Washington D.C.

Enamored...in awe...adoration, pure adoration of a wonderful city.
Minus the smoking. True, people smoke in Denver, but it seemed like more people smoked in D.C.
I enjoyed the subway. It was user friendly and quick.
I enjoyed the neighborhood feel of it and wished that Denver felt more like this. Instead, there are parts of it (Denver) that feel small, cowtownish and normal. D.C. had neighborhoods, true neighborhoods. My friends lived in Adams Morgan. Apparently in the 80's, early 90's, it was latin based. Now it is trendy, somewhat latin--in terms of restaurants--salvadoran,peruvian, mexican, and full of cute coffee shops and fun bars. We checked out Tryst, Cashion's, and the Reef Bar. Marc and Megan's neighbors own Room 11, which was a small local restaurant. The wine list was lame, but we checked out a few different panini's, sides and appetizers.
There are suits walking around, senators, lobbyists, foodies, smokers and tourists. Yes, it was a great city.
I wish that I had had more time in Georgetown. We walked there and went to Pizzeria Paradiso. I loved the bottled beer selection and the food was enticing, too. Plus, the Dupont Circle was fantastic as well. Megan and I went there in hopes of surprising her brother, Pierce, at his job. It was a local bookshop/restaurant. In some ways, it reminded me of the 4th Story, but the food wasn't as high end. And, I found the latest James Ellroy novel which was pretty freaking fantastic! I love James Ellroy.
That night, I met Casey at City Zen. The food was excellent, but the wine service lacked. I wasn't overly impressed with the list, itself, either. It went from $50-$300. I believe in lists that appeal to several consumers, not just elitists. And, I had hoped to drink two bottles of wine during the 6 course meal. However, the bottle wasn't near the table and so we were reliant on the servers.
The following night, we went to Penn STation to dine at Proof. If you are heading to D.C., this is the place to dine. The food was intesting, dynamic and great. The wine list was friendly and the service rocked. I loved the ambiance and felt extremely comfortable there. I had seen online reviews. I knew it had potential. In hind sight, I would have preferred dining here and an Ethiopian restaurant or a Jose Andreas place. Megan and I did dine at his Greek restaurant. They had this olive oil with pomegranate as opposed to balsamic vinaigrette that was quite tasty. We shared roasted cauliflower and "flat bread" that was really a cheese pizza. I was a little disappointed with the flat bread, but the cauliflower rocked.
Yes, D.C. enticed me. I loved it. I would love to go back to explore more. I suppose next year.