There are habits that transcend travel.
However, travel helps you find unique dimensions to those habits.
My habits? Tea. Mixologists. Books. Performing arts.
The last is hit or miss depending on where I'm travel. For example, God-Knows-Where Nebraska does not induce me to seek out an opera, but performing arts are always on the list in the appropriate cities. Sometimes this requires a shift in thinking, such as a local guitarist in the dive bar.
The mixologist quality for a good cocktail may not be jaw-dropping, but even God-Knows-Where Nebraska has at least a decent local option, and if not, always have a good bottle of wine along with you for emergencies.
Tea and books though? Yes. Doable almost anywhere :) They may come in quite different shapes, sizes, and types, but the base goal of infusion delicious natural things in water and reading something is always there in some capacity.
It's always a smile when all four habits are fulfilled easily with high value experiences though ... DC being no exception.
Tea
Le Pain Quotidien - Bakery & Communal Table
OK fine. It's a chain for large USA cities. Whatever. I can sit there at a long communal, rough-hewn wooden table with fresh flowers and a cuppa. It's .... wonderful. People are bustling around me. Having meetings. Connecting with people they haven't seen in a long time. Conducting business. And I sit there immensely pleased, somehow transported to a field of lavender with my Earl Grey.
Mixologists
Fiola Restaurant
There is no shortage of mixologists in DC, but the place to bring all local mixologists to their knees is Fiola's. Don't get me wrong; their food is excellent. Exquisite even. But for those infusions mixed to perfection, sit at the bar.
Books
Kramerbooks & Afterwords
Straightforward, no nonsense bookstore who does not lower themselves to the fripperies of funky erasers and picture books. Quality reading is all you will get here. Unusual books; classic books; standardbearer books. Once you find your treasure, go to the cafe in the back and, of course, have a cuppa.
Performing Arts
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Granted, there's only a gigantic number of performing arts options, but for opera-loving fiends such as myself, those options are more limited, so in cities that actually have good opera, those performing arts centers are the foci. While I'm trying to not fall prey to the temptation of the entire operatic series of The Ring (yes, I would certainly spend the week to simply drink in the live version), I did manage to snag tickets to Yo Yo Ma's Beethoven extravaganza with his most excellent sidekick, Manny Ax. To make matters better, I rather over-anticipated and showed up the evening before .... and experienced the following.
Scene: Kennedy performing arts center
"I'm sorry, but your even is tomorrow, not tonight"
"Well, we are here; what's going on tonight?"
*lists the events*
"The Bavarian symphony sounds great; can we get in or is it booked?"
"Well, there are two extra tx right here ... You can just take them if you like..."
So I sat there....10 rows from the cello section ready to watch and listen to the symphony from Munich.
...10 minutes to spare and completely free.
Life was definitely good to me this week.
So there we are. I know what centers me; no matter where I'm at. It's just about finding how the locale celebrates those same happy experiences and joining the fun :)
