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Adventures, Day 1&2
Feb. 13th, 2009 12:19 pmOur flight was a little late getting in yesterday morning; apparently the airport security had started to give a hard time to the driver who was there to meet us (because if you're standing around for an hour with a sign that says "Marty" it must be because you're planning something nefarious.) The afternoon was something of a sleep-deprived blur for me (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
harrock went to work), and then we had dinner at one of justom's restaurant recommendations (Zaika) which had some of the best Indian food I've ever had, though I'm not sure anything with that many truffles is canonical Indian. (Jerry also rated it the Best Amuse Bouche ever). And Cirque du Soleil, which was lovely and impressive and had some performers who seem to have bought off their Normal Characteristics Maxima.
Today I wandered around the National Portrait Gallery. My favorite bit was Champions, a set of black and white nude portraits of sports stars to benefit the Elton John AIDS foundation - the portraits were gorgeous, and also managed to convey the intended "nearly perfect, yet still vulnerable" that was being aimed for (a lot of portraits mostly just convey "Yup, it's this guy" to me).
Then, yarn shopping! My trip to Socktopus was a very odd story. I have drawn myself a little map to get there, and traipse around until I reach the address, which seems to be a set of studios - none of the visible ones look like a yarn store. I ask at the desk - the woman there asks my name, and says she'll call Alice. On the phone, she asks my name again - I explain that no, Alice doesn't know me, I just thought it was, you know, a store... Anyway, the woman at the desk says I can have a seat, Alice will be there in a bit. I take a seat, a little confused - this is not how yarn stores in the US work, in my experience. Is this one by appointment only? Am I confused, and it's not a retail store, it's a dyer's studio? I have no idea...
Anyway, Alice arrives, and it turns out that what I have come to is a yarn store which is not open on Fridays, but she lives nearby (and the store itself is on the other side of the building). Oops. But also yay! I buy perhaps more yarn than I would have had she not opened the store JUST FOR ME. I also manage to find I Knit, which is the only yarn store I've been in that sells beer and cider as well, so it's two for two of "unusual yarn store" :)
harrock went to work), and then we had dinner at one of justom's restaurant recommendations (Zaika) which had some of the best Indian food I've ever had, though I'm not sure anything with that many truffles is canonical Indian. (Jerry also rated it the Best Amuse Bouche ever). And Cirque du Soleil, which was lovely and impressive and had some performers who seem to have bought off their Normal Characteristics Maxima.Today I wandered around the National Portrait Gallery. My favorite bit was Champions, a set of black and white nude portraits of sports stars to benefit the Elton John AIDS foundation - the portraits were gorgeous, and also managed to convey the intended "nearly perfect, yet still vulnerable" that was being aimed for (a lot of portraits mostly just convey "Yup, it's this guy" to me).
Then, yarn shopping! My trip to Socktopus was a very odd story. I have drawn myself a little map to get there, and traipse around until I reach the address, which seems to be a set of studios - none of the visible ones look like a yarn store. I ask at the desk - the woman there asks my name, and says she'll call Alice. On the phone, she asks my name again - I explain that no, Alice doesn't know me, I just thought it was, you know, a store... Anyway, the woman at the desk says I can have a seat, Alice will be there in a bit. I take a seat, a little confused - this is not how yarn stores in the US work, in my experience. Is this one by appointment only? Am I confused, and it's not a retail store, it's a dyer's studio? I have no idea...
Anyway, Alice arrives, and it turns out that what I have come to is a yarn store which is not open on Fridays, but she lives nearby (and the store itself is on the other side of the building). Oops. But also yay! I buy perhaps more yarn than I would have had she not opened the store JUST FOR ME. I also manage to find I Knit, which is the only yarn store I've been in that sells beer and cider as well, so it's two for two of "unusual yarn store" :)
