Visiting the Pandas at the National Zoo

pictured: Bao Li playing / wearing: earrings / sweater / nail polish / bracelet / handbag / jeans / sneakers /

How cute are the pandas! They are seriously adorable! The National Zoo in Washington DC has two, adorable pandas on loan from China named Bao Li, pictured above, and Qing Bao, who was just chilling in the indoor enclosure, which is why I don’t have photos.

Bao Li was having a fun morning rolling on the hill, climbing a tree, taking a dip in the pool, running around, and entertaining the crowd. Such a cute panda!

I love pandas, so it was a treat being able to see them at the National Zoo. If you are visiting the Washington DC area, I highly recommend visiting them! The morning is the best time to go since that is when the pandas are the most active.

I wore my comfy sneakers and cross body bag for a day of walking! The National Zoo has more than just pandas. They have various types of monkeys, turtles, aquatic life, frogs, elephants, owls, birds, and much, much more. Entrance is free to the zoo, although you will need to pay for parking. I recommend reserving parking and tickets online since the parking fee is less expensive when purchased in advance versus buying it on the spot.

What I wore to visit the zoo:

After we spent the day at the zoo, and purchased some panda merch, we enjoyed a delicious dinner at Ted’s Bulletin. The food was really good, and they have yummy key lime pie! Love! Highly recommend.

Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more from DC!

XOXO

Cathy

Exploring the National Mall

wearing: earrings / stripe knit top / black handbag / pink nail polish / jeans / bracelet / sneakers /

Arrived in Washington DC! Last time I visited, I was a kid! Thankfully, my daughter had spring break from school, so we traveled to Washington DC to check out our country’s history in person.

On our first full day in DC, we explored the National Mall. There was construction on a couple of the roads, so we were not able to see everything, but we did get a full day of exploration. We explored the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Korea War Memorial, and WWII Memorial. We tried to see the White House, but barricades and construction obstructed our view. Boo!

It was nice to walk around and explore all of the monuments in our beautiful capitol. Plus, we burned close to four hundred calories walking around! Love that!

We found the White House gift shop and picked up a few mementos, as well as took Oval Office photos. It is our nation’s 250-year anniversary, so it pays to get merch! It was fun to be a complete tourist. After exploring, we ended the night with a delicious sushi meal at Sushi Sato. So good!

What I wore to walk around and explore the National Mall:

Stay tuned for more from our spring break trip to Washington DC!

Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO

Cathy

Packed for spring break 2026 in Washington DC

packed spring break Washington dc

What’s in my spring break suitcase: blue sweater / black top / striped knit top / classic jeans / denim maxi skirt / gold earrings / pearl earrings / pink nail polish / black barrel jeans /

Packed and flying away! For my oldest daughter’s spring break, we decided to head to Washington DC. She attends university on the east coast and her friends all went home for spring break, so this means mama gets to go on vacation with her daughter! Love!

We are planning to visit the capitol, as many museums as possible, the zoo, the monuments, and more! I tried to get a White House tour but failed. Sad face. Anyhoo. . .

The weather predictions are forecasting mild temperatures and some rain. So, my spring wardrobe should work; plus, I will bring my winter puffy coat just in case. After all, the east coast is unpredictable!

For my nail polish, I am going with this classic pink hue since it will not show chips while I am traveling. I always steer clear of dark nail polish when I travel. If I wear dark nail polish, it always chips on day one of my trip, if I wear a light color, it doesn’t chip. Murphy’s Law.

Shop my spring break suitcase online:

So, here I go! Stay tuned for my spring break coverage from Washington DC!

XOXO

Cathy