Around DC

Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens

Caroline — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:16:21 +0000

A couple weeks ago, Dani, Sarah, and I met up at Hillwood Estate, Museum, and Gardens. I had actually never heard of it until Brea posted about it on her Instagram and I’m so glad she did because it made for such a nice way to spend a Saturday with two of my favorite ladies!

For $18, you can enter the estate for an unlimited amount of time to meander enjoy the gardens. Masks are required and hand sanitizer/hand washing stations are set up all over the estate. Once you have your reserved time to enter the estate (not a ticket-they have a list of visitors where you check in at the gate), the Mansion and their current exhibit at the dacha, Natural Beauties: Exquisite Works of Minerals and Gems, are included in the price but you need to reserve times for those too.

A nice security guard greeted us at the mansion entrance, reminding us to not touch anything and to follow the directions on the map he gave us. This was to avoid running into other groups touring the museum and generally worked pretty well with the flow of the house anyway.

We were so fascinated by Marjorie Merriweather Post after visiting the mansion that I bought a book on her at the gift shop that the three of us are going to pass around. I’d obviously heard the Post name, but I didn’t know she was actually an Ambassador in Russia!

My favorite part of the estate (besides the AH-MAZE-ING butler’s pantry and pink powder room in the mansion) was the Japanese-style garden. It was shady and serene and just so beautiful.

After we toured the gardens and the mansion, we grabbed a bite to eat and sparkling wine at the cafe. It was so nice to be able to catch up with two of my best friends at the same time doing something cultural and different. It looked like a bunch of people were enjoying picnics they brought as well!

I would definitely suggest visiting Hillwood if you’re around or visiting DC. It’s sort of near the Van Ness-UDC metro stop, but there’s free parking on site, so I would suggest driving if you can.

Check out what I'm loving right now on Amazon!

Some of the links on The CaroLøve are affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission if you click on the link or make a purchase using the link. There might also be sponsored content on my blog. All opinions are my own and all product reviews are honest- I'll let you know if a product is a gift! Thank you for supporting the brands that support The CaroLøve!

Whiskey in a teacup

Caroline — Tue, 14 May 2019 09:00:47 +0000

I have never really been a whiskey girl, unless you count all the Fireball I consumed for a brief period after college. I actually can never remember the difference between whiskey and bourbon- which is apparently that bourbon is a type of whiskey. The first time I ever actually enjoyed a whiskey drink was at our wedding. Kendall’s signature drink was a KENtucky mule (a Kentucky mule with a mimosa twist, subbing bourbon for vodka in the linked recipe). It was super yummy and I found myself sipping from his throughout the night.

The second time I genuinely found myself enjoying a whiskey drink was a couple Saturdays ago at a Derby cocktail hour at The Hour in Old Town Alexandria, celebrating Old Town Cocktail Week (and Derby Day, of course). Jon from The People’s Drug was whipping up Derby-perfect cocktails in sippin’ sizes so that you could try a few guilt free. By far, my favorite was the Whiskey Smash.

Like Mint Juleps? You’ll love the Whiskey Smash, a citrusy 19th-century cooler. Legendary bartender Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room in New York modified the classic recipe by adding muddled lemon wedges. DeGroff calls the citrus-and-mint combination the perfect cocktail for those who say they’ll never drink whiskey.

What exactly is in a whiskey smash? I know cocktails differ from place to place, but I found an easy-to-follow recipe on Liquor.com. Might I suggest picking up a local whiskey instead?

It was a fun way to spend a grey morning- big hats, fashionable friends, surrounded by The Hour’s gorgeous glass wear. If you’re in the DC area and haven’t ventured to Old Town, you should! Even growing up in Maryland, my family made frequent trips across the Potomac for special occasions and to try new restaurants (and shopping).

My outfit: Garden Crossover Back Flutter Dress||Rainbow shoulder bag||Floppy Sun Hat||Similar pearl collar necklace||women’s dresses

Check out what I'm loving right now on Amazon!

Glover Park

Caroline — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 10:06:09 +0000

My little neighborhood of DC sometimes gets a bad rap for being too suburban. A Thrillist listicle of What Your DC Neighborhood Says About You states:

You have canceled plans on several occasions because you just couldn’t stomach yet another Metro-bus-to-bike transfer. You like your neighborhood, but for some reason struggle getting friends to visit. You watch a fair amount of Netflix alone.

Well… that’s not very nice. While it is true that it’s harder to get people to want to come to Glover Park due to lack of Metro, it’s a short D2 right from Dupont Circle. (very convenient when leaving Mission) You are still in the city, but it’s nice at the end of the day to come home to a neighborhood. Our building almost backs up to the park, so if I’m sitting on my couch, the view from our living room window is all trees (and some pretty amazing sunsets.)

When Kendall and I were looking at where to move in together, we actually loved that there were kids and families. The neighborhood felt safe, and like a community. However, for all the neighbors and their dogs we’ve had pleasant interactions with, we’ve had trouble making friends in our neighborhood for some reason, even with a lot of young professionals our age moving in and out of our building.

But then we met RJ and Sarah. It’s kind of funny how it happened. They were trying to move in and the only place to park their moving truck was right smack in front of the entrance to our gated parking lot. Kendall offered to have them follow us into the parking lot so they could have a protected space to unload without having to move the truck. We chatted for a bit and Sarah and I traded numbers in case they needed anything.

Fast forward a couple weeks and they had left their keys in the gym so they were locked out. Kendall and I were home so we let them in and we made plans for Halloween. Glover Park LOVES Halloween, so we walked around handing out candy and checking out the decorations. We ended the night at Chipotle, as one does on Halloween.

But we made friends. Fast friends. We realized this was the first couple we had made friends with together, and after Halloween and a night out last weekend it seems like we’ve known them for years! It was just so easy! And the fun thing is we’ve had so much fun and not even ventured out of Glover Park.

On Saturday, we went to our favorite local sushi spot, Sushi Keiko, then headed to Breadsoda for a boozy game of Cards Against Humanity. We walked there after margs at our place and could walk home together after. It was seriously the best night.

You always hear how it’s harder to make friends as an adult. Besides my work friends from my old law firm, I’m pretty sure that all of my adult friends have come from the internet, either through blogging or Twitter. There is NOTHING wrong with that, but it was just really cool to meet another couple so organically in our own backyard, literally. And it’s also so nice to be with folks who appreciate our little slice of DC as much as we do.

I have a challenge for you- this month, explore your neighborhood, and really explore someone else’s. So many unique neighborhoods make up this city- all different. Appreciate your own, but learn about another one.

If you live in DC, what’s your favorite thing about your neighborhood?

Outfit details

Leopard Print Knit Cardigan||Jersey-Knit Swing Dress for Women||Similar monogram necklace||Similar Flat Over Knee Boots||Similar black cat bag

Outfit details

Leopard Print Knit Cardigan||Jersey-Knit Swing Dress for Women||Similar monogram necklace||Similar Flat Over Knee Boots||Similar black cat bag

Check out what I'm loving right now on Amazon!

ModCloth DC

Caroline — Wed, 15 Aug 2018 10:00:32 +0000

If you saw my stories this weekend, you probably saw my Sunday morning adventure to the the new ModCloth DC! I figured I would know at least one other blogger there but I was so happy to run into Vivi and Yaya. We ended up spending the better part of the morning playing dress-up and chatting.

The first thing you need to know about the new brick and mortar location is that it’s not the traditional shopping experience. Here’s how it works- they have a large sample of some of their best stuff on the floor. You get a little card to fill out with all the items you want to try and your size. Once you’ve picked out your fave pieces, they set you up with a dressing room and fetch your sizes for you. You try everything on, and if you love something they order it for you- free two-day shipping!

You don’t leave with anything from the store, unless you buy from their vintage or local sections. That’s right- they have a little section of the store that rotates with different vendors from the area. I LOVE that.

Having a stylist follow me around the store was a little intimidating at first, as I’m typically the “let me be” kind of customer, but if you’re a shopper who needs a little extra help finding appropriate and perfect-fitting attire for any sort of event, this service is for you. And by the end of it, I quite enjoyed the extra attention. I, I think for the first time, was even measured and as it turns out, I’m a perfect hourglass shape. VA VA VOOOM! Tell you what, it actually made me feel super confident about my curves.

Modcloth is all about making women feel confident. I’ve always appreciated their size-inclusiveness and fun prints. Their staff was superbly friendly and if there was one phrase to describe the mood of the morning it was “YAS KWEEN!” You don’t need an appointment to pop into the store, but I would suggest making an appointment with a stylist to get the full experience. And try on the Sociable Scholar Corduroy Jumper while you’re there because it was giving off some serious Sisterhood of the traveling jumper vibes when Vivi and I tried it on together.

They’re also looking to be a space for women to gather and support one another. They’ve had great success with this at their Austin, TX location and I know that with the amazing women in DC that this concept will totally thrive. I’m already thinking of a few kinds of events that would do well there and have passed on their information to a few women I know with local businesses.

You can visit the new Modcloth DC location at:

1924 8th Street NW, Suite #130

Check out what I'm loving right now on Amazon!

No Spectators

Caroline — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 10:00:19 +0000

“‘No Spectators’ is a long-standing saying on Playa. You are encouraged to fully participate. It’s all about being there, being fully present, and not just observing. Two of the ten principles of Burning Man are radical participation and radical inclusivity, meaning that there are no outsiders. Everyone is part of the experience.”

– Nora Atkinson, Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft

A couple weekends ago, Kendall and I finally got over to the Renwick Gallery to see No Spectators: The Art of Burning Man. I had been really excited to check out the exhibit and it seemed fitting after having spent the previous weekend at another (albeit, totally different) festival.

I honestly have zero interest in ever making my way to Burning Man, but the concept has always fascinated me. A festival where creativity blooms and community participation is required sounds almost utopian- if you take away the fact that you’re in the desert. That’s just not for me. I’m a wimp. That’s why it was so cool so see even just a small piece of Burning man brought to a museum that’s just a short Uber ride from our apartment- and free. (We are SO spoiled with the Smithsonian!)

If you haven’t gone yet, you should get on it. Although the official end of the exhibit’s run is January 29, 2019, it starts getting packed up in mid-September. If you can get away with it, try going on *not* a Saturday because it was packed and a little claustrophobic. I almost want to go back and see it again because with so many people I felt rushed.

Kendall snapped some amazing pictures, but it’s impossible to do Burning Man, or ‘No Spectators’, total justice. It’s an interactive experience, which I loved! Windows to peak through, a temple to help build, things to touch, and even walls to write on. I wouldn’t recommend bringing too-little ones though as there’s more hands-off than hands on and it was tempting even for me!

Have you seen ‘No Spectators’ yet? What was your favorite?