A Visit to DC

So off we went to DC to visit with Cousin Megan who was in from Madrid, doing some rehab work on her house. We did a couplie of museums and then most every dinner was for cousin time...

We were on time to National (DCA) and checked in to our hotel - the Lyle (DuPont Circle area) 

We met Megan for the first dinner at a Laotian place near her home- it was terrific!

The next day we went to the African American Museum (which will be recapped in another post so it is given its due respect.) then that evening we went to Rooster & Owl - another place near Megan's home and one that has a Michelin star. 

The next day we were off to the National Museum of American History. Sort of two depressing museums in a row- especially given the government is about to shut down due to malfunctioning structure and really underlying corruption of the most basic systems of representation. (again the museum will get its own post) 

that night we met Phil's high school friend Debbie for dinner at Bar Spero (which in my opinion came in third of the three places we had eaten so far...)

The next day we had rain most of the day from the remnants of the tropical storm traveling up the coast  so we ate in the hotel restaurant and hung out all day- 

 

Phil worked on his Spanish homework and met with a classmate online and I read all afternoon - what a luxury. Then we met Megan for dinner at Fiola Mare 

Then on Sunday we went to lunch at a place close to the hotel called Gypsy Kitchen - 

Then Phil went back to the museum and I went back to the hotel to just relax with my book.

We met Megan at Lutece for our final meal together for this visit- 

It was a great time with Megan- we got to know each other better and talked about lots of things we want to do together in Spain when we arrive.  We closed down almost every place we ate (Fiola Mare was the exception) because we never ran out of things to talk about- 

Looking forward to seeing her again - along with Christian and Oscar next time- in Spain!

On Monday we went to the airport. We had a wonderful lunch at Legal Seafoods- lobster rolls and clam chowder!  

Our flight took off early.  We would have been home early too, if our plane hadn't been left sitting on the ground waiting for our gate for nearly an HOUR!  And get this- the plane at our gate was waiting for baggage to be brought from late arrivals - while the folks on our flight were missing their connections!  Welcome to flying in the 20s. Following posts will cover our museum experiences.

another PAUSE dinner

Last night we attended the Pause for the Cause charity dinner supporting Vibrant Emotional Health. At this now twice yearly event, coordinated by Rebecca Kolko Friedlander, winos and somms and chefs, from across Chicago, all come together to support the national suicide prevention hotline at 988.

Vibrant Emotional Health is a leader in suicide prevention and the administrator of The 988 Lifeline. Since the easy-to-remember number launched in 2022, the Lifeline received nearly 5 million calls, texts, and chats from people reaching out for support. This is a 2 million increase over the previous year! 

• Of the 5 million contacts in the past year, more than 700,000 were routed to the Veterans Crisis Line (VCL). 
• We also shortened the wait time to 41 seconds—down from more than 2 minutes and 39 seconds. 

These numbers are more than just statistics; they embody the resilience and determination of countless individuals on their journey toward emotional healing.

Together, we are advancing access, dignity, and respect for all.

To me, each of these encounters is most importantly an opportunity to help a person in need, to give them hope and a sense of worth. This work is so important. Over the years (starting in 2018) our hospitality community has come together to support the hotline's work and raised several hundred thousand dollars. 

Tonight we gathered at Obelix in collaboration with El Che in the kitchen and Somms from many Chicago's top restaurants for a festive meal featuring many wonderful shared wines. 

the wines (mostly from us and from the Arkebauers - our dining partners)

Dish of the evening was definitely the lobster pie, the wine was IMO the chenin (the first wine shown).  tonight we will meet our buddies Ron & Mary to celebrate TEITUR with the traditional burger meal. This time we will do the dinner at Brownstone nearby. Some photos of Teitur himself... taken off the internet - and yes it's a long story... found here- if you want to know - 

http://blog.semifreelife.com/2018/09/burgers-for-teitur.html