Dates of travel: May 21 - 26, 2015

Lodging: Emily & Jonathan's apartment in DC, AirBNB in Richmond, and Hyatt Place in DC

Photo album

We arrived in DC in the afternoon and went to History and Hops featuring Old Bust Head at the Heurich House Museum in the Brewmaster's Castle. 

After the tour and tasting, we picked up food to-go from Indigo and went back to Emily and Jonathan's apartment.

In the morning, we drove 2.5 hours south to Richmond, Virginia. 
Lunch at The Black Sheep 
Walked the Pipeline Trail on the James River 
Explored Belle Isle
Walked on the Riverfront Canal Walk
Looked at the murals 
Drank beer at Hardywood Park Craft Brewery
Dinner at Buz and Ned's Real BBQ
​Looked at exhibits at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Coffee at Lamplighter Roasting Company
Breakfast at Joe's Inn
Walked along Monument Avenue
Walked around Maymont
Lunch on the deck at The Boathouse on Rocketts Landing and watched bald eagles and other raptors on the river 
Toured the Virginia State Capitol
Happy hour at Secco Wine Bar
Richmond Flying Squirrels minor league baseball game
Take out from Sticky ToGoGo

Breakfast at 821 Cafe
Walked around University of Richmond campus
Drove back to DC

Spirited Republic: Alcohol in American History at the National Archives Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery
Lunch at the Garden Cafe in the National Gallery of Art
​Watched part of the National Memorial Day Parade
Peacock Room REMIX at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum
​Beers at Bluejacket Brewery
Walked around Yards Park
Dinner at &pizza 

Returned to Minneapolis on a morning flight

Related: 40x40 List
Date of tea: Sunday, May 17, 2015

One of the first items I thought of for my 40x40 list was having afternoon tea with a group of lady friends. Sitting in a beautiful setting sipping on tea while gabbing with friends seemed like a delightful way to help usher in my milestone birthday. 

When I discovered the St. Paul Hotel Afternoon Tea I knew it was "the one". There are a handful of afternoon tea options in the Twin Cities (Brit's Pub, Mad Hatter Tea Room, Maudie McBride's Tea in the Woods, Lady Elegant's Tea Room) but the St. Paul Hotel looked by far the most elegant of the options. I am nothing if not elegant - ha! 

I knew my friend Erin Reichelt would be up for an afternoon tea because she's been to holiday teas with her friends and daughter. We worked together at Capella University and now both work at the University of Minnesota. We thought it would be fun to have a reunion with two other friends we have in common from our Capella days - Amy and Julie. I haven't seen Julie in several years so it was fun to catch up. Amy and I try to get together at least once a month and she'll be accompanying me on other 40x40 adventures! Having a block of two hours to relax and talk is a great way to spend an afternoon with friends. I'd also like to have afternoon tea with my mom and sister someday. 

Our servers were attentive and we each had several refills of tea as each of the five courses were served. I loved both the black current and chamomile teas. The day before the tea I walked 80,000 steps so I was starving when we arrived and by the time we left two hours later I was stuffed. 

I highly recommend Afternoon Tea at the Saint Paul Hotel. You'll have to make your reservation several months in advance and the holiday times are the hardest to reserve.