The pandemic has been difficult. We’ve been stuck in one place, concerned for the health and safety of our loved ones, and trying to balance staying safe and still finding things to do to protect us from going stir crazy. So we decided to take a quick trip to Alexandria, Virginia, which is about a two and half hour drive.

One, we wouldn’t be spending too much of our time on the road. Two, there was plenty of outdoor dining and things to do outside. Three, we had never been there before.

We stayed at the Hotel Indigo in Old Town, which meant we were right on the water. The hotel was great about following recommendations from the CDC, and we had a great experience there.

Our first night, we went to Black Wall Hitch, and we loved it. It so happened to be oysters week, so I went from never eating oysters to eating them twice a day all weekend because I fell in love.

Visiting George Washington’s Mount Vernon

The next day, we visited George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Since this was last minute, we weren’t able to get tickets for the tour but were able to get tickets to walk the grounds. Everyone wore masks, social distancing requirements were met, and we were outdoors 99.5% of the time.

The grounds were beautiful, as well as the view of the Potomac.

There were many interesting sights throughout.

Also, can I please have a kitchen garden like the one on this estate? How do I build this - maybe scaled down slightly? You will have to watch for posts in the Spring when I try to convince Matt that what I need is a garden to grow fruits and vegetables, as well as cut flowers. (On a side note, I don’t have a good history with keeping plants alive so it may not go well.)

So as we walked through and toured the grounds, we did walk through the Slave Memorial at Mount Vernon. I didn’t take any pictures because there was a sacrality to the space. I find these moments difficult to experience — to feel anguish at something that is outside of my control. There is nothing that can be done about the history of what happened during slavery times; however, we can move forward in ensuring that freedom is upheld for people of all skin colors.

It set a somber tone for us as we left, but it was necessary to see and to honor the countless people whose names and lives will never be known.

Our final stop and perhaps a good way for us to reset after visiting the Slave Memorial was George Washington’s Gristmill & Distillery. It was an interesting tour, seeing how whiskey is made there and learning the history. But I’ll be honest, I was tired and hungry. It was time to go eat lunch.

A Brief Exploration of Old Town Alexandria

Next, we did some walking around Old Town, including visiting Old Town Books because I love visiting different bookstores when we travel. It was small inside, and they only let about four people in the store at a time so I didn’t linger too long.

But I bought a book (The Midnight Library by Matt Haig - would recommend) and found the BEST alcove ever:

Because where else should a romance section be? I affectionately called it the pink light district.

We took a little walk over to the “Spite House” and walked the streets for a bit longer.

Our next stop was to have drinks and appetizers at our hotel (again, outside). During that time, someone was getting married on the patio next to us. It was super sweet and was the catalyst for a very spontaneous proposal.

So we’re engaged!

We had dinner to celebrate that night Virtue Feed and Grain, surrounded by curtains to separate us from other diners. It felt private and intimate, which perfectly suited our loved up feelings after getting engaged.

We had oysters (for the millionth time) and more food than I could possibly eat. I love mac and cheese, and this one was excellent.