International Spy Museum

Have you ever thought about becoming a spy? At the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. you can find out if you've got what it takes to be professional spy. In one of the first exhibits there's a crawl vent for those willing and able to literally crawl above other visitors and spy on them. I was pretty happy to try my hand at spying and distracting my dad. In a room devoted to Russian espionage, around the turn of the 20th century and the Bolshevik revolution, they featured a chess board that included Lenin. The room also included a recreation of a false door, the Butyrka Prison door, that was the secret entrance to a political prison in the heart of Moscow that still exists. 

From Hollywood and James Bond to real spies and the real political implications of national security, spies and spying definitely play important roles as made apparent with the new presidential administration.

Visiting Home

Last week I was able to travel home to Virginia where I was able to catch up with family, spend time with close friends, and to celebrate the new year. After a very long day spent delayed at O'Hare airport I finally made it home. Once settled, we took my nephew Tyler to the National Harbor where we rode on a Ferris wheel and spent the evening at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center. The Gaylord had a special ice exhibition that I'll talk in a future blog. The following morning, I was able to check out PAUL, which is a French bakery franchise that is one of my favorite places to get French pastries, especially macaron. That night I was able to spend time with my sister Heidi and her husband Jeff, who took me to get some delicious Neapolitan pizza from a restaurant called Pupatella. Heidi and Jeff also introduced me to their very cute French bulldog Napoleon. Later in the week, I was able to tour the home of my friends Ryan and Xuan (try and spot on of my paintings in their living room), and I was able to catch up with Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson and their adorable lab/retriever Finbar. It was a fun filled week with lots of good friends, delicious food, and catching up with my family. Future blogs will showcase a lot more of what I did in Virginia -- stay tuned and Happy New Year!