Girls' Night Out

Charity chose a blouson dress for me, one I had never worn out before.  It's a bit dressy but not too

dressy for Old Town Alexandria.

Old Town is a stretch of city several blocks wide and about a mile and a half long, with a Masonic Temple at one end and the river at the other.  There are lots of unique shops, the city hall, trolleys that run up and down the streets.  It's a nice place for a walk or a meal.  At one point, I think there are only restaurants on King Street.

You'll find a wide variety in clothes on a warm weeknight in Old Town.  People live nearby or drive in and they go out after work in basic casual clothes.  Many people head there straight from work, in somewhat dressier items.  And there are some upscale restaurants which require people to dress up from their daytime wardrobe.  I was kind of in the "work just ended, and here I am" mode.  I think that's one of my favourite ways of dressing.

The dress I wore a black background and I wore a black cami and slip underneath.  I was trying to choose between black open-toed platform heels and silver wedges.  I went with the wedges, partly because of the weather, but I have to remember: stilettos are contraindicated when walking in parts of town with brick or cobblestone walks.

OPI Big Apple Red

We were ready early and drove into town with at least fifteen minutes to spare.  It turns out we needed it: parking was scarce.  I found a spot almost three blocks from the restaurant and we walked back, alas, without an umbrella.  (Remember, I said they were threatening severe weather that night.)

Charity and I checked out the restaurant and it was kind of crowded, but there were open tables.  Our friends weren't there yet.  We went out and tried to decide what to do next.  At this point, I knew I wouldn't be eating there so I wanted to look at some of the nearby restaurants (and shops ~ lots of small, cute shops in Alexandria!).  We walked down the street towards the water.  The restaurant was only a block and a half from the Potomac.  We walked up the other side of the street past the restaurant and went one more block before crossing the street, turning, and heading back to the meeting place.

Joanie had texted me and asked if I wanted to look for a different place.  I wrote back that we were outside the restaurant and it would be OK.

As I mentioned, serious storms were expected but one blasted through in the morning and another in the late afternoon (but a few miles north of where we were) with a small tornado in Maryland.

Then we started to feel some drops.  The rain wasn't heavy, but it was the large drops that make an impact when they hit.  We were discussing walking back to the car to get that absent umbrelly when Vanessa showed up.  With an umbrella.  Smart gal.

Vanessa is a take-charge gal and she did just that.  In a moment, we were sitting in the restaurant at a table big enough for ten.

Soon, Cindy and Bree arrived, followed by Joanie.  I was hoping Rhonda would make it, but she didn't (I think I'll see her Saturday).

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