O is for... The Old Executive Office Building

For our celebration of the letter O, we're going to take a look at an office building, which is a pretty common sight in D.C. However, this isn't your average office building...





The Old Executive Office Building sits right next door to the White House.  It is the ceremonial location of the offices of the Vice President, and at one time housed the offices of the Departments of State, War, and the Navy.

While some people think it's an eyesore, I've always liked this building.

Old Executive Office Building

See that tree in the lower right corner of the yard?  When I was in grad school, I spent a pleasant afternoon studying under that tree.  A friend and I parked ourselves with our books and quizzed each other for our upcoming test, and surprisingly, security never asked us to move. :)

N is for... The Newseum and the Nationals

Welcome to our celebration of the letter N!  The thing about D.C. is that most institutions and places start with the letter N... Being the nation's capital, there are a lot of National things to be found.  Rather than focus on all those sites, I thought we'd take a look at 2 uniquely N places in the city.


The Newseum is a relatively new museum just off the Mall.  It's dedicated to the news, and exploring the evolution of news reporting over the years, be it print, broadcast, radio, or internet.  The exhibits are really interesting, and there's a great view of the Capitol and other downtown buildings from the observation deck.

I also like how the front of the building displays the front page from newspapers around the world, updated daily:

Front page exhibit

After you've had your fill of museums for the day, why not check out a Nationals baseball game?

Nationals Park

After all, baseball is America's game, and what could be more patriotic than seeing a baseball game in our nation's capital?

M is for... The Mall and Metro

Welcome to week 3 of the A to Z blogging challenge!  We're kicking things off with a celebration of all things M!






First up is the Mall.  No, it's not a shopping center.  The Mall in D.C. is an open area park, extending from the Lincoln Memorial to the Capitol building.  Not only will you find many of the monuments in this area, but the Smithsonian museums line the grassy area by the Capitol building.

Map of the original plans

What's great about the Mall is how it's utilized by the city.  Every year, the 4th of July celebrations take place here, with fireworks being set off behind the Washington Monument.  The National Book Festival takes over in the fall, and many rallies and protests alike congregate on the Mall.  And let's not forget the Presidential Inauguration.  Overall, the Mall is really the heart of the city, and you shouldn't miss it.

Next up is the Metro.  D.C. has an extensive public transportation system, including a great subway system that gets you pretty much anywhere you need to go in D.C. and the surrounding cities.  Given the price of parking, and the difficulty in finding a space, my recommendation is to use Metro to explore the city.  

Metro rail map

The rail system is quite user-friendly, so don't be afraid to hop on.  It's all part of the D.C. experience!

L is for... The Lincoln Memorial

Can you believe the second week of the A to Z challenge is drawing to a close? When I signed up, I had doubts about my ability to fill a month's worth of posts, but D.C. is such a great city, I'm actually having to pare down my remarks so as not to bore everyone! :)



No discussion of D.C. would be complete without mentioning one of the most loved and recognizable attractions the city has to offer: the Lincoln Memorial.

It's a truly beautiful building, and the outside is just the beginning.  Walk up the stairs so you can see the statue of Lincoln, and check out the walls, where his Gettysburg address and remarks from his second inauguration speech are engraved into the marble.

There's more to the memorial than just the statue and engravings--there is a Lincoln museum under the memorial as well, and it's well worth a visit.

This was always one of my favorite places to visit, and I recommend you see it both during the day and at night, when it's all lit up and glowing.  I like this site so much, I made it the setting of a pivotal scene in Deadly Contact :)

That's it for week two folks.  Thanks for all your kind words so far.  Be sure to come back on Monday, when we'll pick up with the letter M!

K is for... The Kennedy Center and Kramerbooks

Wow, we're already to the letter K! Seems like we just started this thing, and we're already about halfway through.  How time flies...






On today's tour, we're going to stop at the Kennedy Center.  Sitting on the Potomac River, this performing arts center is a distinctive landmark in a city that is full of unique and interesting buildings.

The Kennedy Center

One of the great things about this institution is the variety of performances you can find here.  Symphony?  Yep.  Opera?  You bet. Broadway musicals?  You better believe it.  Smaller plays or chamber music?  Sure.  Pretty much any type of musical event, dance performance, play, or performance art has a home here, and it's a great venue in terms of sound quality and stage design.  Not to mention, the view of the Potomac is amazing, so you have a lovely setting for your intermission drinks.  All in all, you should really try to catch a show here while you're in town.

After the show, head back to Dupont Circle and stop by Kramerbooks & Afterwords.  This is one of my favorite places in D.C., as it seamlessly combines two of my favorite things: books and food. :)

Front entrance

There are two entrances to the store: the bookstore entrance and the cafe entrance.  The cafe and bookstore are connected, so you can browse the stacks while you wait for a table.  The food is good, the atmosphere amazing, and on nice days, you can sit outside and people watch while you eat.  All in all, this is a great spot to relax and take in the city.

Our last stop is the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  Although this memorial isn't as well known as the other monuments, this is a haunting site that is definitely worth a visit.

A patrol marches through this memorial, and to their right stands a wall of images:

The wall is impressive in the daylight, but it really comes alive at night, when lights on the ground make the images glow, giving the whole thing a ghostly feel.

So that's it for the K's, folks.  I hope you come back tomorrow for the letter L!

No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop!

***Looking for the A to Z post?  Scroll down!***

This month, I'm happy to participate in the No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer.

Up for grabs is an autographed copy of Melissa Mayhue's Highlander's Curse.  Here's the back cover blurb:

When COLIN MACALISTER is cursed by the Faerie Queen and ends up in the bed of a twenty-first-century woman—who also happens to be the most beautiful creature he’s ever laid eyes on—he’s torn between anger and lust. Colin is determined to see Scotland free of English control and must return to the fourteenth century, yet he cannot forget the woman who haunts his dreams and stirs him with scorching desire.

ABIGAIL PORTER can’t believe her luck. After making a wish to find her soul mate, she wakes up to find a gorgeous man in her bed! Can he really be a medieval Highlander summoned by her Faerie Magic, however? It seems crazy, but when Abby discovers someone wants to enslave her because of her Faerie heritage, she agrees to flee with Colin to 1306 Scotland to avoid capture. Thwarting danger at every turn, Abby and Colin surrender to an irresistible passion. But is the magic of true love powerful enough to save them?

Want to win?  Just use the Rafflecopter form below to submit your name and your email address.  Don't have an email address?  Leave me a Facebook name, a Twitter handle--I just need some way of getting in touch with you if you win.

The giveaway will run until Wednesday, April 17.  On Thursday, April 18, I'll post the winner's name.  The giveaway is open to US readers only.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

J is for... the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building

We're zipping through the alphabet on our tour of Washington, D.C.--can you believe we're already on the letter J?







In honor of the heroes of my books, today we're going to check out the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building.  This is a relatively unique-looking building in downtown D.C., and it's the national headquarters for the FBI.

FBI headquarters

Architecturally speaking, the building is kind of ugly.  It's absolutely huge, and one of the interesting features is that there are no windows on the ground floor--when you're walking next to it, all you see are solid walls interspersed with black grates.  Very utilitarian.

The first floor

I've never been inside the building, but I think they offer public tours. I'm not sure how difficult it is to get on the list, but if you're going to be in town, it's probably worth a shot.