This morning, realizing that I had more or less half a loaf of bread, half a jar of peanut butter, a jar of salsa, and 6 baby carrots in the kitchen, I took a rousing trip to Subterranean Safeway, finally ate breakfast at noon, and set about the real business of the day: a run and a field trip to Eastern Market.
About a month ago, I started running every weekend--one good, long run. On the inaugural voyage, I accidentally ran into D.C., by way of the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. Since that little miscalculation, I have discovered the way to Memorial Bridge, past the Iwo Jima Memorial, the Netherlands Carillon, and Arlington Cemetery. My favorite moment every time is finishing a little climb up to the road that crosses the river: to the right is the beautiful entrance to Arlington, and to the left is the Lincoln Memorial. It's pretty stunning. Once I cross Memorial Bridge I mix it up, visiting a different monument or building each week.
But this morning I decided I would combine my two loves--weekend runs and fieldtrips to Eastern Market--with a run to Eastern Market. I mean, really, taking the Metro to go shopping is overrated. And, as MapMyRun told me, it's only a hair over five miles from chez moi.
Arriving at the market around 3:00, vaguely crusty from the salt left by evaporated sweat (overshare, sorry), I got to work wandering. I had two missions: Christmas presents and dining chairs.
Eastern Market did not disappoint. In record furniture buying time (it took us a loooooooong time to furnish our apartment), about 10 minutes, I found and committed to four beautiful chairs that happen to match our table perfectly. (Yes, we bought a table and no chairs. We were all about baby steps.) And having just finished eating dinner at a real dining table sitting in a real chair for the first time ever in the apartment, I can tell you these chairs were an amazing purchase. Also an amazing purchase: the services of Joe, the guy who delivered them. Not only did he help me carry the chairs up to the apartment, but he also told me all about his recent trip to his home in central France. Seriously, what a cool guy. It's that kind of thing that keeps me so excited to visit the Market week after week.
I also found Christmas presents, whose identities are being protected in case their recipients should stumble across this URL.
But the best thing at Eastern Market today-- better than my chairs, better than awesome Joe, better than all the people looking at me like I was crazy to be wearing shorts-- was... the Christmas tree section!! It should have dawned on me much sooner that there would be Christmas trees in the farmer's market, but I didn't occur to me until I saw a miniature Christmas tree farm spilling from the back of a truck. Every size imaginable, including Charlie Brown size. I walked around the trees just to smell them, and now I really want one. Even if it's just a runt. Of course I will have to decorate it with ornaments from Eastern Market.
2 comments:
Ah, I got just as excited about the Christmas trees at 6:30 when I was walking to Murky Coffee...to write a Lit Review. Grand.
Hello. Did you know the Christmas tree people stay out ALL night! They have a TV and everything.
That is why they charge 1,000,000 per tree. And by 1,000,000, I clearly mean $10/foot. I suggest you get consider chopping shrubbery.
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