Week 11-Bethesda, MA (The Village)

Hello Family and Friends,

We are now on the Maryland side of the DMV. Let me explain why this is significant. The Virginia side of the DMV does not like the Maryland side. The Virginians just feel like everything is worse in Maryland (this of course coming from a Virginian). There is absolutely no reason why this beef exist. But to be fair the people who live inside the DMV feel like everything is worse outside the DMV. They are such elitist.

The view from George Washington Memorial Parkway going from Arlington to Bethesda.

Now that you know all that history, Brett, the Virginian, and I both liked Bethesda. It is conveniently located on the metro red line. And there is just so much to check out right on the main street, Wisconsin Avenue. At one point I took a 20 min walk to Target and took no less than seventeen photos so that I could tell Brett about all the stuff. There was a theater and ballroom dance studio for interesting date nights. There was a Little Gym and a Kids Museum to check out for Atlas. There was also a Tatte which has become one of our favorite breakfast spots since discovering it in Alexandria. Bethesda is actually named "The Village" because it is small enough to feel like a community, but large enough to offer a lot of things to do.

While we were staying in Bethesda there were some rainy days which we took full advantage of by going shopping! We actually spent two full afternoons at Tysons One (there is a Tysons Two across the street we never even entered!), a large shopping mall in DC (yes, we went back into DC, again). Let's just say that I'm fully ready for Christian super bowl, aka Easter, and Brett refreshed his shoe wear (which was very much needed after all the walking). While shopping, we saw this one super neat store called Dopl. They take a photo of you and convert it into a figurine. It would make such a neat keepsake. The problem is that there are only 3 in the country and you have to be present for the photo. Brett thought it would be a fun thing to do with the extended family (you guys ready to take a trip to DC, NY or LA?)

Some of the sample figurines from Dopl.

It's been almost 3 months of traveling and there are some things we have learned along the way. One thing is that moving days are tough. I just don't understand why everything that came out of my bag does not fit back into my bag. You would think that I would have a system that puts everything back the same way every time. And that I would be very proficient at packing the bags after the 11th time in three months, but nope, still haven't figured it out yet. Also, hotels with drawers are a must. Then I don't feel like I'm living out of a suitcase. It is like a sigh of relief when hotels have bathtubs. That way, Atlas and I can enjoy bath time instead of it being a fight to keep him under the shower spray.

Atlas and Bruce riding the SECOND luggage cart on check-out day.

Somehow in Bethesda, I lost a day. We were shopping at the mall on what I thought was a Thursday and it was just so crowded. Well, it wasn't a Thursday, it was a Friday (which explains the crowds). Not really sure how a whole day got away from me, but I guess this is an unscheduled life problem. Our next stop will officially be outside of the DMV. See you in Baltimore!