^rd Street down to M Street and passed by the shops at Georgetown.  M Street was hopping (very busy and crowded) and it was hot.  As we approached Wisconsin Avenue, the spirit was willing to continue on around the block to the Old Stone House, but the feet were not.  Hence, the decision to hang a sharp left on Wisconsin and head up to N Street and Martin’s Tavern a little early.

Once seated at Martin’s, we discovered that we were sitting in Booth #3, “The Proposal Booth,” the very spot where JFK proposed to Jacqueline on Wednesday, June 24, 1953!  We could not have planned this.  For supper, we ordered a chilled bottle of white wine and a selection of appetizers to share, which included the following: Artichoke Cheese Fritters (Baby artichoke hearts with cheddar cheese and Blue Cheese sauce), the Little Tavern Appetizer Plate (Three mini versions of our classic hamburger served on fresh potato rolls with blue cheese & bacon), Chicken Tenders (Hand breaded with Italian bread crumbs and served with honey mustard) and a side serving of Fresh Asparagus.  Brian Hahs joined us for supper and he ordered a burger.  We had a good visit with Brian and he walked down to M Street with us after supper.  While waiting to hail a cab to the Kennedy Center, six fire engines and two ambulances wormed their way past us through the traffic on M Street to some sort of emergency.  When that settled down, we said good-bye to Brian and hopped in the cab Kris had hailed.  Kris has discovered that she likes to hail cabs.

We arrived at the Kennedy Center a little after 7:00 PM.  The cab dropped us off in front and we took advantage of the remaining daylight to get some great shots of the outdoor sculpture before heading into the building.  Once inside, we took some pictures in the Hall of States and proceeded downstairs to freshen up a bit before the evening performance.  We explored the different public spaces downstairs, got photos of the Kennedy bust and the Hall of Nations, and even did a little shopping before going upstairs to check out the view from the rooftop terrace.

Our plan had been to enjoy the view, and have a drink and another little bite to eat at the Roof Terrace Restaurant & Bar before our 9:00 PM performance of “Shear Madness”. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to us, the Roof Terrace Restaurant & Bar was closed for a private party this evening.  So, another plan:  we walked all around the outdoor terrace to enjoy the views of the city---many of which we were able to identify by this time---the Watergate Complex, the Air Force Memorial, the Washington Monument, etc.  We took pictures.  After walking around for a while, we realized that, in spite of our appetizers at Martin’s, we were getting hungry again.  The only food option still open at this point was the KC Café, so we took advantage.  We were able to purchase a small pizza and a couple of small bottles of wine, which we shared in the theater lobby while waiting to be seated for the play.  Not exactly the elegant evening we had envisioned, but it was an experience!  And the play was great.  We laughed a lot!!

It was a quick cab ride home to the Coach House from the Kennedy Center.  Are all DC cab drivers from Nigeria????????? Another hot day with a high 81º and low of 57º  no rain but it is feeling like it is building up for rain.