Having been wrapped up in several sleep-depriving papers and midterms for the past few weeks, I was pleasantly surprised to wake up on Saturday with a day to do whatever I wanted! A friend and I desperately wanted to get off campus for a little while, so off to Dupont Circle we went…
Our original reason to go to Dupont was a wonderful tea shop called Teaism, from which I’d ordered tea back home, but now I could buy it for the first time in the flesh! The combination restaurant/tea shop serves Japanese food, sells tons of types of loose tea, and will even brew you a cup in the store. I left with two types of tea, two ounces of each, for $11 and both have been delicious. I might have gotten a little too excited about the tea, as you can see…
Besides our original intent of going to Teaism, my friend and I didn’t have a next destination, so we let spontaneity (and technology) lead the way by looking for shops nearby with the Yelp app.
We then landed at Lou Lou, an accessories store, which also happens to have a location on Wisconsin. Earrings, scarves, and bags abound in Lou Lou and is great if you have a few bucks to drop on a trendy new accessory.
Stumbling around in that general vicinity, we came upon Kramerbooks & Afterwards Café & Grill, a combination bookstore and café. We didn’t stay for a meal, but the Café is open all night on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a fun destination for evenings out and about. We had fun picking through the stacks in several genres. Definitely a fun location for the literate who want a bite to eat.
And to beautifully bookend our adventure, we ended up at Capital Teas, another tea shop in the area. Their tea wall is fun whether you plan on buying tea or not—you can smell every tea in their selection, and there’s something to suit everyone’s tastes.
For some reason, I felt like an elementary school student on a field trip on the ride back on the GUTS bus—the drive from Dupont back to campus was really quite pretty, especially with a view of the waterfront.
Remember that more fun abounds in Dupont on Friday, when you can Trick-or-Treat on Embassy Row!
Of course, my friend and I didn’t hit everything worth hitting in Dupont. What’s your favorite place to go there?
Locations
Teaism: 2009 R Street NW, 202-667-3827
Lou Lou: 1601 Connecticut Avenue NW, 202-588-0027
Also located at 1304 Wisconsin Avenue NW, 202-333-3574
Kramerbooks: 1517 Connecticut Avenue, 202-387-1400
Capital Teas: 1627 Connecticut Avenue, 202-462-8327