Copper Mountain, Colorado

Julia met up with her Ohio State University atmospheric science friends at Copper Mountain this past week. They had great ski conditions and a good time hanging out. The pictures are gorgeous. DC had a little snow blip on Tuesday, which caused the Federal government, World Bank Group, and many schools to close early. The snowflakes were big, but no accumulation in the District. Surrounding areas were closed on Wednesday, but not the Federal government or WBG. This past weekend we reached 70 degrees! Crazy climate change!

Byrd Polar, Coventry, Dave's Cosmic Subs

This week Julia's climate class went on a field trip--yes, they still have these in college!--to the Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center. Ohio State houses rocks for the federal government. Julia said it was very interesting and would be a great lab to work in, which includes trips to Antarctica.

I was happy to see proof of some healthy cooking/eating, mixed with some other stuff (thank you, Buckeye Donuts and Stephanie). Julia had the wonderful opportunity to go home with Caitlyn to Mentor, OH, just north of Cleveland on Lake Erie. They went to the high school homecoming game, to Dave's Cosmic Subs, and Coventry Village, among other fun activities. Thank you to Caitlyn and her grandparents for hosting Julia. Upon their return, they had their radio show (always sweet to hear her voice) and on Sunday went to the Mac Miller concert.

In other DC news, Whisper got her cast removed and the leg is crooked and the joint is swollen. Yikes. Steven let Quiet out unintentionally on Sunday for ~three hours. He seemed a bit annoyed when he was found, munching away on leaves in our backyard (and then thrown back up on Monday).

Cafe Divan -- Roommate Found!

Big news--Julia connected with Stephanie via OSU Facebook page and they've decided to be roommates! After all of our mocking of other people searching for roommates via social media... Julia bravely posted a blurb about herself and looking for other "green scholars" and they hit it off immediately. They have the same taste in music, engineering scholars, etc., so it seems to be a good fit.

Another yummy meal at Cafe Divan. We had the prime seat at the end of the restaurant, surrounded by windows on a spectacular sunny evening.

 

Restaurant info: www.cafedivan.com, 1834 Wisconsin Avenue, 202-338-1747

 

Recommendations: Sorry no specifics... everything has been delicious!

 



Every Turkish restaurant has this awesome salad dressing...love it.

Adana Kabob

Kavurma

Lamb Kofte and Sucuk Pide 

Maggiano's Little Italy OSU Event

Ohio State University (OSU) hosted a lunch and program for all Washington-area admitted students. It was very nice.

First, the food: The buffet included tomato caprese salad, caesar salad, chicken marsala, lobster-baked tilapia with spinach and orzo pasta, and lasagna. There was apple crostada and tiramisu for dessert. Although I am in theory against eating tilapia (based on what they feed on), I couldn't resist it and it was fantastic!  

Buffet

Second, the program: It was disappointing that they didn't have more alumni, current students, or faculty mingling with the tables. The student panel was by far the best part of the session. It was helpful to hear about how they commute back and forth to campus/home and how much they like OSU. I appreciated that it was not lengthy or boring in the least. They allowed for just enough questions. Unfortunately, all four students at our table were undecided about OSU. It would have been nice to talk to a local kid who had paid their deposit and was 100% sure of Ohio. AND, one of the parents was an alumna (her daughter applied to 8 schools and was undecided); and one of the student's sisters is a current senior at OSU (she's debating between OSU, Brown, and UPenn). Three of the students (the one girl wasn't there for this question) are all admitted into the scholars program. 


Result? Well, there was no revelation for Julia at this event; however, she did get a chance to see that the same people who are admitted to OSU from the area are pretty much the same type of student as her (very little diversity). The saga continues.

Thanks for the nice lunch, OSU!

Restaurant info: www.maggianos.com

Full private dining room

Hubbard Grille, Columbus, OH--OSU Update!

Good and bad news… the good news is that we really liked Ohio State University (OSU) and the city of Columbus. The bad news is that we really liked OSU and the city of Columbus. Meh.

We were all secretly hoping that we wouldn't be impressed with the engineering info session, the campus, and the surrounding city. It would make Julia's decision so much easier. There are so many positives, though. They are pursuing Julia with a passion--not just with the scholarships, but with phone calls, emails, postcards, letters, etc. The honors/scholars program and their engineering career services departments are two major advantages, as well. Big school = big resources.

Chris has also applied to OSU and awaiting a decision. He liked the school too.

Any negatives? Well, it is in Ohio. :) There isn't much diversity to speak of…and Julia has to consider if she can picture herself there for four years.

The Hubbard Grille was delicious. It is located in the adorable neighborhood of Short North, 793 N. High Street, 614-291-5000.

Julia & Chris at Sloopy's Diner (OSU)

Steak salad

Caesar salad with chicken small plate

Cajun spiced mahi mahi with cheddar grits and green beans

Steak salad

Seared tuna with shaved fennel & green bean salad

Peacock Cafe

Tonight we ventured to Peacock Cafe in Georgetown. It was lightly snowing and cold as ever. Steven and I had the ahi tuna salad, Julia enjoyed the salmon. Steven tried (and shared) the South African beef bobotie (spiced meat with egg topping). It was delicious. Julia devoured the gluten free lava cake--with a couple sneaks of the ice cream. She's been doing well trying to stay on the allergy elimination diet. (No fun, but it will pay off.)

We talked about Ohio State University and our upcoming trip. My dear friend Vera sent me a link on the top global universities--OSU is listed.

Mostly, Steven traveled down memory lane and shared some really crazy stories from when he was Julia's age. Yikes. There was also a lot of ping pong talk…which we'll hopefully play with Chris next weekend.

Restaurant info: 3251 Prospect St NW, (between N Potomac St & N Wisconsin Ave), (202) 625-2740

Recommendation: Salmon, bobotie, and ahi tuna (rare).

Scottish salmon with potatoes and asparagus

Ahi tuna salad

South Africa Beef Bobotie with mango chutney and yellow rice

Ahi tuna salad

Gluten free chocolate lava cake

Lighthouse Diner, Wantagh, New York

We came to the Lighthouse Diner with Julia, Meme, Steven, Chris, and his mom, Melodie. It was the perfect first get-together. The food was delicious. The owners are Greek and three of us enjoyed the chicken souvlaki. Steven had a mammoth breakfast; Chris and Melodie ordered breakfast items too. Our server was quick and attentive. I could not get over how huge the portions were--wow!

The best part was getting to know Melodie. We think so highly of Chris, so it was no surprise that we enjoyed our time with his mother as well.

College update: Awarded two academic scholarships to Ohio State University (leaving only room/board to cover)--congratulations to our smarty pants, Julia! AND, she got accepted into Penn State University!! Decisions, decisions… we're definitely making a trip to Columbus, Ohio.

Recommendations: Chicken souvlaki!

Restaurant info: 3240 Sunrise Hwy, Wantagh, NY 11793, (516) 826-8111, no Web site.

Julia and Chris at Caps/Ranger Game, NYC.

Town Hall

This was our first visit to Town Hall. We didn't order anything interesting or out of the ordinary. Julia enjoyed half of a huge club sandwich and mashed potatoes. Steven had a good, rare burger. I loved the flat iron steak (nice and medium rare) on my bistro salad. While the bar side was hopping, the dining room side was cozy, warm and quiet. Congratulations to Julia--she was accepted into NC State University environmental engineering program and Ohio State University environmental engineering program. We are so proud of her!

Recommendations: Burger or flat iron steak--they were cooked perfectly!  

Restaurant info: 2340 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington, DC 20007; 202-333-5640; www.townhalldc.com.

Quiet, Sunday night in the dining room.