So much to do in DC...

All of the forested areas not withstanding, there is also a lot to do in the more urban areas of the city. 

Top left: At The National Mall on a beautiful day during my good friend Ruth's visit before she moved out to the west coast. She introduced me to the wonder of vegan dessert restaurant Sticky Fingers in Columbia Heights, MD and Amsterdam Falafalshop in Adam's Morgan.

Bottom left: panda statue at the local library in Cleveland Park. 

Right: Washington National Cathedral, a giant gothic cathedral just up the street from my local Whole Foods. Sometimes on Sundays I can hear the cathedral bells from my apartment, which reminds me of the time I spent living in Zurich, Switzerland (where the church bells go off throughout the day to help keep time). An amazing place with a lot of history. My mother attended Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's final sermon, which was delivered in the cathedral. This place is seriously amazing (for more much better photos of the National Cathedral, see my posts relating to geocaches I found at and around the Cathedral on the page "Geocaching Escapades".  

Below: The National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD. As a kid I used to visit regularly with my mother and friends, after which we would stop by an amazing place (no longer exists) called The Restore to load up grocery bags filled with miscellaneous things before heading back home. Currently the Aquarium is featuring a spectacular jellyfish exhibit.

Below: I also live a few blocks away from The White House. My father is a member of the Washington Chorus and typically sings at The Kennedy Center. About a year ago he made me very jealous by getting himself invited along with some other members of the Chorus to sing at The White House and visit with Michelle Obama. (my father is the man with the beard in the back row closest to the bottom left of the painting of George Washington, over Michelle Obama's right shoulder).

My grandfather worked for years in The White House: C. Earl Leslie, 91, Dies; Hand-Lettering Artist for Presidents, so one of these days I really need to find an excuse to visit myself!