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Left Raleigh For DC Independence Day Weekend

How was your July 4th weekend??? Do anything special in Raleigh or elsewhere? Me — I spent the weekend up in the nation’s capitol. No, not just shopping…although that’s a great way to celebrate our nation! Oh, and you’d think there would be a mad dash to see the fireworks up there… but ironically, traffic was light. I mean it doesn’t get any more American than the fireworks shot near the Washington Monument. But, a lot of people who live in that area tend to flock out of town on July 4th weekend and the tourists come into the city. I know this ‘cause I lived up there for over 26 years. I now have a new appreciation for visiting the Northern Virginia area as I’ve been gone for almost 6 years now. Traffic up there is usually real bad and the overall area has spread beyond towns that I didn’t even know existed about 20 years ago.

Lined up for Georgetown Cupcakes

On my trip up there I was able to get some time downtown in Georgetown. It has changed so much. It’s more like the New York scene to me now…like the West Village and SoHo combined. There’s a lot of shopping and less restaurants and bars than I remember from back in the 80’s and 90’s. I even stood in line for a cupcake at Georgetown Cupcakes. Somehow this made the list of must-see things for a DC summer intern that I talked to standing in line.

Had to stop in my Kate Spade store also…

…And in Old Town Alexandria, it’s more laid back, quiet and quaint. There’s an entire clothing boutique district.

Some shops were open for July 4th and others weren’t like this dog boutique.

This boutique gets designer clothes at a discount so prices aren’t outrageous like in some boutiques. Their inventory was really sparse this time around as they’re waiting for fall clothes to come in. One of the girls that worked there commented that they normally don’t have sunglasses but they did this time around.