My DC // Julie of Julip Made

 A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of spending a Sunday with Julie of Julip Made for a My City feature. Julie is from the DC area, so she knows it well. She took me to a few of her favorite spots around Georgetown along with her sweet dog Odin.

See where she took me in DC after the break!

We were fortunate to have amazing weather for a stroll around Theodore Roosevelt Island, which is on the Potomac between DC and Virginia. She brings Odin there frequently for exercise. There is plenty of stimulation as the paths around the park always have people walking, jogging and getting fresh air. Something I've learned about DC, a lot of people exercise.

The view of Georgetown from Theodore Roosevelt Island is amazing.

You definitely aren't expecting it when you walk up on this giant clearing and statue of Teddy. This photo doesn't do it justice. It. Is. Giant. And to be honest, the arm-up-in-the-air thing is a little creepy.

It was hot, so we sipped on iced coffees (that Julie picked up from Starbucks on her way to get me — so sweet this girl) and after exploring the island, we headed back to the car. Odin needed some water too.

Next on the agenda was the Georgetown Flea Market. A tiny little market, but abundant with vendors and shoppers. These colorful baskets caught Julie's eye. One sweet lady vendor loved Odin so much she gave him a handful of treats, and then another handful (she apparently had dog treats on hand).

We strolled around the flea market, looking at all of the interesting items there. Something about the color in this Aladdin poster kept me staring at it. The genie reminded me of the weird Zoltar game from BIG.

Always fun to go furniture shopping at flea markets. Never know what you will find!
I'm looking for a bench or stool to cover in this mudcloth.

When we walked upon a woman doing henna, and I was totally game. I've always wanted to do it so I let her tat me up henna-style! (Reaching for my phone or something in this photo — of course I had to instagram it.)

You leave the dark pigment on your arm as long as you can. The longer you leave it, the darker the stain will be on  your skin. Once you wipe it off, this pigment was an orange brown, and continued to darken throughout the day. I had it on for about 2 weeks. I thought it was fun, and will definitely do it again.

As we walked past these maps Julie told how she loved them and has several illustrations she bought from this vendor in her place.

After the strolling through the Georgetown Flea Market, we went walked just down the street to her favorite ice cream place, Thomas Sweet.

I had to stop my inner child from getting a pink sprinkle cone.

This is only half of the counter and menu. They also have fudge and every other chocolate-covered-something you can think of. 

The portions are ginormous! I was so surprised how much they filled up our cups, and I had to get a cone on top! Julie had lemon and black raspberry, and mine is mango and raspberry sorbet. Seriously delicious. I don't live too far from Thomas Sweet... which can be good and bad...

Let's hear from Julie:

Why did you take me to T.R. Park, Georgetown Flea, and Thomas Sweet? 

Theodore Roosevelt Island is my favorite nature enclave within the city where for just a moment, you feel like you are in a completely different world. The island also has some of the best views of Georgetown and DC. The Georgetown Flea Market is full of eye candy and although most of the vendors are rather expensive, every now and then you can find a truly beautiful and unique piece.  Thomas Sweet is self explanatory.  It has the absolute best home made ice cream in the entire city.  They also give amazing portion sizes for the price.

What are some of your other favorite places to eat and visit in DC and why or what do you HAVE to get when you go to them? 

Ohh so many places so I'll break it down by category and/or food item.  For cupcakes head to Baked & Wired and try the Strawberry.  For burgers, Ray's Hellburger is hands down the best.  Two Amy's wins it for pizza and I'd recommend the Calabrese.  For a date night, head to Zaytinya and basically get anything because it is all delicious!  As for cocktails, head to any of the Circa locations.  Sip on the Watermelon Cooler and snack on the Calamari Frito Misto.

What are your favorite items in your home?  

1) A persian rug from my Dad's collection that he gifted to us. 2) An old piece of my mom's work hanging over our bed. 3) Our giant L-shaped Ikea couch that can fit the Boy, the pup, and I while watching movies or a large group of friends for game nights!

What have you learned from blogging? 

So so much... better time management, improvement my graphic skills, learned to navigate the world of social media, how to manage an editorial calendar, honed my website design skills, started to refine my point of view... and the list goes on. 

What are some of your creative goals? 

Although I'm not sure what my next step is, I do know that my end goal is to one day run my own creative business.  I'm not ready to share exactly what that would be, but I can tell you that it would allow me to have my hands in many different creative pursuits: graphic design, culinary, event planning, styling, etc...

You love food and love to cook, what are some of your favorite recipes?

This is like asking me to pick my favorite child, but here goes.  Food- Breakfast Risotto, Mint Ricotta Pinenut & Pea Pasta, Bacon & Mushroom Moules Frites, and Pomegranate Fig & Burrata Salad.  Drinks- Down the Rabbit Hole, Ginger Caipirinha, and French 95.