Another Cupcake Saturday!

A few weeks ago my Mom, sister and I headed out to crowded ol' D.C. for a Girl's weekend. We didn't want something super structured, and with all the times we got lost, it's a good thing we weren't on a strict time schedule! Time getting lost #1-on the way to the hotel near National Harbor. Once we finally got there, we snapped this picture before heading out. (Technically, I took 5 pictures, but this one was the best of them all, despite my finger covering the flash.)

At least it's something! We ended up taking one of those open top double decker bus tours through D.C. and ended up in Georgetown. Now, I wanted to be one of those crazy cupcake people who was willing to stand in line at Georgetown Cupcake, but after staying in this line for 10 minutes, I was done.

The reason I was so willing to get out of there was because of a bakery a few streets down that I heard was a 'you can't ditch this place' kind of place. Now I know that Georgetown Cupcake has a huge fan base, but with two bakeries closing at 9, I was happy to go to Baked & Wired instead. I've heard amazing things about this place, and I can honestly say there is no way some little rinky-dink fluffy cupcake with butter cream frosting could hold a candle to the dense, incredible and gigantic cupcakes that Baked & Wired has to offer. This is all that was left by the time my Mom was able to remember to grab the camera out of my bag and snap a quick picture.That's what was left of the Chocolate Cupcake of Doom(love the name!) I split that one with my sis, and then we each snagged a different kind to have later back at the hotel. She picked Red Velvet with Cream Cheese, and I went with my favorite kind of cake, Carrot!Without a doubt, my all time favorite Carrot Cake. No raisins, pecans(of which I'm not usually a fan), and delectable cream cheese frosting! I think I'm going to buy my own Carrot Cake birthday cake from them :o) After this stop, it was Time To Get Lost #2. Finding the nearest Metro stop was a nightmare. I think we ended up walking for almost an hour before we finally got to one. I was thrilled to lay down in a comfy bed after that. Nawnie was a bit wired after the second sugar rush.Next day, National Harbor! Along with the awesome view, they've got some really great shops. We stopped in a few, walked through a market where I grabbed a Sugar Cookie from the girls at Sweet Cheeks Bakery, and oooh'ed and ahhh'ed our way through an art gallery. For lunch we stopped at Potbelly's and then went to CakeLove. Now, I've seen the owner of this bakery team up with Duff from Charm City Cakes a.k.a. the Ace of Cakes team, so I figured it had to be good. They actually keep their cupcakes refrigerated which I think helps keep the cupcake thick. I'm over the fluffy air kind. We went with the Chocolate Fuzzy Wuzzy, and while the base was nice, I'm against the butter cream, so one bite and I was over it. I was happy to be distracted by our next stop, the Peeps Store!My Momma is too cute!

Me and my cute Peeps!

Just outside that place was an incredible iron/metal horse creation. Nawnie is a huge fan of horses, so I just had to grab a picture of her in front of it.Wow, huh?

Alexandria was next! I used to work there, so we headed to Old Town and ran right into another Cupcakery. I wasn't even looking for it, but I'm glad my Mom spotted it! It was a tiny little place, and before even trying a cupcake I fell in love with something else in their shop. Brown bakery boxes!Ok, so I knew before we headed into this weekend that I wanted to try a coconut cupcake at some point. Alexandria Cupcake uses butter cream frosting on all of their cupcakes, so I was a bit up in the air about what to try until I saw this.Coconut Baby! This was such a perfect cupcake. Moist, sweet, tasty, but way too small! I wish I'd bought a dozen. I'm definitely motivated to come up with a Coconut Bite now for my little biz! Next we hit a great little candy shop called Candi's Candies that specializes in lesser-known candies and especially water taffy! Barrels and barrels of it.

These are my personal favorite. I found this flavor in California in Old Sac and Candi's is the only place on this side of the country near me that has it too. It's yummy purple-y goodness!

We headed out of there, stopped by a bunch of other little shops, and then rounded out the day at another great place, Ikea! I picked up a few things that I'd seen in the catalog and managed to score a pink sofa cover for $20!!! I love it when they discontinue colors!

So, I had a fantastic weekend with the girls, can you tell? Here's my sum-up/lessons learned:

1. Ditch Georgetown Cupcake's stupid line and run as fast as you can to Baked&Wired!

2. Avoid D.C. on the day before or the day of a ralley, unless you actually want to fo to the ralley. Traffic sucks.

3. Really get to know D.C. ahead of time, or be prepared to get lost a few times. Any time my Mom and I are together in an unfamiliar area, we expect to have to ask for directions many times!

4. Support local small bakeries! The Sweet Cheeks girls were super fun, and I know what it's like to man a booth and hope and pray for people to buy my stuff.

5. Don't wear flip flops to D.C.-I'm such a dork.

6. Plan a tour of some kind where you live! I'm happy I had a chance to try other peoples' creations. It's got me moving forward with ideas for my little business!

Anyone up for Round 2 of the D.C. Cupcake Tour?

Have A Sweet Day!