Playing Tourist in DC

It was a beautiful weekend in DC! Not too hot, full of sunshine and no thunderstorms! I still have not been released by my doctor to begin exercising again, so I have been doing my fair share of walking. Even walking has been tough going for me. My energy level is still pretty low and I don't feel anywhere near being fully recovered.

I decided to play tourist in my fair city, taking advantage of the beautiful weather and all of the great things to do in Washington while getting my walks in.

On Saturday, I headed to the National Mall. The plan was to pay a visit to one of my favorite Smithsonian museums: the Hirshhorn Museum. Despite checking out the website beforehand to see what was on, I did not realize that the second and third levels were closed! 

There were only three exhibitions going on. One was Barbara Kruger's Belief + Doubt, which I had seen before and two video installations, a medium of which I am not a fan. There went my plans.

Barbara Kruger's Belief + Doubt

Barbara Kruger's Belief + Doubt

Despite only spending maybe 15 to 20 minutes in the museum, I actually found myself to be pretty tired. I debated trying to do something else and decided against it. Instead, I headed back to the Metro with my tail between my legs. 

I passed by the Art and Industries Building, which has been undergoing renovations for the last 10 years. The building was constructed in 1879 and was covered up with scaffolding for as long as I can recall. To see it in its current state was heartening. The outside looks magnificent. It is sad that there are no plans to reopen the building in the foreseeable future.   

Arts and Industries Building

Arts and Industries Building

Directly across from the Arts and Industries Building is the beautiful Carousel on the Mall.

I also caught a glimpse of the Smithsonian Castle, the first Smithsonian Institution building. Out front is a statue of Joseph Henry, the first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

On the way home, I was tempted into buying a faux Cronut from Crumbs Bake Shop. They called it a "Crumbnut." I should have kept walking because this was not special. The Bavarian creme was pretty tasty though.

Crumbnut with Bavarian cream

On Sunday, I was up bright and early, so I decided to take a walk to Georgetown before its sidewalks were overflowing with tourists and shoppers.

I headed across the Key Bridge.

From there, I could see the Washington Monument poking out above the trees.

Despite how peaceful the C&O Canal looked, I would not be tricked into taking a stroll along it. The still water plus the humidity equals mosquitoes, and for some reason, I seem to have a target on my back when it comes to mosquitoes.

The main reason for my walk to Georgetown was that I wanted to visit the Exorcist Stairs, made famous for their appearance in the film The Exorcist.

I did not intend to walk up the stairs, but I figured since I was already there, I might as well. 

Once I reached the top, I made my way back down again and headed back home. 

See you later, Georgetown!

It was back across the bridge for me and into Virginia.

{Product Review} Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer #FuelYourBetter Campaign

How do you #FuelYourBetter? 

That is the question Vega Sport and Fit Approach have posed to me and my fellow Sweat Pink Ambassadors and Vega Bloggers. 

With my busy schedule and constant training, getting through a workout is one thing. Gathering the energy to start the workout or even getting myself out the door is another one entirely! Finding the best way to fuel myself prior to a workout has been a challenge I have struggled with. The wrong fuel makes the workouts themselves unnecessarily grueling. Sometimes I even have cut them short for this very reason.

That is why I chose the Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer for my product review. 

If you remember my review of Vega One's Nutritional Shakes, you will remember that Vega was created by an endurance athlete who subscribes to a plant-based diet. Likewise, the Vega Sport line of products is plant-based. 

For this campaign, I received a box of 12 single packs of the Pre-Workout Energizer in Acai Berry flavor.

I love that they come individually packaged, so that I can take with me on the go. They are perfect for me to take in the late afternoon before my after-work gym time.

I recently got a shaker cup, so I filled it up and added a pack of the powder to it. Then I gave it a good shake. While the directions say to use 8 ounces of water, I used a bit more because I wanted to dilute the flavor for my own taste.

I love my shaker cup! As you can see, the consistency is quite good and there were not any lumps to be found.

I found myself shocked by the taste! It was actually not too bad, and I can definitely see myself being able to drink these without any problems. 

The only downside to my experience with the Pre-Workout Energizer is that I am currently forbidden from working out! I was accepted into this campaign before my surgery, and I am still under doctor's orders of no exercise...at all. 

One thing I am allowed to do is go on walks, so I used the drink prior to my daily jaunts around the block. Energy is something that I have definitely been lacking in my recovery. 

What's my take? While I haven't had a chance to see if the Pre-Workout Energizer gives me sustained energy and increased endurance, they have helped fuel my walks around the block. I like the consistency and the flavor is fine. Once I get the okay from my doctor to begin exercising again, I will definitely be testing the drink out some more.  

To learn more about Vega Sport's Fuel Your Better campaign, visit here. 

Disclosure: Through my affiliation with Fit Approach, I received one box of Vega Sport Pre-Workout Energizer from Vega for the purpose of this review. No compensation was received. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here. 

Sushi Daiwa (Tokyo, Japan)

Raisin Bread and I woke up at 3:30 am one morning to make the journey to Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market. Alas, despite arriving at 4:45 am, we were too late to gain entrance into that morning's tuna auction.

Not matter, we would enjoy an unbelievable sushi breakfast instead. During my research, I picked out three different sushi spots in case one or two had extremely long waits. It was my understanding that the food that each restaurant serves is virtually the same. We walked quickly towards the row of restaurants and discovered Sushi Dai's line to be about two hours long. On the other hand, there was just one couple waiting at Sushi Daiwa, so we immediately settled into our places in this line. We still had about 45 minutes to kill since Sushi Daiwa does not open until 5:30 am. That gave us a chance to observe some of the goings on of the market.



Tsukiji Market is a real working fish market that has not quite found the balance between serving as a tourist destination and as a place of business. Near misses between tourists and racing trucks are a regular occurrence, which is why there are plans to move Tsukiji to a new location in the future.

One funny thing about waiting in line in front of Sushi Daiwa was that other foreigners would come up to us and ask why people were standing in line for Sushi Dai. Clearly, they did not do any research and without question, they would decide to join the line for Sushi Dai. It made me laugh a lot. Silly wabbits.

5:30 finally rolled around and we were seated elbow to elbow around a tiny sushi bar. Sushi is served by set menu, but one can order additional pieces at the end. Our chef was responsible for us and the couple in front of us. He placed our sushi pieces before us faster than we could consume them the previous piece. All told, the entire meal took probably 20 minutes at most. There wasn't much time to savor our food, but the sushi was so delicious that we didn't mind.

Chutoro (medium fatty tuna)
This singular piece of tuna is probably the best piece of tuna I have ever had in my life. To die for.

Ika (squid)
I rarely order squid. I find the texture to be off-putting. This piece was no different.

Odori Ebi (live shrimp)
I bit the inside of my mouth while eating my last piece of sushi, so I was a little out of it for the next couple of pieces. I didn't notice the shrimp still moving, but Raisin Bread did!

Kanpachi (amberjack)
Amberjack became one of my go to fish during our trip to Japan. So yummy.

Uni (sea urchin)

Miso Soup with Fish

Otoro (fatty tuna)

Tamago (egg)

Tuna and Ikura (salmon roe) Cut Rolls

Eel

Shrimp head
This was an interesting part of our meal. I must say that I very much enjoyed the shrimp head and was intrigued by how they used up most of the shrimp.

Katsuo (bonito)
This piece was not part of the set menu and was the finale to our meal at Sushi Daiwa. Look at that color.

After breakfast, we walked around the outer market area, which sells restaurant supplies and vegetables. We tried to see if we could sneak into the inner wholesale fish market, but that clearly wasn't going to happen. There was security turning all of the foreigners away.

Tsukiji Market is a fascinating place, and there is nothing like eating the freshest sushi of your life at 5:30 in the morning.

Sushi Daiwa
5-2-1 Tsukiji
Chuo, Tokyo
Japan

Nagi Ramen (Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan)

If you have been paying attention, you know that I love noodles of all shapes and sizes. Eating ridiculous amounts of noodles was a definite "to do" during my trip to Japan. One evening, we set out on a long, soggy walk to Nagi Ramen in Golden Gai. By the time we arrived, my jeans and shoes were soaked through, so a piping hot bowl of ramen seemed appropriate.

Golden Gai is a small area of Shinjuku that is made up of hide-and-seek alleys that are lined with over 200 bars, clubs and restaurants. Each one is a tiny closet-sized establishment. Nagi is no different. It is a minuscule space, located on the second floor.

The place is so tiny that we had to stand in the stairwell to wait. We finally made it to the vending machine where we placed our orders and paid for our meals before we were seated at a counter with no more than 12 seats. 

Nagi is known for using dried sardines in its broth. I ordered the "Special Ramen," which is their most popular dish. My bowl of ramen came with nori, bamboo shoots, scallions, a soft-boiled egg and huge slices of pork. The broth was so deep and rich, but it was the firm, springy noodles that made me the happiest! Yum!

After enjoying our ramen, we headed back through Golden Gai in the rain.

Nagi Ramen
1-1-10 Kabukicho
Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture
160-0021 Japan

Monkey Park Iwatayama (Kyoto, Japan)

High above the Arashiyama district of Kyoto lies a mountaintop which is home to a little band of monkeys - Japanese macaque monkeys, to be exact.

It was late morning, so I figured a leisurely hike would be fitting before we grabbed some lunch. We found the entrance to the Monkey Park and paid our admission. 

The entrance happened to be across from a shrine! 

And so we began our hike up to see the monkeys. Only, the easy 10 to 15 minute hike that had been sold to me turned out to be grossly underestimated. We, first, started up a set of stairs, which seemed easy enough. 

We came upon a list of warnings about the monkeys, but alas, we had not reached the monkeys!

In total, the hike took roughly 30 minutes. In addition to the stairs, we climbed up a steep set of switchbacks before reaching the top of the mountain. It was sunny and hot, but it was worth it. Not only were there monkeys galore, but we had a wonderful view of the city. 

  

These two cannot get enough cuddles. 

At the top, there is also a building within the monkey park, from where you can feed the monkeys. Humans are inside the cage and monkeys are outside. We did not stay in there long and did not feed the monkeys either. 

A beautiful cherry blossom tree also made the trek worthwhile. 

Animal lovers, like me, will find the Monkey Park a fun and unique thing to do while in Japan.

Monkey Park Iwatayama
8 Genrokuyamacho
Nishiyo-ku
Kyoto 616-0022
Japan

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