Friday, May 19
Today is National Bike to Work Day. The hall in our place is a bit narrow to ride a bike, but we will get some riding in today for sure. This morning I bowed a double with Jodi downstream passed the Frederick Douglas Bridge. Jodi was on the team here a couple years ago. She moved for work but comes back on occasion and permanently in July. I met her at Masters Nats last year. She was behind me in our quad yesterday. I'm stoked to row with her this morning. I'm a little paranoid about bowing downstream, but we make it there and back with minimal steering issues. Jodi is really strong. In the sprint pieces at the end we are holding alongside the men's double as well as Emmie and Grace. Awesome morning on the water.
We cut out of work early to visit the Rubell Museum, DC's newest museum and their opening exhibition. Melanie recommended this visit to us. The museum is near the Wharf, just outside of Capitol Hill neighborhood. The building is a former high school where Marvin Gaye was once a student. It's a contemporary collection with some fabulous pieces as well as a few with some shock value. Exactly as you would expect from a great contemporary assemblage. I highly recommend it.
After the museum, we head to the Wharf for a drink. We had a quick beer at Dacha Beer Garden. People watching for a while we debated our options. We finally decided to head to Georgetown for a different neighborhood view. Grabbing some bikes, we headed across town. Georgetown is not close. It took the better part of an hour to make our way along the river, passed Jefferson, Kennedy Center, and Georgetown Waterfront Park. We found a bike station near the canal. I looked across the street and saw Clubhouse and a sign indicating it was downstairs. I followed several signs in order to find this hidden bar with billiards and games as well as a coffee counter. Cute place with lots of things to do and a decent beer selection. We talked to the bartender about our pizza quest. I had a few places marked in this neighborhood but wanted an outside opinion. He suggested Pizza Paradiso and mentioned that they also have a game room downstairs. After some meatball sliders, we decided to take a Georgetown bar safari. We headed to Clyde's first as it was on the way. We visited last year on recommendation from James Marlow. It's a Georgetown staple. Old wood, ships hanging around the bar, great bartender. A good first stop.
Next we walked to Pizza Paradiso and found it hoppin! There's a huge brick oven and three guys frantically moving pizza around. We went downstairs to find a quiet bar with no one in it. We were wondering if it was even open when the bartender popped up to say they were indeed. It's graduation weekend and gorgeous outside, so a small, dark, basement bar is not the place to be right now. That works for us. We ordered some beers and some quarters and played pinball, Galaga, and table shuffleboard. If I lived in this area, this would be my bar. Only full size shuffleboard could make this better. Matt the bartender turns out to also be a middle school teacher who finds drunk adults and college students a nice break after a week of only talking to hormones with feet. I have the utmost respect for middle school teachers and admins. Y'all are a special breed. Matt says he'll be closing up early once we leave; he's made a few dollars and will head home for a beer himself.
We walk back out into the evening sun to find our next stop. Looking around the block we spot a piano bar across the street. If you aren't aware, I love Billy Joel; and, thus, I love a piano bar. I want to time travel to the bar "Piano Man" is written about. Georgetown Piano Bar looks the part. Dark and greasy looking once inside the door, you know there are decades of smoke in the walls and ceiling. The circular bar is cut down into the floor a couple steps, so the child-size bar stools around it make us feel like giants next to our bartender. Theres a double piano for dueling on stage. It's not the 1980's however. The piano is a prop. There are two keyboards hidden inside of it. And in our cashless world, the musicians accept Venmo with their handles written on the mirror behind them. It's still a great vibe, and I always love watching them play in the mirror. While this is no Savannah Smiles, no place in the world ever could be (unless it's Billy Joel's bar). Still, the crowd sings along with Sweet Caroline and the bids for songs are going up and up. This is the end of our safari though. I'm exhausted. We get an Über to take us back across town. We mention how much we love riding bikes by the Capitol most evenings. He's a swell guy and detours down Pennsylvania to give us the view.
Come back tomorrow for my first Broadway show!