ANGELA B. PAN

DC is so awesome! Why wouldn’t you want to visit the Nation’s Capital? Theres so much more to it than just the government. Fun museums, beautiful art, beautiful people and amazing eats. What more could you want?

So here’s a little guide on how you can get the most out of the city without feeling like you missed out on anything.

Day 1: National Mall

Do I really need to explain? This is why you come to DC! There are so many museums, monuments and history that this could really be your whole weekend. But in case you don’t have the time, these are the highlights:

Favorite Museum: It’s always a toss up between the Smithsonian Natural History Museum or National Gallery of Art. Go to either one of them and you won’t regret it. Then let me know which one you like better cuz I can’t decide!

Tip: Go to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum early and go to the live butterfly exhibit before it gets super crowded. So fun!

Tunnel connecting the East and West wing of the Gallery of Art

Best View: From the top of the Washington Monument. You gotta plan this one early, but if you’re lucky enough to get a ticket, this is the best seat in the house.

View of the Lincoln Memorial, Reflecting Pool and WWII Memorial from the top of the Washington Monument

Day 2: Penn Quarter/Chinatown

This little neighborhood is one of my favorites in DC. It has a character all on its own.  While you’re there check out the top level of the National Portrait Gallery. Super modern, super interesting.

Electronic Superhighway in the National Portrait Gallery

Favorite Eats: I’m a ramen fan! And Daikaya is one of the most popular places for these noodles in DC.  Theres usually a line but you can skip it and head to the second floor for  Izakaya. The food is just as good and you don’t have to wait as long.

Shopping: Such great shopping in Penn Quarter. You’ve got all the big name stores as well as some that are exclusive to DC. If you’re a photo enthusiast like myself, you GOTTA check out the Leica store. Sooo awesome (Homer Simpson drool).

Day 3: Capitol Hill/Georgetown

Eastern Market: The cutest little market right in Capitol Hill. There’s a lady that sells baked goods at her own stand. Sorry I don’t know her name but she is the only one who sells coconut cake. Serious yumms right there. And I don’t even like coconut. But there are so many stalls to get great food, meats, local art and flowers. Be warned, it can get crowded on the weekends.

Afternoon Tea in Georgetown: Capitol Hill and Georgetown are not that close to each other, so you may have to take a taxi for this one but going Georgetown is the perfect way to spend your afternoon. So why not have afternoon tea with some furry friends at DC’s first and only Cat Cafe: Crumbs and Whiskers. Just remember they are reservations only.

Didn’t move an inch the whole time we were there. Treat bribes didn’t work either.

Last but not least, a leisurely stroll around Georgetown is the perfect backdrop to more shopping, more great eats and the cute views like this one.

The C&O canal brings the right amount of history to this hip neighborhood

Dinner and drinks on the waterfront with a view of the Potomac River is a must. The best view is definietly at Sequoia but Farmers Fishers Bakers has some great farm to table food too.

*And if you really want to get down with DC, you gotta get down with go go music. YESSSS!!!!!

Enjoy your weekend in DC and let me know if you liked these suggestions or would like to see more 🙂 Follow some of my other DC guides:

Must See Sights
Inside DC
Tidal Basin
Lincoln Memorial

I was fortunate enough to have spent 7 full days in Tokyo. To some it may seem like a lot, but each day was a new adventure to me. There’s so much to do in this city. It can be a little overwhelming to figure out what’s what, so I thought it’d be helpful to create a guide for those who have never been and highlight some of my favorite things to do in this huge city.

So here’s a guide to maximize your 3 days in Tokyo.

Day 1: Shinjuku

You could spend a whole day in just this ward. Tons of shopping, eating and sight seeing all in one place. This is the best place to just wonder without a map and enjoy the sights and sounds of this great neighborhood. Here are my favorites…

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden
The best time to visit this garden is definietly cherry blossom season but it’s super hard to plan for. But even if it’s not spring, this garden is BEAUTIFUL all on it’s on. Everything is so well manicured and clean. It’s a great to grab a picnic basket, your best friend and spend a lovely afternoon in the garden.

just a couple of girlfriends chit chatting

Food
Especially if you’re jet lagged, this Ichiran is the perfect ramen spot because its open 24 hours. You even sit in these little divided tables (think DMV type testing seats). Once you’ve been served, they’ll close the curtain in front of you so you have total privacy and can enjoy the full flavor of your noodle soup.

Din Tai Feng for some serious yums. A taiwanese restaurant transplanted in Tokyo known for their soup dumplings. Theres usually a wait, but its totally worth it. Located on one of the top floors of Takashimaya Times Square, which is cool all on it’s own. Each floor is dedicated to a certain department (women, men, homeware, kimonos, etc.) so work your way though times square and then have Din Tai Feng as a reward.

For dinner or some evening entertainment, you gotta check out the Robot Restaurant.  It’s kind of hard to describe. Imagine a super trippy drug experience summarized in song, dance, color and lights.

Day 2: Tokyo Skytree, Akihabara, Night Photography Tour

Located in Sumida, it’s a bit of a hike to make it to Tokyo Skytree but it brings an interesting perspective to Tokyo that makes it worth it. I’d try to go early as possible to avoid lines or evening time to see the city light up.

Taken in the middle of the day, Tokyo skytree created a cool shadow over the city.

On your way back to the hotel, stop by the Akihabara ward. Known for all things electronic, anime and manga, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen. The heart of the city has tall buildings all covered by anime and manga posters. Pretty cool to see in a city. My favorite part was the electronic store, Yodabashi. For example, the first floor was everything cell phone related, the second floor was all computers, etc, etc, etc. If you’re like me, you’ll want to head to the fifth floor for the camera equipment. It’s like photo heaven.

This is just the escalators to get in between the floors. Yea, it’s pretty awesome.

Our absolute favorite dessert in Tokyo were these mini cheese tarts from Pablo. They’re sooooo good and the ones from Akihabara were baked fresh on the premises so they’re warm when we ate them. They came in three different flavors and in order of my favorite to least is cheese, green tea, chocolate.  I can’t emphasize enough how good they were. I wish I had one now.

And if you’re not too tired, check out EYExplore Tokyo photo tours. I highly, highly recommend the veritgo tour but they also offer some cool night time tours in Shinjuku and Shibuya. This is a totally unique experience and its super fun to bring home images you’d be proud of at the end of your whole Tokyo experience.

One of the cool views you could see on the Vertigo Tour Photo Tour from EYExplore Tokyo

Day 3: Harajuku and Shibuya

Before leaving on the trip, I knew I wanted to go to Harajuku. I heard so much about the girls, fashion and street style that it seemed like a super hip place. It definietly did not disappoint. A great place to go to pick up some unique gifts for friends and family but also people watch.

It can get pretty crowded, so be prepared for that.

Last but not least, Shibuya is a place that should not be missed. Home to the busiest crosswalk ever, it’s a sight to see! You’ll be amazed. This short video clip was taken at 11p at night. Can you imagine what it’s like during rush hour? My head still can’t wrap around how many people there are in this tiny space.

Video taken from the the walkway between the Keio Station (Inokashira Line).

But Shibuya has plenty of restaurants and stores to walk around and see. Our favorite place to eat was Joto Curry. It was so good we ate there twice. My favorite part was watching the food being prepared. My mouth is watering just thinking about it again.

So there it is! 3 days in Tokyo! My favorite things to do and eat. Hope you enjoyed. If you feel like I missed something, please let me know in the comments. Or if you’ve been to any of these places, let me know too so we can reminisce on how fun everything is 🙂

Safe travels!!

* All food images taken with my iphone 6.

One of my favorite places to go to when I want to spend a day outside. It’s crazy to think that this amazing place is only 15 miles away from Washington DC, yet there are so many people who still have not visited.

When I think about Great Falls Park, I always think about high school. That was when I was first getting into photography and my mom would take me to practice my compositions. I also remember having to write a school paper about the park with my friend Anna. We walked the trails and researched the heck out of the history but only got a “B” on that paper. It’s ok though because I also remember gossiping and laughing our way through the whole project. It was kind of a miracle that we even got it together enough to write the paper.

As an adult, Andrew and I have taken our nephews to the park to play soccer or we’d walk the trails with Frankie. When we first started dating, we walked the whole entire Billy Goat trail while getting to know each other. Another time my cousin, Lynn came to visit from North Carolina and she got her first signs of pregnancy in the park 🙂 And I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve been here and witnessed the most amazing sunrises and sunsets.

The amazing beauty of the Potomac River on a cold winter morning

Close up view

We’re not the only ones who love the park. Its not uncommon to see these beautiful blue herons fishing for dinner.

The park is so big that it is in both Maryland and Virginia. This is a small part of the Maryland side.

Although Virginia is still my favorite side

Hope you enjoyed that stroll down memory lane. I didn’t realize how much Great Falls park meant to me until I had sat down and looked through all these images. I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did <3

In case you missed the any of my other DC guides:

• Inside DC
• Cherry Blossoms
• the Tidal Basin
• Lincoln Memorial
• Snow in DC
• Autumn in DC
• Autumn in VA

Hey, Guess what! It’s suppppeeerrrr cold and windy outside. I can actually hear the wind blowing outside my window right now. I don’t know about you, but that does not make me want to go outside.

But when you think of DC you think about all the monuments and cool stuff around the mall, you may or may not know that our nation’s capital has some of the coolest, prettiest interiors that I’ve ever seen. Don’t believe me, check these out:

Take the free tour at the Capitol building and be prepared to be blown away!

Looking up at the US Capitol Dome

My favorite hidden gem, the Library of Congress

The metro even provides some cool lines and shapes

And don’t forget about National Airport.

Whoever came up with these designs for the DC transit stations gets my two thumbs up. Love all the shiny gold in Union Station.

And how can you forget about the National Cathedral. Gorgeous!

That’s the list for now. I know I haven’t covered all of DC interiors so stay tuned for more…

In case you missed the any of my other DC guides:

• Cherry Blossoms
• the Tidal Basin
• Lincoln Memorial
• Snow in DC
• Autumn in DC
• Autumn in VA

Last I heard we’re supposed to get 18-28″ of snow this weekend. The crazy part is the numbers keep on rising. Even though I don’t like the cold weather, I’ll tough it out for the snow. Especially that freshly fallen snow that no one has walked through or damaged. It’s so beautiful. I hope to capture some of that this weekend but until then, here’s are some of my favorite images I’ve taken in the past of that crazy white stuff.

Got caught while it was snowing but the Lincoln Memorial is the perfect place to hide for shelter

My absolute favorite image I’ve taken of Arlington National Cemetery, the snow, or symmetry in general.

A close up of the cold stuff

I remember this morning being particular windy and cold, I had to put my ninja face mask on.

Even Dr. King looks cold

Only 15 miles away from DC, Great Falls Park is another great place to go to during the snow

And even Frankie enjoys watching the snow but from a safe, covered distance.

Whether you’re on the east coast or not, I hope you all have a safe and warm weekend 🙂 Wish me luck…

*Random thought, is it me or does ice cream taste better when it’s cold outside?

Out of all the places to photograph in Washington DC, the Tidal Basin is on top of my list. Why? Because it’s so just so dang easy to find free parking!

Please use the above map for reference.

You can park in Park A, the Paddle Boat Rental parking lot or all along Ohio Drive for up to 3 hours for FREE!!! And I’ve never really had any trouble finding parking in any of those places. The only exception is that you may have to drive for a bit on Ohio Drive to find parking if theres a baseball game or something going on, but free parking for up to 3 hours in Washington DC. Tell me that’s not a deal!!!

However this is not always the case during Cherry Blossom season. The Paddle Boat Rental parking lot is reserved for vendors and the rest is a free-for-all. Best of luck to you my friend. I’ll be there trying to fight the crowds as well.

All joking aside, the Tidal Basin is gorgeous all on its own. I love how you can walk from the Jefferson Memorial and in a few minutes be at the FDR Memorial or MLK Jr. Memorial all the while having fantastic views of the Washington Monument. And don’t even get me started on Cherry Blossom season, probably the best time of year to be in the District.

This was taken at sunrise along the small foot bridge between the Jefferson Memorial and FDR Memorial during Cherry Blossom season.

Another epic image from the foot bridge. It’s difficult to get a bad picture from this spot.

View of the Washington Monument as you’re walking through the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial

One of the newest memorials in DC, Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

Even in the autumn time, the Cherry Blossom trees are fantastic

Along Kutz Bridge.

And I had to add this one last one because I love it so much. Such a crazy foggy morning but the moisture from the Tidal Basin makes this absolutely perfect.

In case you missed it, click here for my Lincoln Memorial guide

If you found this article helpful, please share it with family or friends who are planning their trip to the US Capital.