I must say, this past spring break was one of my favorites. Not only did I tell myself that I would not think about school until after my trip was over, but I succeeded! I didn’t do anything school related during the trip and just enjoyed my family and the city I was in. For my spring break trip I went to D.C. for the third time! Let me tell y’all, D.C. never disappoints – and whenever I visit I think I would love living there.  The east coast is so beautiful to me, especially the downtown and city/like areas. Even more so, the vibes in D.C. and seeing so many people that look like me just touches my soul. Bear with me, this is a long ass post lol.

I got to enjoy this spring break trip with my favorite travel partners, my mom and my sister. To start off the trip, we arrived in Baltimore, which was a plus because we got to meet up with my best friend Samantha, and her mom for brunch! My best friend and her family live in Maryland, so it was a perfect opportunity on our way into D.C. We did brunch at Eggspectation in Columbia and I was very impressed. More so, I was just happy to spend more time with my bestie!

We then made the drive and traveled into D.C. We stayed at the Madison Washington D.C., which is a Hilton boutique hotel. I would describe the hotel as beyond cute and adorable. The hotel is just so visually appealing on the inside & outside from the artwork,  to the amenities, restaurants, designs, and decorum. The hotel room was so nice and clean, and I can’t lie, I’m a hotel snob, so its top tier, and I’d definitely recommend! The first night after making it to the hotel, we went to my favorite restaurant in the city, Busboys & Poets! This restaurant excites me EVERYTIME y’all. There’s a bookstore inside of the restaurant, black art work, black people, good vibes, and even better food. Then on our walk back to the hotel, we stopped at an ice cream shop that had the most delicious and unique flavors. Jeni’s at 14th Square is the bomb, I had a cup of gooey butter cake ice cream with pieces of a waffle cone on the side. HEAVEN! The aesthetic of the shop was adorable with their selfie station, string lights, and wall that said, “Can’t buy me love, But you can buy me ice cream.” A MOOD.

The next day we did a bunch of walking, site seeing, and I took a million pictures of cherry blossoms lol. My absolute favorite part was visiting the Alpha Kappa Alpha Founder’s turf on Howard University’s campus. I saw the Plot of the Sisterhood for the first time as a pretty girl! I felt such happiness and pride being there, and I was overjoyed when an HU Soror yelled “Heyyyy Soror” from across campus!! Y’all know I had to get pictures by the tree lol. After that we drove over to Georgetown so we could hit me and my mom’s favorite consignment store Reddz Trading! Reddz be having the THINGS y’all. You can purchase things over the phone and look out for a lot of their high ticket items on their Instagram page, but it was nice visiting in person for the first time. I stayed in my lane, but my mom bought the store out lol. Later we took a short drive over to Founding Farmers for dinner, and I ordered their chicken pot pie, which I get every time! It’s not as good as my dad’s from my childhood, but it’s definitely the best restaurant kind I’ve had.

On our third day in D.C. we took a trip to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture!! This was my second trip to the museum and I loved it just as much as I did the first time I went! There is just so much history, beautiful things, and culture throughout each floor. My favorite exhibitions are the Slavery and Freedom exhibition, the Visual Art and the American Experience exhibition, and the Defending Freedom and Defining Freedom exhibition! While all of the exhibits were fulfilling, these three really resonated with my spirit on that day. After leaving the museum we visited the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument and I was memorized by the water at the park. This area is just so freaking beautiful. For dinner that night us girls got dressed up and my mom took my sister and I out for tapas. Now if you know Aisha and I, then you KNOW we hate tapas lol. But babyyy Barcelona Wine Bar is IT. We loved the vibe, the atmosphere, and the food. This was such a good night.

On our final day we ended up back at Busboys and Poets and yes I ate the exact same thing I ordered on the first night. I ended up looking for books in the bookstore and bought some BB&P merch. I now wear the t-shirt all the time, which says, “Watching Waiting, Dreaming, Resisting” on the front and Busboys and Poets on the back. LOVE! Y’all D.C. has my heart. It was such an amazing trip and I love being anywhere there is an abundance of black people.

Whether you made it to the end or not, I appreciate you all. ❤

love, bria