Snow and oysters

Took my tourist friend shopping in Georgetown yesterday. The snow was falling the entire time, which was pretty, but also very cold. I think her Arkansas climate customs made the shopping trip possible only thanks to the frequent stops inside warm stores. (And the same went for me.) There were lots of people out and about, which is always nice to see on a wintry day.

We went on a short tour of the campus, which was completely empty given that it's winter break. I can never pass up a chance to show it off though, and each time I visit, it continues to strike me as so beautiful and I once again can't really believe I got to spend my college years there. She was also a big fan of the mural on our wave house (should have taken a picture...next time) and I noticed the endowment houses on 37th were looking freshly painted and in brighter colors than usual.

We went to J. Paul's on M Street to warm up. The Redskins/Jacksonville game was on, and the Arkansas traveler was far more into the game than I was. I love the Redskins fervor in this town, and I'm really trying to become a football fan so I can be a part of it. It's sort of like deja vu from living in Arkansas, where the Razorback football schedule dictates everyone else's schedules. I bought the shirt, I went to a game in Fayetteville, I did the tailgating thing, but I just don't like football as a sport that much. 

But back to D.C. Snow and a raw bar is an excellent combination. Plus, fresh shellfish isn't so easy to come by in the hinterlands of landlocked states. We shared a dozen Blue Point oysters on the half shell.

Raw oysters on the half shell from Delaware Bay, N.J.

We also ordered fried clams and "frickles." It was pretty amusing to me that while dining with an Arkansas friend, we happened to find fried pickles, one of my favorite Arkansas snacks discovered at the Fordyce on the Cotton Belt festival a few years ago.

Fried clams and frickles and a cocktail