While Lorelai and I were on vacation my little sister played tour guide and showed us around the DC/Virginia area. One of tour first stops (after a trip to see the cherry blossoms in the city) was Old Town Alexandria. Talk about a cute neighborhood! This beautifully preserved historic district (and George Washington's hometown) is filled to the brim with cute rowhouses to peruse, brick-lined streets overflowing with shops and sweet places to pop in for brunch. The dress-code is casual (J.Crew tee and denim jacket, Zara leather pants and my new Nikes) and the neighborhood is beautiful!

stroll:

King Street

Right on the Potomac River waterfront, this street is where it's all located... Do some shopping, eat a meal or browse the townhouses!

shop:

Red Barn Mercantile

This shop was the highlight of my trip to OTA! Stocked with fun stationery (I picked up a tattly card for my pen pal), a super-cool children's section and quirky home goods, this store boasts the perfect balance of new and antique. My favorite finds included Sugar Paper prints, Jack Rudy Cocktail Co. syrups and the sweetest recipe box.

Old City Press & Co.

The perfect independent print shop and what my letterpress lovin' heart's dreams are made of!

Sur La Table & Anthropologie

These stores are mainstays in my usual day of shopping but it never hurts to pop in to a different location! We hit up Sur La Table for my burgeoning chef of a sister (so bummed we weren't able to fit in a class or two!) and Anthropologie because let's face it, I have an Anthro problem.

eat:

Lavender Moon Cupcakery

Who doesn't love a good cupcake? We wandered in to escape the cold and treated ourselves to the lemon lavender chiffon (definitely as good as it sounds!) and the triple belgian chocolate. If you're ever in the area, please make a stop here. The interior is adorable, the staff is super friendly and you won't be disappointed by the fabulous cupcakes.

Fontaine Cafe

This place is on the list solely because it's a giant note to self: GO HERE NEXT TIME! We ate brunch at a different restaurant and though eggs Benedict can never be bad, the food was less than desirable. Fontaine Cafe is a crepe and coffee joint... what's not to love?

Happy Friday! It feels like ages since I rounded up the week here on the blog and I'm beyond excited for this one. Even though we returned from vacation on Sunday (I'm seriously wiped but Lo and I had the best time), we headed back out of town yesterday. Mr. Jackson's brother is graduating college in Florida and we're doing it up family style for a few days. There are two ceremonies, a family party and a trip to Disney World on the agenda this weekend... oy vey! I worked myself into the ground trying to get posts scheduled for yet another trip so hopefully you don't even notice I'm gone this time. Here's hoping your Saturday & Sunday have a little more rest scheduled than mine do!

Here's what I loved on the web this week:

the return of the fabulous Holiday Magazine (image via) The Man Repeller's guide to everything Spring over at Style.com Sophia Webster for J.Crew (I've got my eye on these and these!) the a-z of dance via I-D Magazine and Diesel & a heartfelt letter from the editor by Garance Dore

keep up with me while we're away

          

dress, denim jacket & necklace - forever 21 | sandals - zara

Oops... I did it again! Pink is definitely taking over the blog this week but these blooms were way too pretty not to get in on the action. Lorelai may be cuter but a day of frolicking through the flowers and soaking up DC's scenery was perfect for this petal pusher.

p.s. It may be a fashion faux pas but do you dare tie jackets/shirts around your waist? I kind of like the 90s vibe...