Culture, Food, Pampering, and more!

This trip is a mix of food tour, pampering, culture, and volunteering

Day 1  - Friday night Korean Food!

Leaving your base in Alexandria, drive about 15 to 30 minutes (traffic!) to Annandale, VA. You'll know you've arrived by seeing all the signs in Korean around this town. First stop will be The Block - a cafeteria style food hall that allows you to eat, drink, and be merry! Order a few meals to share from the different eateries. My favorites are the spicy salmon poke bowl with kale noodles and the pork belly french fries. There are some great drinks at the bar as well. 

Now that you've filled up enough, it's time for dessert! Head to Breeze Bakery down the road to have bubble tea, pastries, and Bing Soo. 

Still hungry? Most of the Korean restaurants in this area are open24 hours. Hit up Honey Pig for some great Korean BBQ!

Day 2 - Saturday morning volunteering + outlet visit

Time to work off all that food. Head to Cora Kelly school early in the morning in Alexandria to help with the food distribution held by ALIVE!. It's insane how many people need food and come to this location to pick up some fresh and canned items. Bonus if you speak Spanish -- they'll need you're help to register families! This will run from about 8:00 to noon.

https://www.alive-inc.org/alive-volunteer-opportunities/ to learn more

I like to get yummy Bolivian food when I'm done. The Panamerican bakery in Alexandria has some of the best saltenas I've ever had. If you don't know what that is, it's kind of like a walking chicken pot pie. But there's a special way to eat it. Check out how the pros eat it before digging into yours. And try that tasty green sauce it comes with! https://panamericanbakery.com/

I like to end my Saturday with a trip down to Woodbridge to walk around the outlets of Potomac Mills. This is a great place to walk around -- especially if the rain comes in and you need something to do indoors!

https://www.simon.com/mall/potomac-mills 

Day 3 - Sunday pampering and shops

It's Sunday. Time to sleep in. Head to Del Ray to eat brunch at one of the many resturants. I like getting smoothie bowls at South Block https://south-block-juice-co.speedetab.com/venues/2406

Make sure you make an appointment for your mani-pedi at New Del Ray Nailspa before you get there. They can get really busy! Ask for Lien or Hoa, and tell them Jessica sent you! These ladies will have you leaving refreshed. 

https://www.newdelraynailsandspa.com/

Finish out the day by driving down to Old Town to walk around the shops. I like to have a drink at Chart House right on the water -- perfect for a June night. 

https://www.chart-house.com/location/chart-house-alexandria-va/

Before spending the rest of your evening on the water drinking and eating tasty food, check out the Torpedo Factory for some cool art. It's right next door so you can walk over when you're done. 

Day 4 - Monday Visit the Museums

Hopefully you planned ahead and reserved your tickets for the African American History Museum in DC. They are pretty hard to come by and there's a good reason for it! 

https://nmaahc.si.edu/

Today you'll take the metro (probably from King street in Alexandria) and head into DC. You'll have a couple of options for which line to take, but yellow will likely get you closest to where you want to go. 

https://www.wmata.com/schedules/maps/

Spend the day checking out a number of the Smithsonian museums and the monuments in the area. Pack a lunch if you want to save money -- those food courts can get expensive! 

Head to China Town to explore for dinner. 

Day 5 - Tuesday Hike and Take in the Views

Your last day -- start with a hearty breakfast in any of the great restaurants in Old Town. If you're waking up a little late, head to Megg Rolls for some unique egg rolls to take with you on your hike

https://meggrolls.com/ -- she has a DC location too! 

Today you'll take the coveted "reverse commute" out to Great Falls park. Depending on your skill level, you can either look at the overlooks on the VA side or head to the MD side and do the Billy Goat Trail. It's a bit more technical, but very rewarding! 

https://www.nps.gov/grfa/index.htm

Hope you have a great trip!