an afternoon in the city.

Last Saturday Ben and I were able to enjoy an afternoon date thanks to a babysitting swap with a friend. We were especially appreciative of this time alone since it will not be so easy in the near future.

Our first stop was A. Litteri, a fantastic little Italian deli next to Union Market. We explored the aisles (my 36 weeks pregnant belly had a hard time fitting in the tight spaces) and ordered a sandwich which was delicious (it's even featured on this list which we're slowly making our way though).

 

We walked next door to Union Market to explore a bit. It was so nice not to have children or a stroller in the crowded space. We checked out all the vendors and settled on some empanadas and also tried the housemade sodas from Buffalo & Bergen (also recommended from this list). We tried pineapple and spiced blackberry. Both good but not worth the hefty price tag. Our best decision of the day was buying some dark chocolate milk from the Trickling Springs Creamery. Creamy heaven in a bottle. I shall return for more.

 

We have been wanting to check out the Phillips Collection for years but thought we would enjoy it more without the kids. They have a great collection there and we were able to see the temporary exhibit "Angels, Demons, and Savages" which featured works from Pollock, Ossorio, and Dubuffet. 

 

I had a poster of Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party hanging on my bedroom wall when I was a teenager so it was fun to see it in person.

And because we hadn't eaten enough already, we stopped at Zeke's DC Donutz which was just around the corner (one of the many new doughnut shops to be popping up around D.C.). They only had two kinds of doughnuts left but they were both delicious. A raspberry filled and a lemon curd.

Spills never escape the pregnant belly.

Raspberry filled donut. With the Ghandi statue in the background.

And we spotted our first blooming magnolia trees! My favorite.