DC, spring in full colors, and healing with friends

Dear Alex,

Last weekend I went to DC to visit a friend. I hadn’t realized how long it had been since I had last saw them, and when we actually saw each other in person it felt like no time passed at all, but it was weird realizing that people grow in different ways and that sometimes means departure from each other.

Matcha Latte Review

I had 2 matcha lattes on this trip which deserve a thorough review.

Ordered from Th*** D******* B***** (Starred for privacy lmao)

Rating 7.5/10

This was quite nice, it was just matcha and whole milk. But the matcha was stirred in quite nicely and the milk was steamed perfectly. Some points deducted because the ratio was a bit off and I felt like I mostly tasted milk rather than matcha. It’s a hard thing to get correctly, but overall it was pleasant.

Next I ordered a matcha latte from Rue Cafe.

Rating: 5/10

I think I even rated it higher when I was drinking it. Again just matcha and whole milk, but man… there was such a small amount of matcha I only tasted steamed milk which is absolutely not what I ordered. Disappointing overall.

Food Review

Purple Patch

We visited this filipino restaurant called the Purple Patch with promises of ube pancakes, and it was absolutely delivered upon. The food here was so delicious. I couldn’t just live with ordering ube pancakes when I realized they had so many vegetarian options as well! (an anomaly in filipino food I feel)

I ordered the ube pancakes and eggplant adobo with garlic fried rice. Both were such different flavor profiles, but they were both absolutely delicious. Especially the eggplant, which was fried and crispy but soft on the inside with the garlic rice absolutely completed the dish. The pancakes, as expected, were soft and rich in flavor. (I swear I don’t only eat pancakes, but brunch foods are superior in my opinion)

US National Arboretum

Saturday blessed us with warm summer weather without stifling humidity and we wandered over to the US National Arboretum. As you can see it was clear skies all around with wide open fields and lots of people milling about. There was a lovely bonsai tree exhibit that showed bonsai from around the world. Did you know there’s bonsai native to North America? Some of the oldest trees in there were hundreds of years old. In the grand scheme of things that’s not that grandeur, but in the context of a decorative living tree that has to be tended to and maintained, it felt very special.

Healing the Soul

While there was exploring of the city, I felt the main event was the way we gathered and spent time in each others presence. It’s not the same as it once was, the past will be the past understandably. But there was so much contentment and healing that only can happen when you’re around people who know your soul and understand your mind that hold you so dear and you hold them back. It was, a breath of fresh air. We were all just doing our own thing, but being together. Sometimes you need to breathe the same air in order to feel connected to the deep roots of friendship and the way the fate lines bind you together. That was the greatest gift, I find. Nothing can compare to that.

I’ve spoken about this before, but there’s so much healing and understanding that’s unspoken but there that happens when you spend time with your closest friends. It can be momentary or extended but it’s like you’re understanding each other on a different wavelength and letting that heal your soul. I’ve been feeling very isolated here lately, but spending time with friends where we hold each other close and feel connected and grounded has helped with that feeling.

I miss you buddy, I hope we get to see each other sometime soon.

Hearts,

Lucia