Weekend in DC!

Hello lovely readers!  I kinda-sorta took a hiatus, but unintentionally.  I should be able to get back into this whole blogging routine now.  But first, let's talk about this past weekend, which was awesome.

The best plans are spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment plans.  Early last week, my dear friend Jordan (who I'm sure I've talked about before on here) called me and said Plain White T's--yes, the 'Hey There Delilah' guys--were playing at the 9:30 Club in DC, tickets are very reasonable, and she wanted a concert buddy.  So I planned to go down to DC and go with her.

Little did I know our weekend would turn into much more than attending a concert!

I wasn't sure how I felt about navigating through DC's highways and such, even with GPS and OnStar, so I used Amtrak instead.  It was my first time using the American train system, and I didn't really have any complaints.  I was well prepared, thanks to all my train experience in London.  Jordan and her mom picked me up at the Alexandria train station on Sunday, and our adventure began from there.

We spent the afternoon relaxing and catching up from the last few weeks before going to an event later in the evening.  The Citi Open tennis tournament started last week, and Sunday night was the Players' Party at the W Washington Hotel in the city.  I'm not exactly sure how Jordan got the invite for it, but she did, and she took me as her guest.  We got to dress up all fancy and mix and mingle with all sorts of people: other guests, local media people (some of whom Jordan knew through her work), and ATP/WTA tennis players and their coaches.  We ran into Jordan's friend Joel, who had a really cool English friend named Pete with him.  Hanging out with them was entertaining in itself!

photo courtesy of revamp.com

One of my favorite tennis players is Melanie Oudin.  She made a great run at the 2009 U.S. Open, and I'm excited to see her in this year's tournament.  I saw her at the Players' Party and got to say hello!  She's also from my hometown in Georgia, so it was really neat to have that connection with her.  She was a total sweetheart, too...must be the Georgia girl in her! :)

(photo is Jordan's but that's us!)

We saw several other players mingling with the guests, but one big guy in particular caught our eyes...this man right here...

(also Jordan's pic but OMG LOOK)

Yes, y'all, that is Juan Martin Del Potro, #7 in the world!  I caught him from the corner of my eye, nudged Jordan, and we found him and got this picture.  He was so nice and fun to talk with for a few minutes.  I love a man with an accent!  

The excitement continued into Monday: I tagged along when Jordan went to her internship in Georgetown and explored the town a bit while she was at work.  I tried a famous Georgetown Cupcake...

...and Jordan and I enjoyed delicious gourmet burgers from the newly opened Good Stuff Eatery.

my wonderful turkey burger with provolone and avocado!

After lunch, I perused the Georgetown shopping scene, and cried when I saw the price tags on some stuff.  That kept me occupied until Jordan finished at her internship.  We had a drink at a local bar before heading to the 9:30 Club for the show.  My drink of choice was a "Blue Lagoon": vodka, lemonade and blue curaçao.  Vodka usually isn't my first choice, but I wanted to try something new.  At least it was colorful!  

I'm discovering that I'm a fan of small-venue concerts.  I saw Yellowcard at a small venue in Lancaster back in January, and that place felt small and cramped.  The 9:30 Club didn't feel small or cramped at all.  The atmosphere was lively and the audience was eclectic; everyone looked like they were having a fantastic time.  

A duo called The Wind & The Wave opened the show around 8:15.  They're a guy/girl duo from Austin, Texas, with a country/folk/soft rock style.  They played a really great set and had everyone clapping and singing along by their second song.  

After their set, the duo (Patti and Dwight) gave out free copies of their CD and signed them for fans.  How cool!  They were really friendly and I could tell they were happy to interact with fans between sets.  

Plain White T's took the stage at 9:30.  They kicked off the show with their latest release, "Should've Gone to Bed."  If you haven't listened to it yet, go listen to it right now.  It's cute and catchy, and will get stuck in your head very easily.  

They played a nice mix of their songs, ranging from All That We Needed (2005) to some newer songs off the Should've Gone to Bed EP, and one song, "American Nights," which will be on their next full-length album.  The band ended the show with "Hey There, Delilah" (obviously) and "Hate (I Really Don't Like You)."  To be honest, I was never the biggest fan of "Hey There, Delilah," but my faith has been restored, and let's be honest, PWTs not playing that would be like Yellowcard not playing "Ocean Avenue" at a show.  

Jordan and I hung around for a few minutes after the last song so the club could clear out.  While we were waiting, I spotted guitarist Tim Lopez walking out from behind the stage, followed closely by lead singer Tom Higgenson.  

And guess who grabbed a couple photos?

They were both really cool, and Tim even chatted with us for a minute or two.  Musicians are pretty chill people, when you get close enough to them.  

Needless to say, my weekend in DC was one for the books.  I'll have to keep the 9:30 Club in mind for shows in the future.  And I know I have a fantastic concert buddy to go with me!