DC Day 1.5: Dandelions and The Mall

(continuation from the last DC post)

After the Botanical Gardens, Christina and I took a cab to Chinatown for an early dinner. It was called Chinatown but the area looked nothing like it. When I hear Chinatown, I think of little shops packed together on narrow streets. You know, like New York's and San Francisco's Chinatowns.

DC's Chinatown was small and situated in a clean part of the city, where the buildings looked brand new. No massive throngs of people causing traffic on the sidewalk. No smell of fish. No elderly Chinese men standing outside their shops hollering at passers-by to check out their products. If Christina hadn't said this was Chinatown, I would've assumed it was just another ordinary slice of the city. We had dinner at Teaism, a corner restaurant specialized in teas. (I didn't try the tea. I got mango juice instead)

I ordered the Thai Curry Chicken, which turned out a little too sour for my liking. Was it day old's curry? Christina sampled it and the look on her face was enough to tell me she didn't like it either. Food that looks and smells good doesn't necessarily taste good. 

We took some photos after dinner. It was a couple hours before sunset, which was perfect for photos because the sun cast a rich golden glow.

 Caption this.

The rest of our evening was spent at the National Mall. I hadn't looked up DC attractions, so I was pretty much clueless about the places Christina had planned for us to visit. She suggested the National Mall and I was like, "Cool. So we're gonna shop?"

And she just cracked up so hard and said, "No no, it's not a mall. It's just where the iconic monumental stuff are. Like the Lincoln Memorial, the White House and the Kennedy Center."

Oh! Yeah, I knew that. I totally wasn't thinking of a massive, extravagant shopping complex. No, definitely not.

But what a misleading name.

No biggie, just leaning against the Washington Monument like a boss. :)

We were obsessed with dandelions. We'd see these cute little dandelions sitting among lush green grass, their furry white heads a perfect sphere, and we'd pluck them and try to blow at them until the cottony substance drifted with the wind.

I liked to think that dandelions resembled little candles. Each time I picked one up, I'd make a wish and exhale, then watch the breeze sweep my wish into the air. 

I was rather successful with my dandelions. Christina, on the other hand, didn't have a lot of luck with them. For the most part, I'd give her the perfect ones and she'd huff and puff at the dandelions but the white stuff wouldn't leave the stems. It was hilarious, like watching someone try to blow out a fake candle.

She finally succeeded, and that look on her face? That's relief. Minutes of labored huffing and puffing finally paid off.

The sun began to set, and the sky erupted into a blaze of vibrant hues. God's work never fails to amaze me.

The rest of the evening moved by quickly. It was getting dark and the temperature dropped about 20' in a few hours. We made quick stops at the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

 World War II Memorial

 The Lincoln Memorial

Several helicopters hovered above the city throughout the night. A black limousine pulled up at the traffic light while I crossed the road. Later on, I learned that a slew of celebrities and VIPs were in town for the White House Correspondents Dinner. 

The Washington Monument from a distance.

DC is a city richly rooted in history. No doubt, all politics are contained in this capital.